Chapter 55 News
Since buying the pepper, Autumn Abundance had been going to the grocery store twice daily to check the price.
“Sell it already, at least make a few taels of silver, and buy me a few feet of silk for a jacket.”
It was truly hard on her—the price of pepper hadn’t risen at all.
According to previous years’ prices, it should have increased to five or six qian per tael.
But now it remained at four or five qian per catty, not budging at all.
Why wasn’t the price rising this year?
Pear Moon, doing this for the first time, also felt somewhat uneasy.
Yesterday, when she went to the Main Kitchen to see her godmother, she heard that the mansion’s purchasing agents were also planning to buy more pepper, which finally put her mind at ease.
Ningguo Mansion had well-informed sources; if pepper couldn’t fetch a good price, they definitely wouldn’t stock up in advance.
It wasn’t yet the Dragon Boat Festival, not truly the height of summer, so Pear Moon decided to wait a little longer.
But Autumn Abundance was still fretting over her white silk jacket.
“Five taels of silver can buy four feet of white silk, enough to make a jacket to wear. Xiao Yue, you’re really reckless—you didn’t even ask me before trading that bolt of silk for pepper. If I had been home, I would have definitely stopped you from making the exchange. Pepper isn’t for eating or wearing, what’s the use of keeping it? Better to keep the silk and make jackets for the three of us.”
Huan Huan also perked up, leaning over to say, “If we sell the pepper, make one for me too!”
Pear Moon flushed red with anger. These two troublemakers only had silk jackets on their minds.
For three little maidservants, wearing old clothes was one thing, but if they showed up in brand-new silk jackets, how could their superiors not question it?
If the silk Shen Shi used to hang herself was traced back to them, they’d be torn to pieces!
“What would we say if someone asked? A jacket costing five taels of silver—did you steal it or rob it?”
Huan Huan fell silent, but Autumn Abundance still argued.
“Just say we borrowed it from someone to wear!”
“Borrow my foot! Who would lend it to you?”
The three of them worked in the Small Tea Room, with Autumn Abundance being the laziest.
She complained that doing chores and tending the fire hurt her hands, that washing bowls and cups made the water too cold, and she refused to learn how to make pastries.
Usually, Huan Huan helped Pear Moon with the work, while she only embroidered and made tassels on the side.
Pear Moon had made up her mind: once they made money this time, she would give Autumn Abundance some silver so she could seek connections in the sewing room.
“Regarding the pepper stockpiling, if we make money, you’ll both get a share; if we lose, it’s all on me. But when to sell is up to me. In the future, after dividing the silver, Autumn Abundance can ask someone to go to the sewing room. I also need to curry favor to get into the Main Kitchen. Huan Huan, save your silver—it’ll be useful wherever you go later. Being a maidservant in Ningguo Mansion isn’t a lifelong job; we must plan for the future. Learning proper skills and saving some money for security is what really matters.”
Hearing this, Autumn Abundance lowered her head and said nothing more.
Huan Huan was still naive: “We’re still young, why think so far ahead?”
Pear Moon explained the reasoning and patted her head.
Huan Huan’s parents were estate managers for Ningguo Mansion; with her parents and older brother as a safety net, she only needed to save up for her dowry.
Pear Moon and Autumn Abundance had been brought by human traffickers; they had to work hard to climb up.
What they needed was money for security, not white silk jackets for show.
It sounded good in theory, but unfortunately, the pepper stubbornly refused to rise in price, leaving Pear Moon anxiously waiting.
That day, she and Autumn Abundance went to the steward’s office to collect bamboo leaves for zongzi and saw Miss Ning happily walking hand in hand with Tan Leyao, chatting and laughing.
Miss Tan had been visiting frequently these days, playing polo with Miss Ning.
Both young ladies wore round-collared, narrow-sleeved brocade robes, cinched at the waist with multicolored silk cords. Their hair was tied up with gold-embroidered sweat towels, and they wore high-top satin boots made of sheepskin, holding horsewhips in their hands.
Maidens and matrons held parasols and cooling fans, crowding around them as they made their way to the polo field.
Autumn Abundance watched with great envy, stopping in her tracks from afar.
“This is the proper bearing of a delicate and noble young lady. Not like our own mistress, who hides in her room every day, either looking for trouble to scold people or lying on her bed crying. And she still boasts about being the daughter of a first-rank Grand Secretary. Look at Miss Tan, the sister of a fourth-rank military officer—beautiful and with a good temperament. Every time she comes, she gives out rewards, handing out gold melon seeds and silver ingots, so generous!”
Pear Moon pursed her lips and sighed. Wasn’t she thinking the same thing?
If Shen Shi could get along harmoniously with the young duke, she should also come to gatherings like polo matches for young ladies.
Only when the masters are happy and lively can we maids take the opportunity to eat something good and get some reward money.
But Shen Shi never leaves the courtyard, hiding in her room in a daze, driving even the maids crazy with boredom.
As the two young ladies passed by, Pear Moon and Autumn Abundance stepped off the path to bow.
“Isn’t this Xiao Yue?” Miss Tan turned and saw her, smiling as she beckoned her forward. “I haven’t seen you the last few times I came. Is your mistress feeling better?”
Shen Shi’s health was a taboo subject, and Pear Moon didn’t know how to answer.
In Phoenix Ripple Courtyard, if a personal maid casually asked, “Is the mistress feeling better?” she could be slapped on the spot, with Shen Shi scolding her for wishing her dead.
“She is better, thank you for your concern, Miss Tan.” Pear Moon bowed twice.
Miss Tan quickly called her own maid, who brought out a narrow brocade box.
“My uncle came to the capital and brought us a few mountain ginseng roots. The two larger ones were offered to the old madam and the madam. This one is for your mistress—it’s excellent for supplementing medicines. Xiao Yue, take it over on your way and pass on my message: Miss Tan is afraid of troubling the mistress and dares not go to pay her respects.”
Miss Ning quickly smiled and tried to stop her: “My sister-in-law has a weak constitution; she’ll recover with rest. Eating this might cause excessive internal heat. How much could Uncle Tan bring to the capital? Keep it for yourself, sister—why give it to us?”
Tan Leyao insisted, handing the brocade box to Pear Moon to hold and giving her four silver ingots as a reward.
She turned and smiled, saying, “My uncle often comes to the capital. This time, he’s here to buy pepper—the northern frontier needs to reward the troops.”
Miss Ning smiled and asked, “Don’t they give silver to reward the troops?”
Tan Leyao laughed, “Sister, you think pepper is ordinary, but you don’t know its value. A pound of pepper sells for five mace of silver in the capital, but at the northern frontier, it can sell for over ten taels. The troops all want this—it’s more valuable than silver.”
Miss Ning exclaimed in surprise, “They really know how to make money!”
Only then did the two walk away hand in hand.
Back at Phoenix Ripple Courtyard, Autumn Abundance went to soak zongzi leaves, while Pear Moon handed the ginseng to Granny Zhao.
Granny Zhao didn’t want to invite a scolding either, so she directly stored the ginseng in the storehouse without showing it to Shen Shi.
Pear Moon sat in a daze in front of the tea stove. Autumn Abundance came over and asked, “Someone’s buying pepper—should we sell our fifty pounds to him?”
How dare she even think of it! Pear Moon helplessly poked her.
Uncle Tan was a military merchant; his purchases started at tens of thousands of pounds. How could he possibly buy their mere few dozen pounds?
“I’ll go ask at the grocery store by the gate again, see if the price has gone up!”
Autumn Abundance was impatient and hurried to leave.
“Don’t go to the grocery store!”
Pear Moon grabbed her and took out five mace of silver from her purse.
“Go to Fortune and Peace Teahouse on the main street and check the price board at their entrance—it lists the buying and selling prices for pepper. If anyone in the mansion asks, say you went to the southern goods store to buy plum preserves and locust flower honey.”
Business intermediaries in the capital are called brokers.
These people usually sit in teahouses, waiting for merchants to come and do business.
Some transactions fear price competition, so prices must be concealed, such as in real estate, estates, and shops.
But for certain goods, prices must be clearly marked, such as grain, pepper, cloth, and silk.
For convenience, these brokers would write price tags on the signboards at the entrance of the teahouses where they often gathered.
Most pepper brokers gathered at Futai Teahouse.
Pear Moon had already inquired about this when buying pepper.
“You really have a sharp mind!” Autumn Abundance said, tucking five qian of silver into her pocket and running out with a small basket.