?•??? THE ROAD TO BECOMING A TOP-NOTCHED OLD LADY ???•?

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Chapter 9 There is a Problem with the Jade Pendant

Yu Sheng felt that her pregnant daughter-in-law is more agile than her.

From cooking porridge over a fire, to frying a plate of wild vegetables at random intervals, her movements were precise. She could barely help her daughter-in-law at all.

‘The breakfast was not bad either.’

After eating their breakfast, Yu Sheng and her eldest son, Li Dayou, took a ride on the village ox cart to the town.

The town is too far from the village, but riding on the ox cart only took about half an hour of traveling. The fare for one person is three copper coins, but before the famine had arrived it previously cost two copper coins only.

Famine had made life hard for people to survive, now even cattles have difficulty finding grass to eat.

‘Three copper coins are expensive.’

There are seven or eight people sitting on the ox cart, although there aren’t many passengers, it is still considered plenty in the village.

Yu Sheng and the other passengers arrived quite late to the town. She found the street selling vegetables and placed the chestnuts in a noticeable and not remote area.

If they have arrived a bit later, there won’t be any good place left for them to sell their goods.

After tidying up the small stall, Yu Sheng took the small bamboo basket and a knife that she had prepared, and told Li Dayou, “Scholars will surely come to buy chestnuts. Peel these chestnut shells and sell them for twelve copper coins a catty.”

‘The unpeeled ones are ten copper coins a catty, which are not expensive at all.’

Li Dayou was a little hesitant, “What if no one buys the unpeeled chestnuts?”

Yu Sheng smiled, “Eat by yourself. Mother has to go shopping and see what’s the best seller in this town.”

Li Dayou felt that there was something amiss, but dared not to disobey, and just nodded in response.

After turning a few corners, Yu Sheng found the largest pawnshop in the town. There was no shopkeeper in it, only a wait staff was manning the counter.

Seeing the customer, the staff immediately put aside what he was doing and put on a fake smile: “Customer, are you here for something?”

Yu Sheng took out the jade pendant briefly, “This jade pendant is of high quality, you can identify whether it is good or bad at a glance. Can you please call out the shopkeeper?”

Not long after that, a bearded, middle-aged man with a pleasant face walked in. He was just about to speak, but when he took a glimpse at the jade pendant, he paused, froze in place, and almost lost his composure.

Fortunately, with his quick response, he led the conversation, “Our shop is just a small business, such good jade we cannot accept it, and we don’t have that much money.”

Yu Sheng didn’t believe it, ‘How could a pawnshop business not have some silver on hand?’

She teasingly said, “The shopkeeper must be joking. If that is the case, can you point out the way where it can be accepted?”

The shopkeeper gave her a gloomy look, and shook his head, “Everyone is having a hard time right now. How can a small shopkeeper like myself know those rich and expensive people?”

Yu Sheng felt that the shopkeeper was very strange, logically speaking, ‘How could he give it up voluntarily if he had to earn money?’

Yu Sheng had no choice but to leave even though she still have some doubts about it.

Just after leaving the establishment, Yu Sheng inexplicably felt eyes staring at her back. Though there was nothing there when she turned around. She quickened her steps but the feeling didn’t disappear.

It wasn’t until she entered a fabric store that the feeling disappeared.

It’s as if someone was observing her, and then suddenly they stop staring.

‘Is there something wrong with this jade pendant?’

Having this thought, Yu Sheng’s frown deepened and now she didn’t have the mood to go shopping. Still, she bought a few rolls of fabric, enough to make a pair of clothes for each child. She then left after paying for her purchases.

“Yu Sheng?” A sharp voice called out.

Yu Sheng raised her head, and what caught her eyes was a shy woman, who was staring at her with a prying look. This person was the second sister-in-law of the Li family, Lin Chunya. Although she seems easy-going, she is also very caring. Though she likes to meddle in other people’s business.

‘By the way, it is advisable to take a small advantage in any situation.’

“Oh, Second Sister-in-law, what a coincidence, are you also going to buy cloth?”

Hearing this, Lin Chunya was quite upset, it sounded as if they had met again. Seemingly like she was following her because she had nothing to do all day.

Her words also insinuate that she looks like someone who won’t be able to afford to buy clothes. Seeing that Yu Sheng bought so much fabric at once, she felt sour. She knew the condition of their house, ‘So just where did she get the money?’

It is obviously impossible to rely on the chestnuts picked by luck on the mountain yesterday. ‘Is there another way for their family to earn money?’

Her face twitched slightly and put on a smile, “Oh hey, what is sister-in-law talking about? Coincidentally, the town is not that big, we would most likely destined to meet each other. Seeing you bought so many things, do you want me to lend you a hand?”

Yu Sheng avoided her hand calmly and said in a loud voice, “No need, I’m used to it, I can still carry these few pieces of fabric. Seeing that my sister-in-law also wants to buy something, I’m sorry to bother you.”

After responding to her, Yu Sheng turned and left.

Looking at Yu Sheng’s back, Lin Chunya snorted coldly, “It’s just a little bit of money, what bullshit, her money must have come from immoral means.”

Although already in her thirties, Yu Sheng is still beautiful and charming. Not to mention that her husband hasn’t been around for so many years.

‘She must be doing something like that, who knows?’

With that opinion in mind, the more Lin Chunya thought about it, the more she felt that it was the case.

There were few people around the shops when Yu Sheng returned to their chestnut stall, and looking at the remaining chestnuts, there were still a few catties left.

‘Looks like business wasn’t doing well.’

Not long after her return, the remaining chestnuts were all purchased by customers.

Li Dayou held the copper coins in his pocket, there was so much happiness in his heart. With so many copper coins, he could buy a lot of food later, and if he saved a little, it would be enough to feed the family for a month.

Thinking of this, he is very happy.

It wasn’t until Yu Sheng walked up to him that he informed cheerfully, “I made a total of more than three hundred copper coins, and sold more than thirty catties of chestnuts today.”

It was also at this time that Li Dayou noticed that there were several bolts of fabric on her shoulders. Although they were made of cotton, costumers were told that the fabric was considered of excellent quality. 

“Do we need this?”

“Is there any other reason why we are making money? What’s more, we haven’t changed our clothes for several years. If it’s short, it’s unusable.” Yu Sheng smiled.

Li Dayou thought this was indeed the reason, so he didn’t say anything, he carried the fabrics that were bought.

Yu Sheng took her son to the grain store to buy some grain. In the years of famine, the price of grain has doubled. According to the price before, the grain only sells for five copper coins.

But now it has risen to more than thirty copper coins per catty, and ordinary people cannot afford it. Currently, some families who did not have any food in their homes and had no money left have already started to eat Guanyin soil¹Guanyin soil, also called Guanyin powder, is generally used by hungry people as food to satisfy their hunger during famine. After eating, it can temporarily relieve hunger, but it cannot be digested and absorbed by the body..

So they have to earn food by doing manual labor every day, but it would only be enough to support themselves.

There are not many affordable things to buy, Li Dayou got frustrated, so he went out of the store.

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  Guanyin soil, also called Guanyin powder, is generally used by hungry people as food to satisfy their hunger during famine. After eating, it can temporarily relieve hunger, but it cannot be digested and absorbed by the body.