“That’s natural. Don’t the prices of mountain goods keep rising every year?”

Hearing Jian Xiu’s words, Shopkeeper Wu was momentarily stunned.

He lightly patted his forehead and laughed heartily. “Jian Niangzi, you’re making fun of me! Look at my brain… getting old, getting old…”

“Shopkeeper Wu, you’re joking. If anyone embodies the saying ‘old but vigorous,’ it’s you!”

“Haha! Jian Niangzi, you sure have a way with words… But tell me the truth, how much of this mountain product do you have this year?”

“A conservative estimate would be 300 jin, but after my calculations, I should have around 500 jin!”

“Hiss… 500 jin! Can you get more?” Wu Mingtang asked again.

“I’ll try my best. I can’t guarantee more, but I can promise you that whatever I have will only be sold to Yuexiang Restaurant.”

“Good! Jian Niangzi, you’re truly straightforward. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Now, tell me—how much do you want per jin?”

“That depends on Shopkeeper Wu’s sincerity.” Jian Xiu kicked the ball back to him.

If she had to name a price, she would ask for 50 wen per jin, but she felt that might be a bit high.

She wasn’t entirely sure how much this product was worth in Shopkeeper Wu’s eyes—or rather, how well it would sell in Yuexiang Restaurant.

Wu Mingtang clearly hadn’t expected Jian Xiu to throw the question back at him.

But that was fine. He was also worried that she might set the price too high for him to accept.

After a moment of thought, he finally spoke, “60 wen, at most 60 wen. How does that sound, Jian Niangzi? Are you satisfied? If not…”

“Deal!” Jian Xiu copied his tone and replied.

“Hahaha! Jian Niangzi, you are indeed a straightforward person. However, I have another favor to ask of you.”

“Oh? Shopkeeper Wu, you need my help? That’s my honor!”

Jian Xiu had a good impression of Shopkeeper Wu.

At least he wasn’t one of those unscrupulous merchants.

She hadn’t brought much dried bamboo shoots today—only 38 jin in total.

Still, it was enough for Yuexiang Restaurant to use for a while.

“Young lady, 38 jin at 60 wen per jin comes to 2 taels and 280 wen. Count it and see.”

“Do I still need to count? I trust Shopkeeper Wu’s integrity.” Jian Xiu grinned.

As she spoke, she took the silver from Shopkeeper Wu and put it into her pocket.

Seeing this, Wu Mingtang hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“I’d like to trouble Jian Niangzi to make another wheelchair. I heard from Zixuan that the wheelchair he uses was made by you. It seems very convenient and would be suitable for my mother. So, I’d like to ask you to make another one. Don’t worry about the payment. As long as you’re willing to do it, I will make sure you are well compensated.”

Hearing this, Jian Xiu immediately understood.

However, considering her recent commitments, she wasn’t sure when she could complete the task.

The money she had earned recently was more than enough to build a house, and she also wanted to send Liu Tou and Qi Tou to an academy.

Finding a good academy would take a day.

Plus, she had to collect and carry the bamboo shoots every day. She had just promised Shopkeeper Wu around 500 jin.

If she couldn’t meet that amount, she would feel guilty even if Shopkeeper Wu didn’t say anything.

“What’s wrong? Is it difficult to make?” Seeing her hesitation, Wu Mingtang asked anxiously.

“Not difficult, but the time might be…”

“Hmm… How about 20 days? Can you finish it in 20 days?”

After saying that, worried she might refuse, he quickly added:

“I’ll pay 3 taels of silver. If you can complete it within 20 days, the deal is yours. How about it?”

Three taels of silver wasn’t much to him, but he knew that right now, it was a significant sum for Jian Xiu.

After all, she needed money to build a house and help Zhang Zixuan with his leg treatment.

Not to mention, she had three children to care for.

Hearing “three taels,” Jian Xiu’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Three taels? Isn’t that a bit too much?” She asked uncertainly.

After all, making a wheelchair was just a bit more complicated, but the materials were mostly wood. It didn’t seem worth that much.

She didn’t even have to spend money on materials—just her labor.

Three taels of silver was an amount that many ordinary families in Zhangjia Village might not be able to save in two or three years.

“Young lady, you’re being modest. You deserve this payment. Not to mention the wheelchair is a new invention, but even if it weren’t, your creativity and craftsmanship alone are worth this much.”

“Are you serious, Shopkeeper Wu?” Jian Xiu widened her eyes.

“Of course. I’m a businessman—I wouldn’t do a deal that loses money!”

Hearing this, an idea suddenly popped into Jian Xiu’s mind.

Her eyes darted around the restaurant as she thought.

Having interacted with her a few times, Shopkeeper Wu immediately sensed that she had another idea.

So he asked directly, “Young lady, did you think of something?”

“Shopkeeper Wu, you are truly straightforward. You just said you’re a businessman, right? Well, I happen to have a business idea. Are you interested?”

“Oh? Tell me, I’d love to hear it!” Wu Mingtang said with a smile.

The more he interacted with Jian Xiu, the more he felt that this woman was anything but ordinary.

At the very least, she was no ordinary housewife.

“Shopkeeper Wu, if you’re willing to pay three taels for my wheelchair, do you think your customers might be interested if I made more and placed them in Yuexiang Restaurant?”

“Hiss… Jian Xiu, you really are something else, hahaha!”

Excited, Wu Mingtang even stopped calling her “young lady” and addressed her by name directly.

“Shopkeeper Wu thinks it’s a good idea too, right? Let’s not beat around the bush. I’ll make them and place them here in your restaurant. If they sell, we split the profit 30-70—you 30, me 70. How about that?”

“I like doing business with straightforward people like you. Deal! But how much do you plan to sell each wheelchair for?”

“What do you think, Shopkeeper Wu?”

“The people dining at my Yuexiang Restaurant are all wealthy. Let’s sell them for three taels each, just like today. How about that?”

“Deal! Let’s go with that!” Jian Xiu agreed without hesitation.

She trusted Shopkeeper Wu’s character.

After working with him a few times, she could tell he was a man of integrity.