Chapter 67

It was well known that donkeys were slower than horses. It took five days to get from Anshui Prefecture to Xieyang County by horse carriage, and six days by donkey carriage. What's more, with a donkey carriage fully loaded.

When Zheng Ruqian came back to Xieyang County with Pang Dashan, dragging carts full of cured meat, Zhu Zhi had already been thrown into jail.

Seeing Er Ge so happy that the corners of his mouth were about to reach his earlobes, Zheng Ruqian didn't have time to celebrate with everyone. He started busying himself with delivering vegetables.

First were dried snow vegetables.

Before leaving, Zheng Ruqian had a hunch that he wouldn't be coming back soon this time. Not wanting to interrupt the vegetable harvesting, he simply left ten taels of silver to Pang Dashan's younger brothers, asking them to keep harvesting snow vegetables.

After over a month, the mountain cave where the younger brothers lived was almost flooded by snow vegetables.

Zheng Ruqian hurriedly filled two donkey carts.

Before leaving, he asked repeatedly, "Big brother, is Zhu Zhi really caught? You don't need me here anymore, right? I'm going to harvest vegetables now?"

Xu Mo took off his gray jacket and put on a cyan robe, looking heroic and promising like a young scholar, "Don't worry, the county magistrate is here. You be careful on the road."

"With the ringleader caught, what do I have to be afraid of?" Zheng Ruqian laughed loudly twice before leaving with carts full of snow vegetables.

There were also five catties of cured meat to deliver to the Prefect of Pang County.

Zheng Ruqian was a man with no other abilities except remembering favors.

Back then, the county magistrate couple of Xieyang County had been like a sword hanging over their sister and brother's heads. It was the Prefect of Pang County who took in Pang Dashan, this fake nephew, and protected them with actions. Zheng Ruqian wanted to repay the favor.

Knowing that the Prefect of Pang County was clean and did not accept money, he sent meat, vegetables, rice and eggs in the name of his nephew, as well as some local specialties.

The Prefect of Pang County insisted on rejecting at first, but later accepted seeing Zheng Ruqian's sincerity in giving thanks.

Accordingly, he also gave Zheng Ruqian a lot of protection.

Now people in Yunshui County all knew that Zheng Ruqian often went in and out of the Yunshui county magistrate's residence. No one dared bully him for his young age when he did business. For example, the dried food store that sold snow vegetables. Seeing Zheng Ruqian, although complaining that he hadn't delivered goods for so long that the store lacked dried snow vegetables, they didn't lose their temper. They just urged him, "If you don't come often, bring more carts each trip, enough to sell for two months."

Zheng Ruqian smiled and agreed, and gave two catties of cured pork.

The owner's complaints disappeared instantly as he smiled and accepted it, saying in his mouth, "Thank you, little brother Zheng, for remembering me out there."

Zheng Ruqian smiled as he left the dried food store, and went to the village.

The familiar aunts scolded him even more. They grabbed his clothes complaining, "You harvest vegetables every day in winter, and when it's finally spring for harvesting, you don't come again. What is it, do you like eating vegetables that aren't fresh?"

Even Pang Dashan didn't escape. He was surrounded by the aunts and nagged, "If you don't come again, my vegetables will rot in the fields."

In early May, it was the season for all kinds of vegetables to grow and be harvested.

The aunts each held a bunch, and the two carts were soon filled up.

But there were still dozens of aunts waiting behind.

Seeing the donkeys about to collapse under the weight, Zheng Ruqian hurriedly waved to stop them, "Aunties, ladies, really can't fit any more, can't fit any more."

Only then did the aunts reluctantly take back their vegetables, yelling, "Little Zheng, next time bring more people and more carts."

Zheng Ruqian promised repeatedly before escaping back to Xieyang County.

On the road.

The two looked at each other in silence. After much deliberation, Pang Dashan finally asked, "Do you want to bring more people to Yunshui County? I see my brothers can manage harvesting snow vegetables themselves now."

He was thinking that this would mean more people earning money for the family, and they could move out of the damp and dark cave to rent a house in the county.

Zheng Ruqian thought that they could harvest more vegetables, but where to deliver them?

Although Bai had boasted, Yuanran Pavilion was after all just a restaurant, with limited capacity.

Unless it was Yuanran Pavilion in Anshui Prefecture.

Zheng Ruqian's eyebrows furrowed as Jing Sheng's injured hand flashed repeatedly in his mind, making him somewhat conflicted.

Reasonably, cooperating with Yuanran Pavilion would bring great benefits, but emotionally he didn't like the Yuanran Pavilion in Anshui Prefecture. He was also a little worried that the shopkeeper there was too obsequious to superiors and bullying to subordinates, and might look down on small vegetable vendors like him.

"Let's deliver these vegetables first." Zheng Ruqian returned to Xieyang County and first delivered the vegetables to Yuanran Pavilion before sending the five catties of cured meat he had prepared to Bai the shopkeeper.

"Good boy, is this a Shu Region specialty?" As an experienced businessman, Bai recognized the cured meat at a glance, "Did you go to Shu Region this past month?"

Zheng Ruqian scratched his head shyly, "No, I didn't. This meat was made by an auntie I happened to meet along the way."

What was clearly made by himself took a turn on the tongue and became something he had bought.

Pang Dashan beside widened his eyes, not understanding why Elder Brother Zheng had lied.

"To have gotten Shu Region specialty products, not bad." Bai nodded slowly, then asked again, "How much did you buy this cured meat for?"

The question was too direct. Even Pang Dashan understood that Bai intended to purchase cured meat. He was instantly excited.

Zheng Ruqian coughed twice and recalled seriously, "Just... seventeen or eighteen coins per catt."

Although the meat was cheap, and the sea salt used for curing wasn't expensive either, the cured meat would shrink. One catt of fresh meat yielded only six taels of dried meat. Adding the cost of smoking and sun-drying, seventeen or eighteen coins was a small profit.

And it took several days of traveling back and forth between Anshui Prefecture and Xieyang County.

Bai thought for a moment, "I've heard of cured meat before, just never seen it. How about this, I'll try selling the five catties first at Yuanran Pavilion. If sales are good, I'll buy from you at twenty coins per catt. What do you think?"

What could he say except yes?

Seventeen or eighteen coins already yielded a profit. Twenty coins meant earning a bit more. Who wouldn't be happy?

Pang Dashan was so excited he almost cried, eager to immediately start producing smoked cured meat, making it every day, working himself to death.

Zheng Ruqian was also thrilled, but he still kept calm like Big Brother and thought for a moment before replying, "It's a deal then."

Bai smiled as he saw the two boys out of Yuanran Pavilion.

Just as they were about to leave, Zheng Ruqian suddenly said sincerely, "Uncle Bai, vegetables everywhere are fresh and plentiful in early spring. I see Xieyang County has limited demand. I wonder if Yuanran Pavilion in Anshui Prefecture also wants vegetables. If so, could I deliver two carts?"

After much struggle, he still chose not to oppose money.

Only earning more money could buy embroidered shoes with inlaid pearls for his sister.

Since it was so, why bother about who he cooperated with?

Bai was even more surprised.

The little boy who was too timid to even sell mushrooms to him back then had grown up, and grown bolder ambitions, actually wanting to expand the business to Anshui Prefecture.