Chapter 7: An Unexpected Gain — My First Friend in the Ancient World

Su Qingqing thought about it carefully. For the foreseeable future, she would likely continue hunting and bringing wild game to town to sell. She needed to earn her first bucket of silver in this era before figuring out other ways to make money. So she replied, “Yes, I’ll probably come often.”

The girl smiled and said, “If you don’t mind, you can bring your game to Zuixianju to sell in the future. My name is Jiang Li, and Zuixianju is our family’s business here in town. I’ll inform the manager when I return.”

Su Qingqing’s eyes lit up at her words.

This meant she wouldn’t have to worry about selling her game anymore. It would save time and energy. What a pleasant surprise today had turned out to be—she had to “thank” that blind maid.

Zuixianju was the largest and most famous restaurant in Xiahe Town. It even had branches in the county and provincial capitals. Being connected to Zuixianju would make future business dealings much easier.

Most importantly, Miss Jiang was a decent person—a potential friend. In any era, friends were essential.

Su Qingqing smiled and said, “Miss Jiang, how could I possibly mind? You’ve helped me a great deal today. I should be thanking you instead. And really, none of today’s trouble was your fault.”

“By the way, Miss Jiang, my name is Su Qingqing. I live in Jixiang Village. If you don’t mind, you can just call me Qingqing from now on.”

Jiang Li didn’t like pretentious or delicate girls, and this straightforward young one suited her taste perfectly. She nodded and said, “Qingqing.”

Gurgle gurgle~

A loud stomach growl interrupted their conversation. Su Qingqing rubbed her belly in embarrassment, her ears turning slightly red.

Jiang Li chuckled. “Qingqing, are you hungry? Come eat with me at Zuixianju! I’m hungry too.” She found herself liking this girl more and more.

Thinking of her little brother waiting at Auntie Wang’s house, Su Qingqing declined politely, “Thank you, Miss Jiang, but I can’t. My younger brother is waiting for me to come home.”

Seeing this, Jiang Li didn’t insist and playfully chided, “Look at you. I’m already calling you Qingqing, and you’re still calling me Miss Jiang. I’m fourteen this year, probably a few years older than you. You can call me Sister Li from now on.”

Su Qingqing smiled and said, “Then I’ll call you Sister Li. I’m twelve this year.” This was the first friend she’d made since arriving in this era—not bad at all.

Jiang Li thought to herself, She looks only ten at most… must be due to hard times at home. She said, “I’ll be staying at the Jiang Manor in town for a while. If you ever need help, you can come find me there.”

“Alright!”

Realizing it was getting late and thinking of her brother, Su Qingqing said, “Sister Li, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now. I’ll come visit you next time I’m in town.”

Jiang Li called over her maid, Lan’er, and said, “Lan’er, give Qingqing ten taels of broken silver.” That was the price of the wolf. She’d thought about giving more, but Qingqing probably wouldn’t accept it—and that might hurt their budding friendship. Broken silver was easier to use for daily purchases.

Su Qingqing accepted the silver without fuss. This was no time to be shy—she needed it. And since it was given in small change, it showed that Sister Li was a thoughtful person.

Selling that wolf for ten taels was more than fair. If someone else had bought it, she might not have gotten nearly that much.

After all, she was selling a whole wild wolf, not processed hide. It still needed to be skinned and treated—and this one even had a hole in its head. Most people only bought whole wolves for their fur. Who cared about the meat?

After thanking Jiang Li, Su Qingqing looked at the wolf on the ground, then at Jiang Li and noticed she only had her maid with her. She offered, “Sister Li, would you like me to deliver the wolf to your home? It’s no trouble for me.”

“No need. You go take care of your business. The Jiang Manor isn’t far—I’ll have one of our workers bring it back.”

Su Qingqing didn’t insist. She disliked dragging things out. After bidding farewell to Jiang Li and Lan’er, she made her way toward the shops and market stalls in town. As for that maid Meier, she had already forgotten about her—just an irrelevant person.

But Meier, watching Su Qingqing walk away, was full of venomous hatred.

…

Su Qingqing had just made her first bit of money in this new world—and made a new friend, too. As she walked, she cheerfully hummed a song.

“Where is springtime? Where is springtime? Spring is in the green mountains and forests…”

Her singing drew the attention of many passersby.

People on the street glanced her way, puzzled.

Passersby: Huh? What song is that? Sounds so nice!

Several people started following behind, hoping to hear the rest of the tune. They’d never heard anything like it—so lighthearted and pleasant. Some even thought of teaching it to their children back home.

And so…

As Su Qingqing walked along humming, she gradually sensed something was off. She turned around—and found several people trailing behind her.

Were they trying to rob her?

That was possible. She had just earned ten taels of silver; maybe someone had noticed.

But their expressions didn’t look hostile. Instead, they seemed to be enjoying something. They nodded along in rhythm as they walked, like they were keeping time to music. Among them were old and young, men and women.

How strange!

Su Qingqing decided to figure out what was going on. Without showing her suspicion, she continued walking while humming, until she reached a corner. Then she quickly turned into an alley.

Sure enough, the group followed her.

Once they were all in, Su Qingqing calmly stepped in front of them and asked, “Why are you following me? Planning to rob me? Or do you have some other motive?”

If they tried anything, she had ways to escape. But judging from their faces, they didn’t seem malicious—just weird.

The group quickly waved their hands.

“No, no, miss, please don’t misunderstand,” one of them said. “I just heard you singing and thought the tune was so beautiful. I wanted to learn it and sing it for my wife and kids.”

Another chimed in, “I have a niece who loves to sing. I thought I’d teach it to her.”

“I just really liked the melody. That’s all.”

Oh—so that’s what it was.

She had just been in a good mood, humming a cheerful children’s song from her past life. Who would’ve thought it would attract followers? Back then, she’d loved all sorts of music—including songs for kids.

What a misunderstanding. She’d nearly thought they were after her silver. As for kidnapping her? She didn’t even think about it—who’d be interested in a scrawny beanpole like her?

After confirming their intentions, she was about to leave when one of the girls—dressed fairly nicely—blushed and said, “Miss, I really love that song. Could you please finish singing it for us? I can pay you some silver.”

Her face turned even redder after she spoke.

The others all nodded eagerly in agreement.

It was just two or three lines left. So Su Qingqing agreed and sang the rest for her small group of “fans.” She didn’t ask for money.

After hearing the full song, they all thanked her warmly. She waved them off, and they reluctantly left.

Once her little tail group dispersed, Su Qingqing couldn’t help feeling speechless.

To her, it was just a simple, ordinary children’s song. Who would have guessed people here would love it so much?

Wait a minute! That was a song from her past life—this world definitely didn’t have it. Unless there were others like her, but that chance was slim—like winning the lottery.

So… could she actually earn silver by selling songs?

Hmm… maybe that was another money-making route. She’d wait for the right opportunity. She wouldn’t go around disrespecting the work of songwriters from her previous world.