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“Huh?”
Jiang Youcheng wandered around for quite a while, looking left and right, scratching his head. “Where’s the Treasure Pavilion?”
Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun also searched around but couldn’t find any sign of the Treasure Pavilion.
“I remember it was here before. Why is it gone now?” Jiang Mixia looked puzzled.
“Perhaps you don’t come to the county town often, so you might not know,” an elderly man selling pancakes from a shoulder pole nearby remarked. “The Treasure Pavilion was sealed by the county office a few days ago!”
“Why was it sealed?” Jiang Youcheng inquired.
“It’s said they sold subpar goods, used coercion and deception to lower prices when buying items, and swindled many people. This time, the Treasure Pavilion ran into trouble. The young master of the Yong’an family misbehaved at home, and the lady of the Yong’an family lamented that their home had become empty, emphasizing the need for the young master to study hard to succeed in the future. She even mentioned that their family was so poor they couldn’t even afford gifts for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.”
“The young master, realizing the extent of their family’s impoverishment, secretly took his own jade Buddha, which he had worn since childhood, to sell at the Treasure Pavilion. The people there didn’t recognize him, assuming that a child selling something must have stolen it from home and dared not speak out. They only gave him five taels of silver and sent him away.”
“The lady of the Yong’an family, with a fiery temper, not only smashed the Treasure Pavilion when she found out about this, but also reported it to the authorities. The county magistrate, upon further investigation, discovered that the Treasure Pavilion had engaged in various misconduct, including selling substandard goods and even evading taxes.”
“The county magistrate, in a fit of anger, sealed the Treasure Pavilion, arrested the shopkeeper, and demanded back taxes along with a hefty fine. The shopkeeper was also given a severe beating. This time, the Treasure Pavilion couldn’t continue its business, and it’s likely that the shopkeeper’s family has been ruined…”
The old man’s words were vivid, and he didn’t forget to add a curse at the end, “They deserved it. In business, one should be honest and upright. If you resort to such deceit, you’ll face retribution sooner or later.”
“Well said, that’s the way it is.”
Due to the previous incident, Jiang Youcheng’s impression of the Treasure Pavilion was already quite negative, and now, knowing that the shop had closed, he felt quite pleased.
Unscrupulous merchants have no place in this world!
Lunch was still chosen from a small restaurant on a side street, known for its specialty dish, soy sauce duck.
The three of them ordered an extra serving of fish-flavored shredded pork, soy sauce pork patty, and hot and sour soup. This time, there was an improvement from before; the dishes now contained visible vegetables. Moreover, the flavors were even better than the last time, leaving Jiang Mixia feeling quite content.
After finishing their meal, they went to a braised meat shop to purchase braised pork head meat, preparing to serve it with shredded scallions for dinner. Jiang Youcheng also brought back the roast chicken that Liu shi had said was delicious last time.
In the evening, the family gathered to discuss the division of the money. Out of the twenty-five taels of silver, fifteen were given to Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun, while Jiang Youcheng and Liu shi received ten.
Jiang Mixia placed the fifteen taels of silver in the wooden box where they had buried it previously. Song Jingyun nodded in agreement, recognizing the wisdom in his wife’s decision, as the money in the box would grow.
As the family’s wealth continued to increase, Liu shi felt that it wasn’t enough to solely spend on food. Therefore, the next day, she called Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun to accompany her to the town’s fabric store to buy some new fabric, intending to make new autumn clothes for the family.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the first day of August.
As the stars still blinked in the sky, Jiang Youcheng’s family began their busy morning, preparing the items to take to Deyin Temple. Liu and Jiang Mixia were busy preparing offerings such as oil money and incense candles. Meanwhile, Jiang Youcheng and Song Jingyun were getting ready to bring items to sell.
Given the bustling market at the foot of Deyin Temple, it was worth making the trip to earn extra money. However, considering the long journey to Deyin Temple and the companions—Jiang Chunshi, Fang shi, Jiang Chunyu, and Jiang Maihua—they couldn’t carry too much. Therefore, they only took a few delicately crafted items, sewing kits with lining fabrics, as well as some items for the children to play with, such as bamboo cages for crickets and bamboo balls.
Despite their careful planning, these woven bamboo items still took up a considerable amount of space, so they ultimately decided to bring along two ox carts. Jiang Mixia, Liu, Fang shi, Jiang Chunyu, and Jiang Maihua rode in one cart, while Jiang Youcheng, Jiang Chunshi, and Song Jingyun rode in the other. Each cart carried goods for sale, including wooden dolls carved by Jiang Chunshi.
The official road wasn’t particularly wide, so to facilitate the passage of others, the two ox carts traveled one after the other, not too far apart.
However, Song Jingyun felt somewhat uncomfortable.
In the past, when they went out, Jiang Mixia would always sit beside him, which made him feel secure. However, today, Jiang Mixia was on the other ox cart, a little too far away for his liking. Even though the two people beside him were his father and elder cousin, both were his close relatives and quite familiar to him, so he shouldn’t have felt so uncomfortable. But for some reason, Song Jingyun felt uneasy all over.
Especially when he saw Jiang Mixia chatting happily with Fang shi and the others on the rear ox cart, her face lit up with a smile. It made him feel even more desolate.
If someone were to ask him why he felt this way, he honestly couldn’t say.
“What’s wrong, Song Jingyun? You seem a bit down and quiet,” Jiang Chunshi, perceptive as always, noticed that something was amiss with Song Jingyun.
Jiang Youcheng reached out and felt Song Jingyun’s forehead. “No fever, and he doesn’t seem sick.”
“What’s wrong? What’s on your mind?” Facing his father’s concern, Song Jingyun shook his head. “Dad, I’m fine. I think I’m just a bit tired from waking up early this morning.”
After being here for so long, he had learned a lot from Jiang Mixia. For instance, he learned to tell kind lies to his parents to keep them from worrying.
“Morning came early, and you went to bed late last night. If you’re tired, just rest here for a while,” Jiang Youcheng turned the baskets upside down and stacked them to create a comfortable height for Song Jingyun to lie on.
Seeing this, Song Jingyun lay down on the baskets, burying his head in his arms to rest.
Jiang Mixia didn’t notice this. She was engrossed in conversation with Fang shi, amusing Jiang Maihua.
The two-year-old child’s baby talk was something Jiang Mixia cherished, and she used all her tricks to play and interact with Jiang Maihua.
Jiang Maihua also adored her aunt, and her giggles hardly stopped.
Observing Jiang Mixia’s fondness for children, Liu shi and Fang shi exchanged a smile.
It’s a good thing to love children. The more they have in the future, the more blessings their family will receive.
“Hey, sister-in-law, why isn’t Aunt here today?” Jiang Mixia asked.