Chapter 42: Purchasing Supplies for the Mountain Trip
The two of them quickly paid the copper coins and entered the city, moving so fast along the way that they didn’t even have time to glance at the shops, let alone browse.
Leng Tian felt that if he paused for even a moment to look at something, he would surely fall behind his Eldest Brother.
He had originally thought that the last time he couldn’t keep up with Eldest Brother’s pace was because he was pulling the flatbed cart, but this time, even with just a bamboo basket on his back, he still couldn’t match his brother’s speed.
No wonder others needed to form teams for ginseng gathering, but ever since Eldest Brother turned fifteen, whether it was gathering ginseng or hunting, he had always worked alone.
In the deep mountains, strength determined everything.
“Ah, customers, here to pick up the iron mesh and iron pieces from last time? They’re ready—finished the day before yesterday. We’ve been waiting for you to come get them!” In the clanging and clattering blacksmith shop, the blacksmith saw Leng Xiao and Leng Tian enter. He placed the iron tools back into the furnace to heat up, then turned to fetch the goods from the corner.
Grinning with honest warmth, he asked, “Take a look, are they alright?”
He had never made anything like this before—hadn’t even heard of such things.
What were they even used for?
So he wasn’t entirely confident, worried he might have made a mistake. Starting over wouldn’t be a problem, but he was afraid of delaying the customers’ work.
Leng Xiao took them and carefully compared them to the size, shape, and dimensions Wen Nuan Nuan had described. After confirming they were correct, he said, “They’ll do.”
The blacksmith breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good!”
“Shopkeeper, I’d like an iron rod made—half again as long as a walking stick but half as thick. One end needs to be especially sharp.”
“Ah? Sure, easy to make. It should take about three days!” The blacksmith muttered to himself, This family is really strange, ordering all these peculiar things.
“Also, an axe.”
“We have axes in stock.”
“Good.”
After paying the silver, Leng Xiao swiftly and efficiently purchased red velvet rope, oiled paper, oilcloth, and fire starters, with Leng Tian following closely behind.
As they walked, Leng Tian recalled the conversation the three brothers had before bed the previous night.
Little Brother had said that Sister-in-Law took them to buy candied hawthorns, bought seven or eight kinds of pastries at the pastry shop, and even picked out beautiful, light, and soft window gauze…
Sister-in-Law seemed fascinated by everything, showing interest in anything that could make life more comfortable.
She said this was her plain and simple life.
Whether it was plain or not, he didn’t know, but he understood that Sister-in-Law was living, while Eldest Brother was merely surviving.
Well, without Sister-in-Law, they too would just be surviving, merely existing.
“Eldest Brother, does ginseng really need to be tied with red thread so it won’t run away?”
“The red thread is just to make it more visible. Ginseng grows in fertile soil with lots of weeds. The red thread helps mark the area to dig.”
“Do you have to use deer bone picks to dig up ginseng?”
“The appearance of ginseng is extremely important. Breaking a single root hair could drop the price by twenty percent. If a root hair is broken by an iron tool, the damaged part will rot, but if it’s dug with a deer bone pick, it won’t.”
“Then we don’t need to buy one?”
“We have one at home. They’re hard to come by. One is enough for the two of us.” After answering, Leng Xiao glanced faintly at Leng Tian.
Eldest Brother was talking more than usual today.
Was it her influence?
Good. Eldest Brother no longer seemed as repressed and humble as before and could clearly express his thoughts.
She had guided Eldest Brother and the others well.
Not just in terms of food, but also in spirit.
Leng Xiao’s brow relaxed, and his resolve to buy a horse-drawn carriage grew even firmer.
He didn’t want someone as wonderful as her to see those unpleasant things and people, nor did he want those despicable individuals to covet her.
“Customers, looking for horses? We just got a few that are both high-quality and affordable. Would you like to take a look?” An attendant eagerly approached them.
After looking at the clothing and appearance of the two men, he only addressed Leng Xiao.
Leng Xiao looked at the long row of horse pens in front of him and asked, “What are the price ranges?”
The shop assistant immediately beamed with a smile and began his introduction, “Come, come, esteemed guests, please take a look at these horses—they are between four and eight years old, priced at one hundred thirty taels each. Over there, the ones from eight to fifteen years old are around one hundred ten taels, and the ones deepest inside are over fifteen years old, ranging from seventy to one hundred taels.
However, I suggest not buying the seventy-tael ones. Although they are cheap, the horses are too old, unable to carry heavy loads, and won’t last many more years.
If you add a bit more money, a horse around one hundred taels will be more than sufficient. With a carriage included, one hundred twenty taels should cover it.
What do you think, esteemed guests?”
After hearing this, Leng Xiao’s expression remained indifferent, revealing no emotion.
But Leng Tian had long been startled, his dark eyes wide open as he asked in disbelief, “Shopkeeper, are they really this expensive?”
Horses were so pricey!
“You’ve come at just the right time, esteemed guests. These are the latest arrivals. Just think about it—how many horses can a horse farm or the wild horses in the mountains produce in a year?
After deducting the large quantities supplied to the military, as well as those for the high-ranking officials in Jingcheng, the officials of various prefectures and states, wealthy families, and prosperous merchants, how many good ones are left for our Tongcheng? How many are there?
If you miss this opportunity, there won’t be another! Who knows if the next batch will be of this quality. In my humble opinion, esteemed guests, it’s best to make a purchase as soon as possible. The sooner you buy, the sooner you can use it, right?” The shop assistant had long understood the psychology of buyers and spoke every word to the point.
Leng Tian nodded repeatedly, almost ready to make a decision on the spot.
But when he thought about how a horse of only average or below-average quality, paired with a carriage, would cost one hundred twenty taels, his enthusiasm cooled.
That was a full one hundred twenty taels!
Fatty pork cost thirty-five wen per jin, fine rice and white flour cost a dozen wen per jin, and coarse rice was only eight or nine wen per jin. How much fatty pork, fine rice, and white flour could one hundred twenty taels buy?
Yet, even though the price far exceeded what he had imagined, he still believed they needed a horse.
Leng Tian looked uneasily at Leng Xiao, wanting to ask for his eldest brother’s opinion.
“How are they fed?”
“Feeding horses is very simple. In winter, they eat dried grass, tree leaves, and withered leaves. In other seasons, they can eat green grass, fragrant herbs, shrub branches, and leaves—whether fresh or dried. When they need to work, occasionally feeding them corn or beans is more than enough. Esteemed guests need not worry about feeding them; it won’t cost much.”
“Good, thank you.” Leng Xiao nodded, glanced at Leng Tian, and signaled for them to leave.
Leng Tian also knew that the horse pen was not the place for discussion. After thanking the shop assistant as well, they both went outside.
The shop assistant escorted them all the way to the door, enthusiastically saying, “Esteemed guests, please discuss it carefully when you return home. Try to decide as soon as possible. In a while, I’m afraid they’ll be sold out.”
“Yes, thank you!” Leng Tian thanked him repeatedly with his honest and sincere demeanor.
Turning around, he asked anxiously, “Eldest Brother, what do you think?”
Leng Xiao replied succinctly, “It depends on the results of this trip into the mountains. We’ll try to buy two horses, and only strong ones.”
Even if they were to buy, they couldn’t settle for average or below-average horses. If the horses were old and weak on the road and something happened, they could abandon the goods they were carrying, but what about her?
After hearing Leng Xiao’s affirmative answer, Leng Tian thought to himself that indeed, his eldest brother was more thoughtful than he was. He was so elated he almost jumped for joy. “Then I’ll go home first and build a horse pen, and gather plenty of grass to prepare!”
Eldest Brother said they would enter the mountains on the tenth day of the ninth month, five days from now. He had to take advantage of the time before entering the mountains to build the horse pen and make preparations early.
“Mm.” Leng Xiao nodded.
Even without the drought, he would have inevitably taken her along to the capital for the imperial examination, making horses indispensable.
Entering the mountains was imperative.