0p0 Chapter 176 Mule for Cow
Chapter 176 Mule for Cow
Ma didn't expect that her flattery would backfire.
"Mom, I was wrong. I will pay more attention next time."
Zheng's expression eased a little when she heard her daughter-in-law give in.
"Well, it's OK once you figure it out. Our family background is only comparable to that of the people in the village. In the south, it's nothing. Your aunt and I went out to ask around. They've all heard of Guangyuan's reputation. It's very wealthy. Even in the most ordinary villages, they have to pay 50 taels of silver to marry off their daughters."
"50 taels!"
The three sisters-in-law of the Ma family exclaimed in surprise. If they had not escaped from the famine, they would never have earned so much in their entire lives.
"This is still normal. I heard that they like auspicious numbers, such as 66 taels, which means good luck, 88 taels, which means making a fortune, and 99 taels, which means long and lasting. This is just the dowry. The man will only give more. Let's not make a fool of ourselves with this little money."
Ma was immediately deflated. She thought their family was wealthy.
Sun smiled and eased the atmosphere, "Yuzhen, don't listen to your mother-in-law. No matter where you are, there are rich and poor people. We don't have to feel inferior. Hehua said that she still has sweet potatoes. When we get there, we will start farming and take good care of the fields. In the future, we will be no worse off than others. The fields are our roots."
Zhou and the others lowered their heads and listened to the lecture. Su He did not dare to act rashly. She did think about buying a shop in the county town, but she did not want to do business. She wanted to buy it to collect rent. But when she thought about it, the good shops there were all being eyed by the big families. It might not be that easy for her to squeeze in and make some money.
"Sister, Master Wen is back, and his uncle is here too."
Miaomiao came in with a candy monkey man, and Su He felt relieved, as if he had finally waited for something.
"Grandma, little grandma, aunts, I'm going first. Wait for my good news."
Grandma nodded and gave soft instructions.
"We can eat dumplings when we come back."
Su He responded and followed Miaomiao to the restaurant next door. This time they went to the private room on the second floor. Chen Wen, Mu Tou Tietou and Tiantian were all there.
Su He muttered to himself, you idiots are so ignorant that you don’t even tell me when you go out. You won’t even know you’re being sold out soon.
On the way there, Miaomiao had already reported to Su He that they were taken out by Chen Wen. Chen Wen bought them sugar figures and promised to give them writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone.
Zhao Qingli was still wearing the royal blue robe he wore yesterday. Now, when she looked closer, she found that the fabric was of particular interest. Su He glanced at it and found a pattern that looked like bamboo leaves. She didn't know how to describe it, but with Zhao Qingli's pretty good-looking face, it made him look low-key and profound.
"Second Master, thank you for buying the candy figures for Miaomiao and the others."
"No need to thank me. This is something Awen bought specially for his friend who he wanted to treat back. You saved him and took good care of him along the way. This little candy man is nothing. When we get to Yunhe, Awen said he would pick out a gift himself to thank you."
Zhao Qingli spoke quite politely. Originally, he wanted to buy some better rice paper and inkstones to send to his nephew, but was rejected by his nephew. He had a lot of things in his own small warehouse. The Chen family was famous for literature, and although they didn't have much else, they definitely had no shortage of the four treasures of the study.
Originally, it was inappropriate for children to be in such an occasion, but he and Su Hehua could not be alone in the same room, so he had to ask Awen to keep them company.
"Second Master, we originally wanted to send Master Wen home. Now that you are here, we feel relieved. I wonder what your plans are for the future?"
Su He moved a stool and sat on the side, two meters away from Zhao Qingyuan, which was a polite distance.
"I found Awen yesterday and asked someone to return to Yunhe overnight to pass on the message. We set off for Guangyuan in the afternoon. Awen's parents are already very worried and can't wait any longer."
Su He was not surprised at all, he was mentally prepared.
"That's what I thought. Ah Wen is a good kid. Someone must have deliberately induced him to come out this time. I hope you can go back and explain it, and don't blame Ah Wen."
Chen Wen followed Mu Tou and sat far away, eavesdropping with his ears perked up. Su He's words made his eyes red. He missed his family very much along the way, and when he saw his uncle, his longing reached its peak. Then he started to worry that his parents and grandmother would scold him when he returned home.
Zhao Qingli glanced at Chen Wen and felt very amused when he saw the worried look on the little guy's face.
"I have already caught Awen's two servants. Someone did this on purpose. I will explain it to his mother when I get back. But Awen must not act rashly again and make everyone worry. Your mother's eyes were swollen from crying before I left."
Zhao Qingli said the second half of his words to Chen Wen who was standing next to him. Chen Wen's eyes turned red and he choked with guilt.
Mu Tou and others hurried to comfort him.
Su He's lips twitched when she saw this. This child was just like Lin Daiyu. Tears started flowing as soon as she spoke.
"Second Master, my maternal grandfather's ancestral home is also Guangyuan. This time I am moving with my family and am considering taking the water route. I wonder if you have any familiar boats that you can introduce to us."
Su He quickly turned the page and asked about serious matters.
Zhao Qingli heard what Chen Wen said yesterday, so he was not surprised this time.
"Yes, but the closest ship is this afternoon. The next one will be the day after tomorrow. This is a habit of cooperating with our Zhao family. Other ships will be available every day."
"Lotus, please come with us."
The second sentence was said by Chen Wen. He was reluctant to leave Su He and the others behind, and now when he heard that Su He also wanted to take the water route, he quickly made the suggestion.
Su He looked at Chen Wen gently, "Master Wen, we still have mules and carriages to sell. It's already late, so it's definitely too late."
Su He was unwilling to go with Chen Wen, as she wanted to book the ship for the day after tomorrow.
Chen Wen was so depressed that he didn't even have the mood to chew the candy man.
"Second Master, we want to book a boat for the day after tomorrow. I don't know how much it will cost. I'll ask my family to pay for it now."
How could Zhao Qingli let Su He pay the money? "Just wait at the dock the day after tomorrow. Don't mention the money. When you get to Guangyuan, remember to come to the Zhao Mansion. My mother and Zhang's mother will be very happy to see you."
Su He thanked him politely, "Thank you very much, Second Master. I will definitely go there after I settle down in Guangyuan. I want to ask one more question. I want to send an extra horse and a mule. I wonder how much it costs?"
"horse?"
Su He looked at the puzzled Zhao Qingli and briefly explained the origin of the horse. After listening, Zhao Qingli suddenly understood.
"If it's just a mule and a horse, it's easy to deal with. But the ship you're waiting for the day after tomorrow is for people, and the other one is for livestock. Both ships leave on the same day, so it's just a matter of spending some extra money."
Su He nodded happily, and thinking of the 22 mules in the inn, he asked another question.
"Master, this ship carrying livestock, is it buying cheap livestock here and selling them in the south?"
Zhao Qingli smiled and admitted it directly without hiding anything.
"It's our Zhao family's boat. We have the kind you mentioned. If the price is right, we buy it and ship it to Yunhe to sell. We also have livestock for our customers, and we charge an appropriate freight fee for this."
Su He was overjoyed. "I want to ask how much silver the freight is, Master? We have 22 mules and one horse in total. If we were to take the Guandao route, mules would definitely be suitable. But we need to farm in Guangyuan and buy some cattle. I wonder if we can make a deal with Master and exchange mules for cattle."