Chapter 130
Despite Lu Gu’s reminder to return in time for dinner, Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yaoqing stayed out until nightfall to sell as much meat as possible. By the time they pushed the cart back, the food in the pot was still slightly warm. Since it was summer, there was no need to reheat it. As they washed their hands, Lu Gu brought the food to the table.
“We sold all the way to Wangli Village and got five hundred and eighty coins. Nearly sixty pounds of meat sold,” Shen Yaoqing said happily, shoveling rice into his mouth while sharing the good news with Ji Qiuyue.
Even though the money was in Shen Xuanqing’s hands, Shen Yaoqing’s joy didn’t diminish. After all, it was their family earning money, and they had already eaten quite a bit of the pork. There would still be plenty left for the next few days.
When selling the meat, many people were skeptical about the low price. The brothers explained about the numbing poison and even chewed a small piece of raw meat in front of the buyers to reassure them. The meat had been washed with medicinal herb water and was safe to eat. Besides, everyone knew that the numbing poison had no other toxicity. With the local troublemakers having been dealt with by Shen Xuanqing, most people in the nearby villages were honest and wouldn’t cause trouble. Having meat to eat was a luxury, so there was no fear of being cheated.
The oil lamp was lit in the main room. Wei Lanxiang, who had already gone to bed, came out wearing her outer robe. Most villagers were reluctant to use lamps, so they usually rested after dark when work became impossible.
Hearing the news, she smiled and said, “I bought the braising spices today. Tomorrow morning, we’ll start braising the meat. You kept a pair of pig ears, right? We’ll pull some green onions from the yard and make a cold dish with the ears. I’ll also fry some peanuts for you two to go with your drinks.”
“What about the liver? Slice some of that too,” Shen Yaoqing added with a grin.
“Fine, fine, I’ll slice it for you,” Wei Lanxiang said, pretending to glare at him. Then she added, “Don’t eat too much at night, or you’ll get indigestion. Eat until you’re about seventy percent full. If you’re really hungry, you can eat more in the morning.”
Shen Yaoqing was busy chewing his food, so Shen Xuanqing replied, “Got it, Mother.”
Wei Lanxiang then returned to her room.
Lu Gu brought over the teapot and poured water for both of them. They were eating dry rice, and he didn’t want them to choke. Nowadays, with their improved circumstances, eating white rice every day wasn’t a problem. It was much more filling than the watery rice porridge they used to have.
Once they were somewhat full, Shen Xuanqing said, “We have about forty pounds of meat left. Let’s keep twenty pounds to dry into jerky. Tomorrow, I’ll go to Uncle’s house. Elder Brother, why don’t you take some to Uncle Ji's family?”
Uncle Ji was Ji Qiuyue’s father. Shen Yaoqing naturally agreed, which made Ji Qiuyue even happier.
The clinking of bowls and chopsticks filled the room, and the candle flame flickered in the night breeze.
After eating, Lu Gu took the candleholder to the kitchen to wash the dishes, while Shen Xuanqing washed up in the yard.
Splashing water on his face and scrubbing, Shen Xuanqing felt the summer heat dissipate, leaving him refreshed. Soon, the water in the clay pot on the mud stove began to boil.
With only two sets of dishes to wash, Lu Gu finished quickly and even prepared footwashing water for Shen Xuanqing.
The moonlight was pleasant. Shen Xuanqing sat in the yard washing his feet. There was no need for a lamp outside, so Lu Gu took the candleholder back to the room first. A pile of copper coins on the table brought a smile to his face.
When Shen Xuanqing came in, Lu Gu had already prepared the hemp string for counting the money. They worked together to count it.
They had earned eight hundred and sixty three copper coins from selling at home. After Shen Xuanqing went out to sell in the afternoon, most of the villagers had already bought their share, so there were no more customers. Adding the five hundred and eighty copper coins from the afternoon, they had earned a total of one thousand four hundred and fortythree coins in one day, over one tael and four mace of silver.
[I taels of silver = 10 mace of silver = 1000 copper coins]
“We got lucky. We sold almost everything in one day. The rest is for us to eat,” Shen Xuanqing said with a smile, stringing twenty copper coins into a small bundle for easier use when buying things.
As for the larger sum of one thousand copper coins, Lu Gu counted and strung them together. Since he was focused on counting, he didn’t respond to Shen Xuanqing’s words, but Shen Xuanqing didn’t mind and didn’t disturb him.
This meat sale had been profitable. The wild boar hadn’t required any effort or feed to raise, so the one tael and four mace of silver was essentially pure profit.
In the hands of a butcher, a freshly slaughtered pig could sell for about three taels of silver. While that was more than what Shen Xuanqing earned from hunting sheep and deer in the mountains, raising pigs was more stable. A litter of pigs could be slaughtered the following year, and selling one pig a month could bring in two or three taels. In the countryside, that made them quite welloff.
The last time Shen Xuanqing had hunted a wild boar was last summer. That time, he had been lucky to encounter a female boar without piglets. Female boars with piglets were much more aggressive and dangerous.
Even so, the boar had only been caught after being trapped in a pit, giving Shen Xuanqing the chance to kill it without much trouble.
Hunting wild animals was never easy, but every time he came down from the mountains with money, counting the copper coins made it all worth it.
Lu Gu finished stringing the one thousand copper coins. The weight of the copper coins was satisfying. After putting all the money away, he felt his hands were greasy and went out with Shen Xuanqing to wash them.
By the time they blew out the candle and lay down, the night was deep.
Lu Gu lay in bed, not closing his eyes immediately. The joy of counting money still lingered in his heart and on his face. Whether it was silver or copper coins, money was always good.
He turned onto his side and said, “We still have the eggs we’ve saved over the past few days. Tomorrow, I’ll steam them in a big bowl, and you can have some too. Elder Brother brought back fresh sesame oil the other day.”
Hearing this, Shen Xuanqing also turned to face him. The two whispered to each other for a while. It was too hot in the summer to cuddle, so they just talked until they drifted into a deep sleep.
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