Chapter 65: Second Uncle Has a Nosebleed

“Yes!”

A blush involuntarily spread across Ye Xin Ran’s face.

Madam Leng didn’t tease her anymore, instead she said, “He looks dignified and upright, he should be a good man.”

“He’s alright!”

Ye Xin Ran immediately smiled.

After seeing Madam Leng off, Xiao Huai’an took the skirts from Little Two’s hands and asked, “Where to next?”

“To Shun Yi Tang across the street!”

Ye Xin Ran pointed to the other side.

“We need to ask if they have ‘Double Star Tea’ and buy some for the kids to drink.”

“Aunt, I’m not sick!”

Chang An said, looking confused as he tilted his head.

“It’s not bitter, it’s sweet and helps reduce heat.” Ye Xin Ran smiled.

“Oh, Uncle might need to drink some. I saw him get a nosebleed one night.”

Chang Ping said seriously.

“Really?” Ye Xin Ran quickly asked, “When did that happen?”

Xiao Huai’an’s expression briefly turned strange, and he answered for Chang Ping, “It’s fine, it was a long time ago.”

“It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago.”

Chang Ping tilted his head, thinking seriously about the time.

Xiao Huai’an patted his head, “Stop thinking about it, let’s go.”

“Oh!”

Chang Ping could only follow along, confused.

When they arrived at Shun Yi Tang, Ye Xin Ran finally understood why Madam Leng had said the Double Star Tea was hard to come by.

There were more than ten people in line, some wanting to buy two or three packets.

The people behind craned their necks to look ahead, afraid that the tea would sell out before it was their turn.

Xiao Huai’an asked Ye Xin Ran to sit with the three kids in the corridor outside while he stood in line.

After waiting for a long time, when he returned, he was holding a packet of tea and said, “Lucky! It was the last packet for today.”

“How much is it?” Ye Xin Ran asked.

“200 wen!” Xiao Huai’an replied.

“200 wen! That’s so expensive!”

Ye Xin Ran silently complained in her mind:

“Isn’t it always the case with anything related to medicine? No matter the dynasty, it’s always expensive.”

Moreover, there weren’t any precious herbs in this “Double Star Tea,” but it was still sold for 200 wen. They must be making quite a profit.

“Then…”

Seeing that Ye Xin Ran thought it was expensive, Xiao Huai’an didn’t know what to do for a moment.

He certainly couldn’t return it.

Ye Xin Ran also noticed his dilemma and quickly spoke up, “Sorry, it’s not that I’m saying you bought it for too much, it’s just that the medicine at Shun Yi Tang is quite expensive. But I suppose that’s a good thing, with this price, maybe I’ll be able to earn more money in the future.”

Xiao Huai’an didn’t know what Ye Xin Ran was thinking, but hearing her say that the price being high was okay, he finally relaxed his worried heart.

He was always a bit confused about such matters, but he understood the importance of following proper procedures.

Since all the household matters were managed by Ye Xin Ran, it made sense for her to make the decisions when it came to spending money.

After buying the Double Star Tea, Ye Xin Ran also took the children to buy new shoes, cloud cakes, and osmanthus sugar. Then, they accompanied Chang Sheng to pick out two books, bought a clay stove, two thin quilts for the summer, and a large bag of cotton.

At first, Xiao Huai’an was carrying everything, but by the end, his hands were full, so Ye Xin Ran had to carry the cotton herself.

“That’s almost everything we needed for today. Since it’s still early, let’s head back quickly,” Ye Xin Ran said, glancing at the sun now at its peak.

Chang Ping quickly reached out to take the cotton.

“Aunt, let me do it. I’m much stronger than you.”

“But you’re so small. With such a big bag of cotton, I won’t be able to see you anymore.”

Ye Xin Ran refused.

Chang Sheng and Chang An both chimed in from the side, “Aunt, just let Chang Ping do it. He’s really strong!”

“Yes, Aunt, second brother can carry even heavier things than this.”

“Then let him carry it.”

Xiao Huai’an also spoke up, taking the cotton from Ye Xin Ran’s shoulder and handing it to Chang Ping.

Ye Xin Ran’s concern was valid. Although Chang Ping was strong, he was short. With such a large bag of cotton on his body, his little frame immediately became invisible.

From a distance, it would look as if the bag was walking on its own.

Fortunately, the ox cart wasn’t too far away.

They quickly arrived at their destination. After loading the items onto the ox cart, the family hurried back home.

The ice spirit flowers that Xiao Huai’an brought back the previous day were still half untouched, so Ye Xin Ran had to hurry and plant them on East Mountain. The longer they waited, the harder it would be to keep them alive.

When the ox cart reached Mi Lu Mountain, a loud commotion suddenly came from ahead.

“Zhao Fu Sheng, you shameless thing! Mi Lu Mountain belongs to our village. Who gave you permission to come up here and dig a canal?” Ye Xin Ran recognized the voice as the village head’s.

“This Mi Lu Mountain is right between our two villages, and there’s plenty of water on the mountain. What’s wrong with using some of it for ourselves?” Zhao Fu Sheng responded, unashamed.

“And we don’t need you to dig the canal for us. We’ll just dig one ourselves from the mountain. What’s wrong with that?”

“Do you think I’ll accept that?” The village head sneered. “Let me ask you something. If you have rice at home and can’t finish it, can I take some without asking? I won’t even make you do the work. I’ll just take whatever I want!”

“That’s completely different!” Zhao Fu Sheng argued.

The village head shot him a sideways glance. “It’s exactly the same thing!”

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Zhao Fu Sheng knew he couldn’t out maneuver this stubborn village head, so he reluctantly took a step back. “We’re all from the same town. You can’t just let your side live well while we starve!”

“That’s easy enough, pay up!” The village head said righteously. “Do you know how much I paid for this mountain?”

He waved his hand in front of Zhao Fu Sheng. “Five hundred taels of silver! I spent five hundred taels just for this water. You think your village can use it for free? Not a chance!”

“Then tell me, how much do you want for us to dig a canal to our village?” Zhao Fu Sheng asked.

“One tael of silver per month!” The village head said, as if he had already calculated everything. “I know your village has money. One tael a month, that’s only twelve taels a year. Even if you use the mountain’s water for thirty years, it won’t cover the cost of buying the mountain. You should be happy with that!”

“One tael a month is way too expensive!” One of the villagers beside Zhao Fu Sheng immediately objected.

“A month or two might be okay, but over time, who can stand it?”

“Eh, I don’t think the price is too high!” The village head glanced at him.

“Why do you think it’s not expensive? Let me calculate it for you.”

He looked at the man and said, “Your village has 200 households. If one tael is divided among all the households, that’s 5 wen per household, right?”

The villager nodded.

“Five wen, for thirty days, now you calculate how much that comes to per day!”