Chapter 27: Lucky Star

“Should we stir-fry the clam meat?”

The clam meat appeared large and tender, and just by looking at it, one could tell it would undoubtedly be delicious.

After bringing back the clams, they had to taste the freshness, or else it would weigh heavily on their minds.

At a time like this, he was still concerned about stir-frying clam meat? Jiang Mixia was momentarily unsure whether to say her husband was carefree or had become indifferent to wealth.

One thing was for sure, he was an absolute food lover!

“Of course, stir-fry it. Why wouldn’t we?” Liu Shi eagerly nodded.

Since Song Jingyun had brought back the clams and discovered the pearls inside, it was as if these pearls were a result of his good fortune. At the moment, Song Jingyun was the hero of the family, so if he wanted to eat clam meat, there was no reason not to indulge him.

The pearls were set aside, and the wooden basin and clams were taken out, ready to prepare the clam meat.

That evening, in addition to stir-frying the clam meat with scallions, Liu Shi also prepared a large plate of scrambled eggs and stir-fried pork with green beans. Even the usual coarse cornmeal flatbread was replaced with steamed white flour pancakes, and the cornmeal porridge was replaced with sweet and tender white rice porridge.

Since Song Jingyun enjoyed eating, it was only right to treat him with these dishes.

The clam meat was tender, succulent, and fragrant. After just one bite, it was impossible to stop.

Song Jingyun ended up overeating again.

That night, Jiang Youcheng and Liu Shi stayed awake for a long time.

On one hand, they were ecstatic about having acquired pearls. On the other, they were anxious about how to secure such a precious item and ensure it wouldn’t get lost when they went to the county town the next day.

After much discussion, the couple decided to find a piece of cloth and sew it into a small pouch, placing the pearls inside. They then sewed the pouch inside Jiang Youcheng’s clothes to keep the pearls safe. To prevent any accidental loss, Liu Shi meticulously secured the stitches, even giving them a few strong tugs to ensure they were firmly in place before tying them off and putting away the needle and thread.

“We’ll see if we can get a good price tomorrow,” Jiang Youcheng said, choosing not to undress even when going to bed, feeling more at ease with the pearls safely stowed.

“I think you, Xia, and Jingyun should go tomorrow, while I tidy up the vegetable garden at home. Let’s not let anyone suspect anything.”

It’s important to keep wealth discreet, especially windfalls, as they can easily attract trouble.

“Okay,” Jiang Youcheng nodded. “We’ll do as you say.”

He added, “Once we sell the pearls tomorrow and have the money, we can finally start renovating our house.”

Summer is quickly approaching. With the frequent summer rains, the family’s house had aged a bit. During heavy rain, there tended to be some leaks, and if they were unlucky, the bedding might get damp.

Having some money on hand meant it was time to make the home more comfortable.

“Indeed,” Liu Shi agreed wholeheartedly. “We should also acquire some land, even if we can’t tend to it ourselves, we can rent it out. Having some rental income will be beneficial in the long run.”

“We’ll discuss this with Xia and Jingyun when we return. Lately, most of the money at home has been earned through Xia’s ideas, and now this pearl was found by Jingyun,” Jiang Youcheng paused in his speech, then suddenly got up.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Shi was startled and also sat up.

“It’s nothing; I’ve just been thinking about these things,” Jiang Youcheng said, looking at Liu Shi with a very serious expression. “Have you noticed that our luck seems to have improved since Jingyun came to our family?”

Liu Shi was taken aback, then nodded, “It does seem that way.”

First, Jiang Mixia’s condition improved…

Then he caught and sold fish, the family’s bamboo basket business also made money, and even when cutting bamboo, they were able to catch rabbits. And now, they had even found pearls.

“In that case, Jingyun is our lucky star,” Liu Shi agreed.

“Indeed,” Jiang Youcheng said earnestly, “I think from now on, we should treat Jingyun even better. That’s the way to gather more good fortune.”

“That makes sense,” Liu Shi nodded in agreement. “We should seek Jingyun’s advice more often. If he’s lucky, then things he sets out to do will surely succeed.”

“Right.”

“It’s getting late; let’s sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow to go to the county town. It’s a journey of more than two hours.”

“Let’s sleep.”

The couple then lay down.

The next day, the rooster crowed twice.

Liu Shi got up early to wake Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun, then busied herself in the kitchen.

She made noodles out of white flour, and in each person’s bowl, she placed two poached eggs and a side of cold cucumbers.

It was early in the morning, a time when one feels both sleepy and hungry. The fragrant noodle soup and crispy cucumbers helped everyone wake up and feel satisfied.

After breakfast, Jiang Youcheng took Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun out. As they left, they also brought along several recently made needle and thread baskets.

Since they were heading to the county town, they decided to take the pearls to sell there. The prices offered in the county town were much higher than those in the town, potentially allowing them to earn more money. Additionally, taking these items to the county town seemed more appropriate.

They still rode in Third Uncle Jiang’s ox cart.

Today, there was a market in town, which was convenient.

However, Third Uncle Jiang’s ox cart only went as far as the town, so they would need to find another mode of transport to reach the county town.

Upon learning that Jiang Youcheng’s family was going to the county town, Third Jiang Jiang clicked his tongue, “You’re really diligent. Selling these things takes a lot of effort. Running around like this can be quite tiring, and you won’t make much money.”

The journey to the county town was long, and even with an ox cart, the road was bumpy. If they were unlucky, they might not catch a ride and would have to walk.

“Just giving it a try,” Jiang Youcheng replied with a simple smile.

Seeing this, Third Jiang didn’t ask further and only charged them three for the cart fare. He was hesitant to take more money from a family that worked from dawn to dusk just to earn a few coins by selling things.

Jiang Youcheng insisted on paying more and eventually threw the money onto the cart’s board. Then, leading Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun, he walked away without looking back.

Jiang San collected the money and turned the ox cart back.

It was still early, and the regular market-goers hadn’t even left yet. By making another trip, he could pick up extra fares.

As he was about to crack the whip, someone approached and hailed him, “Hold on, we’re going to Dayangshu Village.”

“Alright.”

Dayangshu Village wasn’t far from Jiang’s village, and it was on the way, so this additional trip would earn him some extra money.

“I have a lot of stuff. If you take everything and drop it off at my doorstep, I’ll give you ten coins. I won’t say more,” the person said as they started loading their things onto the cart.

“Alright,” Jiang San agreed readily, a big smile on his face.

Ten coins was a generous sum, and the person seemed quite open-handed.

If he could have such good business every day, earning money would be much easier.

But then again, he had been doing quite well recently; there had hardly been any empty trips lately.

His recent financial luck was truly something.

Third Jiang grinned, cracked the whip, and leisurely drove the cart.