Mo Sang – CH 283

Chapter 283. Casual Chatting

A few days later, Li Sangrou and her group arrived in Daye County by two boats, then turned onto Jin Lake and moored at the Shichui Town dock.

Shichui Town was a large town. About ten li from the town was a military camp guarding Jin Lake. South of the town, fields crisscrossed; to the north lay Daye County, dotted with smelting furnaces.

Shichui Town was a major distribution center for grains, vegetables, and other goods within a hundred-li radius. The town was bustling with people, and the dock was equally busy with boats coming and going.

Li Sangrou stood at the bow of her boat, looking from the bustling dock at the lively town, and then looked up at the rolling mountains behind the town.

Those rolling mountains stretched all the way to the banks of the great river.

Following these mountains, one could race from Shichui Town to the riverbank. With a small boat, or in a moment of panic, one could jump into the river and swim to the opposite side, the State of Qi.

Or, one could cross from the other side and disappear into the mountains of Southern Liang. “What a wonderful place.

Unfortunately, both Jiangnan and Jiangbei are now part of the Great Qi Empire.

It’s truly infuriating.”

“We do not have enough manpower. Should we call upon the garrison over there?” Meng Yanqing stood beside Li Sangrou and asked in a low voice.

“No need. Assassins are secretive and unpredictable. The garrison will not be able to contain them; they will only cause more casualties,” Li Sangrou said, shaking her head.

Meng Yanqing gave a soft “hmm.”

“Our Boss has killed countless people, yet she values ​​life immensely, regardless of status.”

“I will go to town. Da Chang and Old Dong, take Hei Ma and see if there’s any business to be done,” Li Sangrou instructed, stepping off the ramp and heading towards town.

Li Sangrou was dressed no differently from the boatwomen bustling around the docks: indigo trousers, an indigo skirt, a white short-sleeved top covered by an indigo jacket, and an indigo turban. Carrying a basket, she walked along, occasionally stopping to carefully examine the shops and stalls on both sides of the road.

Beyond the main street of Shichui Town, seven or eight slightly narrower streets branched off, all bustling with activity.

Li Sangrou leisurely strolled from one end of the main street to the other, then wandered into the various side streets.

A small portion of the main street was lined with grain shops of all sizes. Shop assistants stood at the entrances, warmly greeting passersby who appeared to be buyers or sellers.

Li Sangrou carefully observed each grain shop.

These shops were all small, the smallest with only one storefront, and the largest no more than three storefronts. They all looked newly opened; the paint on the signs seemed not yet fully dry.

Li Sangrou looked at the grain shops with great satisfaction.

Small households lined up one after another; this was the true market and marketplace.

The two narrow streets near the dock were filled with farmers selling vegetables from loads of shoulder poles and carts. One street was dominated by sales by the cartload, while the other street, mostly sold by each cart, had smaller portions for individual purchases. Vegetables were not weighed; they were bundled, piled, or simply sold in heaps.

Now, the sun was high overhead. The street with the large cartloads of vegetables was nearly deserted, and the smaller street for individual purchases was also sparsely populated. The remaining vendors were mostly vegetable stalls buying and selling.

Further down the street were the fish market, meat market, and poultry market, with baskets and crates piled high with eggs.

This street was already sparsely populated. The chicken and duck market and the fish market were almost deserted, and there were only a few vendors selling chicken and duck eggs. Only the meat market remained, though there were not many customers, but the vendors were still there. Some were busy washing, chopping, and braising meats for afternoon sales, while others sat idly, chatting and laughing with their neighbors.

Further in, the alleyways were a mix of shops: small teahouses, snack stalls, needlework and embroidery shops, general stores, pharmacies, and more.

At one end of the town were two large inns and a mule and horse ranch.

Li Sangrou looked around carefully, then sat down at a snack stall at the corner of the market street and the main street, ordering a bowl of vegetarian noodles.

The small food stall was a husband-and-wife business. Having just passed its busiest period, there were only a few customers inside and out. The shopkeeper’s wife, catching her breath at the door, saw Li Sangrou alone, dragged a stool over, and sat down next to her. She looked her over and smiled. “Young lady, is this your first time in Shichui Town? You look unfamiliar.”

“With so many people in town, do you think you recognize everyone?” Li Sangrou asked softly, appearing somewhat shy.

“I was born and raised in this town. To be honest, I recognize almost everyone here,” the shopkeeper’s wife said readily.

“And all those customers? So many boats at the dock,” Li Sangrou continued with a smile.

“Regulars can be easily recognized. But in the last month or two, our town has become more and more lively, with more and more unfamiliar customers. However, young ladies like you are quite rare.

Is this your first time in Shichui Town?” The shopkeeper asked again.

“Yes,” Li Sangrou nodded. “I came with my father and brother.”

“What business are you here for? Our Shichui Town has excellent rice. For hundreds of li around, everyone eats rice from Shichui Town.”

“There are plenty of vegetables too. Let me tell you, for about ten li outside our town, it is all vegetable farms. We have all kinds of vegetables and also fish and shrimp.”

“Our Jin Lake, further in, has a Jin Well in the middle of the lake. The lakebed is full of gold dust; you cannot just go in whenever you want.”

“Our Shichui Town is the closest to the county seat. Fishermen bring their catch to our town. And people from the county who eat fish also come from our town to the east.”

“What kind of business do you do?” The shopkeeper’s wife is straightforward and enthusiastic.”

“My family used to run a rice business, but now the rice business is not doing well. My father and Elder Brother came out to look around, and I do not even know what business they’ve got their eye on,” Li Sangrou replied softly.

“Now, as long as you have capital, there are profitable businesses everywhere!

Are you from Jiangnan or Jiangbei?” The shopkeeper’s wife stood up, picked up the bowl of vegetarian noodles Li Sangrou had ordered, and casually grabbed a small dish of dried shrimp with oil and salt, placing it in front of Li Sangrou. “These are pickled by your auntie; try them. They are very fresh.”

“Thank you, Auntie, but I do not eat fish or shrimp; I hate the fishy smell,” Li Sangrou quickly waved her hand.

“There are not many people who do not eat fish or shrimp,” the shopkeeper’s wife said with a smile, putting the dish of dried shrimp back.

“My brother always says that there are very few people in the world like me who do not eat fish or shrimp. Have you ever met anyone who does not eat fish or shrimp, Auntie?” Li Sangrou picked up a strand of vegetarian noodles and looked at the shopkeeper’s wife with a smile.

“Yes!” the shopkeeper’s wife laughed. “It’s actually quite a joke.”

“In the mountains south of our town, there lives a group of strange people. Every day or two, they come to town to buy rice, oil, vegetables, and meat.

One time, their head brought them along—a few boys and a little girl, not exactly little, fifteen-sixteen or sixteen-seventeen.

I did the same, bringing them a few dishes of dried shrimp with oil and salt. The boys and girls all shook their heads, saying they did not eat fish or shrimp.

Later, one time, the head did not come, so four or five boys came instead, pushing a cart, to buy groceries on that street. They bought their groceries and came to eat at my place.

I remember they do not eat fish and shrimp, so I did not give them any. Those boys kept staring at my dried shrimp with oil and salt, so I brought them a plate. They ate it with gusto; a plate of dried shrimp is quite a lot, and they finished it in the blink of an eye. So I brought them another plate.

Those boys ate five or six plates in a row!

Then, the head came again with more than ten boys and girls, buying several cartloads of things. Among them were the boys who ate dried shrimp last time. When I gave them dried shrimp with oil and salt again, they would not eat it! Tsk!” The shopkeeper’s wife clicked her tongue.

“Why does their head of household not allow them to eat fish and shrimp?

I really do not eat it. My older brother keeps trying to get me to eat it, but I throw up as soon as I try,” Li Sangrou said, looking surprised and a little embarrassed.

“I’ve heard that those servants do not serve in ordinary wealthy families but in the homes of incredibly powerful nobles. I heard they are not allowed to eat fish, shrimp, onions, or garlic because they are afraid the smells will offend the nobles,” the shopkeeper’s wife said, knowledgeable and well-informed.

“When we were in Jiangzhou Prefecture, we met a particularly elegant old nanny. She said she used to work in the Jiangzhou City garrison commander’s mansion and that she was in charge of training the servants.

She said that nobles buy servants at very young ages, say three or four, or even five, and train them for years before they can serve them. Are these people from the noble families in our town?” Li Sangrou asked curiously.

“Our little town does not even have a scholar; how could we have such noble families?

It’s strange, really. That group of people, from the head to the young boys and girls, is incredibly rough around the edges, except for not eating fish or shrimp. They slurp their food so loudly that the noodle soup splashes everywhere.” The shopkeeper’s wife clicked her tongue again.

“I heard from that old nanny that when serving a noble person, you cannot make a sound—not a sound while walking, not a sound while eating, because making a sound would disturb the noble person,” Li Sangrou added in surprise.

“That’s right, I’ve heard about that custom too. What a strange bunch!” the shopkeeper’s wife clicked her tongue again.

“They go to town to buy vegetables, so their home cannot be far. Did you not say everyone in town knows each other? How come you do not know what they do?” Li Sangrou asked with a smile.

“You little rascal, look how clever you are!” the shopkeeper’s wife laughed. “They are not from our town. They… let me think.”

The shopkeeper’s wife frowned, counting on her fingers. “I saw them last year, the year before last, the year before that, and the year before that… the first time I saw them was the year before that. You see, they have not been in our town for many years.

Once, it was the year before that; I asked a young man where they came from, what they did, where they lived in the mountains, and what their head was to them.

I am a chatterbox, and my husband often scolds me for it.

That young man ignored me and did not answer a word. Later, he came back, and I asked again, and he only answered once, saying they lived in a temple in the mountains.

I thought to myself, what temple could there be on the mountain behind our town? I racked my brains for a long time but could not figure it out, so I told my husband. He said, ‘Is there not a group of Taoist priests in the mountains?’ They live in a temple.

I thought about it, and there it was! I’ve been to that Taoist temple two or three times. There were more than a dozen old and young Taoist priests living there.

You see, they cannot really be considered people from our town.”

“What about those Taoist priests? Did they follow the Taoist priests to cultivate?” Li Sangrou asked curiously.

“They did not cultivate. Those who cultivate are obviously different. After they came, I have not seen those old and young Taoist priests again.

The temple is occupied by someone else; those old and young Taoist priests must have left.” The shopkeeper’s wife frowned. “Who knows? Those years were so chaotic; who had the mind to care about others? Sigh, those years were really nerve-wracking. Now it is better, finally peaceful.”

“What were you doing at the Taoist temple back then?

My older brother always says Taoist priests are powerful. They draw talismans that can summon wind and rain, and even gods!” Li Sangrou said curiously.

“You little rascal,” the shopkeeper’s wife laughed. “Alright, I am getting on in years; just tell me.

That was many years ago. I was still a young woman at home. My parents were arranging marriages for me, and I just thought my husband was the best.

My father thought my husband was a mute, saying that if he could not even speak properly, he would not be able to run the restaurant well, and I’d definitely suffer poverty if I stayed with him.

My father-in-law, on the other hand, thought I talked too much, always running around, and always wearing flowers in my hair. He said I was definitely a spender.

You tell me how anxious I was back then! Think about it, how anxious I was!

My husband… My husband, well, he’s a real mute. He’s afraid of both his father and my father. He will not say a word in front of his father, but when he sees my father, he’s completely speechless! You tell me!

I was so anxious! Later, I heard that an old Taoist priest in the mountains had magical powers, so I went there and begged him to draw a talisman that could make my father change his mind.

The first time I went, I could not find him. The second time, the priest would not draw it for me. The third time, the priest said that talismans would not work, saying that my husband was a mute and we should find a matchmaker to speak on our behalf.

I thought about it and realized he was right. I came back and secretly told my husband. He had a little over a tael and a half of silver in savings back then, which he originally intended to use to buy me some new clothes, but he gave it all to the matchmaker.

And that’s how it was settled.” The shopkeeper’s wife clapped her hands happily.

“Look at how well you are doing, Auntie! Life’s thriving!” Li Sangrou glanced at the shopkeeper, who was busy making braised goods.

“Of course! My husband is a very honest man. You do not even need him to say a word; people know he’s honest, and his products are honest too. Back when my father-in-law was married, this shop was a tiny place, just this one room. The two rooms on either side were all acquired by my husband,” the shopkeeper’s wife said with considerable pride.

“Auntie, you are also a savvy shopper; you can save money.” Li Sangrou flattered her.

“Of course! Since I married him, I have not bought many clothes. All those flowers and pretty things I wore before were just for him!” The shopkeeper’s wife said, laughing.

“Auntie, you are so kind. If we are not leaving tomorrow, I will come back to talk to you again.” Li Sangrou finished her noodles, laying out ten large coins as she smiled.

“Alright! If you are not leaving, then come on over. Auntie used to be very talkative when she was young, and now that she’s older, she talks even more.” The shopkeeper’s wife pushed two coins back. “Eight coins will do; we are kindred spirits.”