The two siblings set out early in the morning. Today was their first trip to deliver firewood to Yuji, so they couldn't be late.
The two siblings found the shopkeeper at Yu Ji's blacksmith shop in the back street.
The shopkeeper was in his forties or fifties, tall and strong, wearing short clothes, a pair of black cloth shoes, and a stern gaze.
He looked like a man who had gone through a thousand sailings, and his whole body looked like he had walked out of a bloody storm.
Have you ever been a soldier?
In the past few years, the imperial court would recruit troops to fight with the Uighurs or southern Xinjiang when there was nothing wrong. It was not a strange thing to be recruited.
Qiao Mingjin looked at the man, and the man was also looking at her.
After a while, the man didn't say much and went straight to look at the firewood on the oxcart. He also touched two sacks.
Qiao Mingjin followed and said: "These two bags are made of pine hair. They were originally sent to other houses to start fires. If you don't need them here, I will take them back."
After hearing this, the man said: "It's very impressive. So what's the price for giving a car away?"
Qiao Mingjin then said: "A bag of pine hair is five cents, and a cart of firewood is fifty cents. The firewood you use here is thick and thick. Mine may be a little thinner. You can give me fifty cents for a cart."
Now. I will pick up some bigger and thicker ones and bring them over later."
The man nodded and glanced at her again. Perhaps he thought it was inappropriate to tell a young lady to chop some rough firewood and bring it over, so he said, "Don't force it. But my blacksmith shop is different from ordinary people's.
Firewood is indeed different. I don’t burn fine firewood here.”
Qiao Mingjin nodded after hearing this and said that he would send some thick ones in the future.
The man then said: "My surname is Yu. In the future, when I am away, I will ask the people below to give you money, and you will deliver a car the next day. If there is a day when delivery cannot be done normally, you need to inform us in advance. I am here every day
You can’t live without firewood.”
Qiao Mingjin nodded and said, "Don't worry, Master Yu. My family also relies on this job to dress and eat. If there is something that cannot be delivered, I will tell you in advance."
After saying that, they took the man's sixty cents and waited for the guys to clear out the firewood. Then the two siblings took the cow and left Yu Ji's door.
She asked Mingheng to send the oxcart, while she carried two baskets of eggs and a small bundle of bamboo rakes and walked to the market. She couldn't hold more than thirty bamboo rakes, and the remaining bundle was waiting for Mingheng to return.
Bring me over.
Many people were looking at her along the way, which made her panic and blush. Alas, she was still a bit thin-skinned.
As soon as I put down the two baskets on the market, acquaintances gathered around me.
"Little lady, did you pick the eggs?"
"Yes. There are more today than yesterday."
"Oh, you can also make a bamboo rake?"
Qiao Mingjin smiled and nodded.
One of the people setting up the stall picked up her bamboo rake and looked at it: "Oh, my lady's bamboo rake is even engraved with characters! What are these characters? It's red and festive, and there are flowers here. This is novel."
"
Qiao Mingjin pointed at the words on the bamboo rake and said them one by one.
"This is a good idea. Madam, how much are you going to sell it for? I happen to be short of a handful at home."
Qiao Mingjin didn't want this business, so she came here.
He suppressed his surprise and said: "This is my first time selling. You all often set up stalls. Do you know the price of this bamboo rake?"
An aunt then said: "These ordinary bamboo rakes cost eight cents or ten cents. If you go to Songshan Ji, you can buy them for five cents. But you have to pay for selling things here, and there is a fee for entering the city.
So everything is sold more expensive than Songshan Collection. Little lady, you have a bamboo rake with words and flowers engraved on it, and you can still sell it for 11 or 2 cents."
Qiao Mingjin thought for a while and realized that the price of ten coins was already at the price she wanted. Then she said to the interested middle-aged man: "If uncle wants it, just give it ten coins. Don't make a fortune with it."
The uncle was quite cheerful. He quickly took out ten cents and happily picked a handful with the words "Five Grains" engraved on it...
By the time Mingheng came over with the remaining bamboo rakes, Qiao Mingjin had sold more than half of the eggs and half of the bamboo rakes.
Mingheng arrived, and Qiao Mingjin also breathed a sigh of relief. She had to answer other people's inquiries, deal with other people's bargaining, order eggs, collect money, and sell bamboo rakes, so she was really busy.
With the cooperation of the two siblings and You Mingheng's shrewdness, less than half of the eggs were soon sold, leaving only a few bunches in the basket.
The straw-tied eggs still look fresh, and people who come to buy them don't care about the extra penny or two. This makes her eggs sell faster than other eggs.
There were only seven or eight bamboo rakes left. All the small ones were sold.
It seems that children at home do more of the work of raking loose hair and drying grains. Parents are also willing to buy a bamboo rake made according to the height of a child to make their children happy.
The two siblings were lighting the remaining eggs and bamboo rakes, when a shadow fell over their heads.
"Jin Niang?"
Qiao Mingjin looked up.
Hey, why is he here?
He is wearing the clothes of a police officer and has a pair of soap boots on his feet. Why doesn't he have a broadsword or sword on his waist?
Qiao Mingjin looked at him for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. After a long time, he asked, "Why are you here?"
Yue Zhongyao had a look of surprise on his face. He thought he had seen the wrong person. Still in shock, he only replied: "I, I am here on patrol."
That's right. He is a police officer. But instead of catching thieves, he works as an urban management officer.
"Mother Jin, why are you in the city? Are these eggs for sale? Where do they come from? Where do you get this bamboo rake?"
Qiao Mingjin didn't want to reply after hearing this.
Mingheng glanced at her sister and said, "The villagers asked us to sell the eggs, and my sister made the bamboo rake herself."
Yue Zhongyao is still a little confused.
Picking up a bamboo rake on the ground, Jin Niang made it herself? She glanced at Qiao Mingjin again, but Qiao Mingjin only focused on bringing eggs to others and did not look at him.
Several government servants following Yue Zhongyao asked curiously: "Yue Cap, this is..."
Just as Yue Zhongyao was about to open his mouth, Qiao Mingjin quickly said: "We are from the same hometown."
Yue Zhongyao had a sad face and nodded silently in response to the inquiries of several colleagues.
One of the yamen officials said: "You are a fellow villager of Yue'an. If anyone troubles you in the future, just report your name as Yue'an. No one will dare to cause trouble for you. We are guarding this street."
The eyes of the people setting up stalls nearby lit up, and they all gathered around and bought the few bamboo rakes left by Qiao Mingjin. The remaining bunches of eggs were also scraped off by the people who came to buy.
Qiao Mingjin was stunned for a while.
These people looked at Yue Zhongyao and others with fawning expressions on their faces, and they didn't know whether they were fawning or fearful.
Qiao Mingjin was shocked. The things she brought were sold out, but she felt quite happy.
After packing up the baskets and carrying poles, I put them on my shoulders and left.
"Jin Niang..." Yue Zhongyao wanted to grab her, but there were still many people here, so he only stopped her by calling her.
"Is something wrong with Yue Qing? My daughter is still at home, and I have to rush back."
Yue Zhongyao wanted to take over her burden, but Qiao Mingjin avoided him.
Yue Zhongyao gave a few instructions to the three government servants who were following him, and the three of them said goodbye and left.
"Ms. Jin, it's almost noon. Let me take you and Mingheng to have dinner."
"No. It's a long way, and I have to hurry back. I also have work to do at home. I brought dry food."
Yue Zhongyao found that he was at a loss for words as soon as he met Qiao Mingjin. He glanced at Mingheng blankly and found that Mingheng was not looking at him either. He had to follow the two siblings.
On the road, I met a cake and candy seller and wanted to stop Qiao Mingjin, but Qiao Mingjin didn't stop.
Yue Zhongyao was anxious to call someone to show up, while he kept looking back at the two sisters and urging the stall owner.
How could the stall owner be upset when he saw the county police officer buying something from him? He didn't even dare to accept the money. Yue Zhongyao didn't look at it and didn't have time to elaborate. He grabbed a handful of copper coins and threw them on the stall.
I went to chase the sisters for cakes and snacks.
He gave Mingheng a few packs of snacks and candies and said, "Take it with you to eat on the way. Just wait for your brother-in-law. He will buy some tea and wine for your father-in-law and let you take it back."
Mingheng glanced at his sister and said, "We don't live in Yunjia Village. Mingqi and I live with my sister Wan'er in Xiahe Village."
Yue Zhongyao was stunned for a moment: "You and Mingqi live in Xiahe Village?"
"Well, my grandma asked us to help my sister."
After hearing this, Yue Zhongyao nodded and said, "Is your fourth sister taking care of Wan'er?"
"Um."
Yue Zhongyao looked at Qiao Mingjin walking in front again and asked in a low voice: "Then where did you and your sister get the eggs to sell? Did you come from Xiahe Village this early in the morning?"
"No. My sister borrowed Aunt Xiu's bullock cart. These days we chop wood and sell it. We collect the eggs from the villagers and help sell them. We can earn almost a penny from two eggs."
Yue Zhongyao was stunned on the spot after hearing this.
She goes up the mountain to cut firewood and sell it?
How could she chop those thick firewood?
It's not yet noon, when did she go out?
Yue Zhongyao felt a dull pain in his heart like needles...
He followed silently until he reached the place where the bullock carts were kept.
Seeing the two sisters getting on the bullock cart and going back, he strode forward, took Qiao Mingjin's hand, took out a purse from his arms and handed it over: "Mother Jin, take the money. Don't work so hard.
I will support you, mother and daughter, how can you chop the thick firewood? From now on..."
Qiao Mingjin didn't wait for him to finish and pushed the purse back: "It's okay. If you can't chop the big ones, just chop the small ones. I can feed Wan'er, so you don't have to worry."
As soon as the bullwhip was raised, the cow started to trot tightly.
Yue Zhongyao grabbed his purse and stood there blankly until he could no longer see him...
Thanks to "Xinji" and "Haiyan 123" for the reward, and thanks to "Wushi Shiro" for the pk vote.
