"Uncle, how much you charge is your business," Yang Ruxin waved her hand, "for me, it’s one copper coin per jin from you." Since sales haven’t started yet, it was settled for now, but if she really does partner with Baiwei Restaurant in the future, she’ll have to sign a contract with Uncle Lu as well.
"This..." Lu Gao’s face was full of incredulity, but seeing Yang Ruxin’s resolute expression, he didn’t refuse further, "Alright then, when the harvest is ready, I’ll deliver it to your home." With such a high price being offered, he’d feel embarrassed if he didn’t do something in return.
"That’s settled then." Yang Ruxin nodded, "My home is at the back of Dapu East Village. Just enter the village, and you’ll see my yard. My name is Yang Ruxin, and Uncle can just call me Xinxin..."
"One of my distant maternal aunts is married in Xiaobudong Village, so I know the way." Lu Gao nodded happily, thinking how easy this business was going to be. He would go and talk to other boatmen; if they needed fish daily, it might even be possible to buy three or four jin for one copper coin. If he could bring in several dozen jin a day, he’d earn several dozen copper coins, which was easier than going out to sea.
After this, Yang Ruxin nodded with a smile and then said her goodbyes.
But Lu Gao, as he watched Yang Ruxin walk away and looked at the copper coin in his hand, sighed. How could she finish eating so many shrimps? Well, he’d just collect less for now, maybe just ten jin or so, just in case she stopped liking them later; there won’t be too much loss. The child was still young, not knowing how to manage household matters. He wondered what was going on with the adults in her family.
Yang Ruxin, of course, had no idea that Lu Gao was worried about her inability to manage household affairs and was kindly planning for her. Instead, she headed to the town in high spirits.
She walked and shopped along the way, taking advantage of the quieter moments to store her purchases in her space for future needs.
If she wasn’t wary of attracting attention, she might have even bought out the entire stall selling roast chicken, steamed buns, and pastries.
Even so, she caught the shopkeeper’s side-glances, for her attire didn’t look like that of someone who could afford roast chicken. She casually explained that she was just running errands and that these were for some noble person.
Upon hearing this, the people around immediately showed a knowing look, as this type of errand for the wealthy was common and could earn a little reward money.
Yang Ruxin’s attire certainly didn’t look like that of someone who could afford so much food.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Ruxin finally finished her shopping, carrying two roast chickens and a bucket of shrimps as she headed towards Hechun Hall.
Making shrimp paste could also involve adding some spices, but she needed to figure out what and how much, and how much paste a jin of shrimp could produce. She planned to use the next few days to experiment, and also, she wanted to thank Wang Zhenggang and Li Yi for lying to protect her before.
However, just as she caught sight of the entrance to the medicine shop, a carriage suddenly came rushing from behind. Luckily, her quick reflexes allowed her to dodge; otherwise, she might have been hit.
Just as she was about to lose her temper, the carriage stopped right in front of Hechun Hall’s door. The coachman jumped down before the carriage had fully stopped and swung open the door. Two bulky maidservants leaped out in a hurry, one of them picking up a young man from inside and rushing into the clinic, while the other helped a richly dressed but tear-stained middle-aged woman to quickly follow suit.
When Yang Ruxin looked over, she just caught a glimpse of the slender hand dangling from the boy being carried and a profile of his face, eerily pale.