Chapter 050

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Not long after, the shopkeeper sent him a re-drafted contract, which was similar to yesterday's one, only adding the amount he had to supply every month and a new agreement of one or two silver per catty.

 

"Do you think this contract is feasible?"

 

Ling Jingxuan took a rough look at it. After a while, he took the seal and stamp it with his own fingerprint. A cooperative relationship between them was established.

 

"Since everything is settled, I won't disturb you any longer. The restaurant is still busy."

 

The shopkeeper took out yesterday's contract and tore it up in front of Ling Jingxuan, and put away the new contract when he was about to leave.

 

Ling Jingxuan then noticed that his little brother was absent-minded and had been holding the money bag tightly. He couldn't help but smile wryly. He called out to him, but it seemed Ling Jingpeng had lost himself somewhere. Ling Jingxuan urged, "Jingpeng, Jingpeng?"

 

"Oh? Did you call me, Brother?"

 

Under his probing, Ling Jingpeng finally came back to his senses, but his two-way eyes were full of confusion, Ling Jingxuan shook his head helplessly. "The shopkeeper and the others are leaving. You take a buddy to the cellar to carry the jam."

 

"Oh, then this is for you!" Ling Jingpeng's momentary confusion disappeared, and he blushed. He was embarrassed that he had been caught holding the bag so tightly. He stuffed Jingxuan with the burden indiscriminately, and ran out sullenly. The two guys standing behind the shopkeeper also followed.

 

Ling Jingxuan chuckled, "sorry for that. My brother hasn't seen much of the world. He got a bit overwhelmed."

 

"Don't worry. It's just a hundred taels of silver. He's not used to these things yet; he's only seen a small part of the world."

 

However, it seems better than his little buns. If he had fallen on his butt like little buns, that would have been really embarrassing.

 

"Don't worry, don't worry. Young people need to experience more. By the way, Brother Ling, you probably don't know yet. Yesterday, there was an outbreak of a plague at the Ping'an Hall in town. The county official rushed there with his men overnight. It's said that the village where that child is located has been isolated. Fortunately, Ping'an Hall immediately came up with preventive and treatment methods for the plague, so the epidemic did not spread. But also, the county official brought news of conscription. It seems that something happened on the front lines, and the court decided to conscript soldiers. Each household must send one person between the ages of fourteen and thirty-five if they have at least two able-bodied laborers. I heard you have two younger brothers. It's best to prepare in advance, as the official documents will probably be sent to every village soon."

 

While saying the earlier words, Ling Jingxuan was somewhat indifferent. However, when the topic shifted to conscription, he frowned deeply. He didn't mind it for himself, as he didn't meet the criteria, but his little brother would be in danger. Considering how his family didn't care much about their parents, combined with yesterday's incident, once the conscription order arrived, they would probably send Ling Jingpeng, right? Damn, why didn't it come earlier or later, but had to arrive now? In this age of cold weapons, being conscripted was practically a death sentence.

 

"However, you don't need to worry too much. If you really don't want your relatives to go, you can pay twenty taels of silver to avoid it."

 

Not sensing the murderous look in Ling Jingxuan's eyes, the shopkeeper Zhang thought he was simply worried and hastily told him about the workaround. In a war-ridden country, the treasury was not abundant, and military expenses were tight. Money was as important as manpower. "Well, thank you, Brother Zhang, for letting me know about this." Ling Jingxuan cupped his fists and clasped his hands toward the shopkeeper.

 

The killing intent dissipated in an instant, and Ling Jingxuan smiled lightly. In this world, there were no absolute good or bad things. Conscription might turn out to be an opportunity rather than a curse.

 

"Don't mention it, Brother Ling. I just mentioned it casually, not worthy of such politeness from you."

 

Hearing his title, shopkeeper Zhang knew their relationship had grown closer. He genuinely enjoyed the company of this young man, who was often scorned by others. For some reason, he had a strange feeling that this kid was not an ordinary person at all.

 

"Ha ha... I don't really have anything to thank you for. These are just some mushrooms I picked in the mountains. The shopkeeper can take some back to eat."

 

Ling Jingxuan stood up, picked up a shabby dustpan from the side, and placed it on the table. Yesterday's mushrooms were soaked in the water from the Moon Spring and were still fresh.

 

"What?! Mushrooms?"

 

The shopkeeper was excited and quickly took the dustpan, using trembling hands to pick up one of the mushrooms and sniff it. After a while, he looked at Ling Jingxuan with a cautious expression, asking, "Do you know how to identify mushrooms?"

 

"Of course, what's so strange about it?"

 

Acknowledging his astonishment, the shopkeeper's eyes couldn't help but reveal a hint of doubt. He nodded his head in an inexplicable mix of awe and puzzlement. He couldn't fathom how Ling Jingxuan could identify mushrooms. In the capital, there was even a profession known as a "Mushroom Identification Specialist" exclusively employed by various restaurants or aristocratic families. Even they, at times, made mistakes in identifying poisonous mushrooms, leading to deaths every year. It was said that the art of identifying mushrooms was a hereditary skill, passed down within families, and outsiders were seldom taught this skill. How did this young man learn it?

 

Ling Jingxuan realized that this was the reason for the shopkeeper's excitement. Even though it was hilarious, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. He remembered that when he was picking mushrooms for the first time that day, Little Baozi had asked him, “Why did he pick them? Those mushrooms were poisonous.” Baozi was young, so he didn't know that this thing could be eaten, but he didn't expect that there was such meaning in it, hehe? Can he say that he found another way to make a fortune?

 

"I encountered a traveling barefoot doctor when I was young. He taught me medical skills and happened to teach me how to identify mushrooms."

 

Ling Jingxuan casually made up a character, as there was no one who could verify the truth anyway.

 

"No wonder! Ling brother, you really have great luck. If you can collect more mushrooms in the future, make sure to bring them to our Xinyuan Restaurant first. You can rest assured that I'll give you a good price."

 

The shopkeeper didn't think too much about it and patted Ling Jingxuan's shoulder while laughing heartily. He couldn't resist wrapping the mushrooms in a cloth and taking them with him. After all, they were a good find.

 

"Thank you, Brother Zhang. It seems like we finished moving the jam. Let's go take a look."

 

Since it was not the season for mushrooms to proliferate, Ling Jingxuan didn't plan to say much about it. He stood up, and with one hand behind his back, he made a gesture of invitation. The shopkeeper, in high spirits, carried the bundle of mushrooms and beamed with satisfaction.

 

With the assistance of Ling Jingpeng and a few workers, they quickly finished moving the one hundred jars of jam. They also weighed the fish, a total of thirty-five pieces, weighing one hundred and thirty catties. At ten wen per catty, it totaled one thousand three hundred wen. The shopkeeper wanted to pay immediately, but Ling Jingxuan thought of their long-term cooperation and suggested settling the accounts every ten days to avoid trouble. The shopkeeper readily agreed.

 

"Daddy, Daddy? Are all these coins ours?"

 

After seeing off the shopkeeper, the two brothers returned to the house. Before they even entered, Ling Wen, holding the bundle, rushed out with a red face, followed by Ling Wu, also excited.

 

One was a money lover, the other a foodie, and both were little troublemakers. He could only try to figure out ways to earn money. Seeing the money-obsessed appearance, Ling Jingxuan couldn't help laughing. He led them into the main room and sat down.

 

"Yes, a total of one hundred taels. The shopkeeper also signed a long-term cooperation contract with us, so we will have more than one hundred taels in the future. Not only that, but the shopkeeper also asked for our fish. He will send someone to our home to collect it every morning. Also, the mushrooms we picked - the shopkeeper said they are valuable, even more expensive than meat. He said that if we can collect more, we should sell them to him. This way, our family will have another source of income. Won't you feel more at ease now?"

 

Sigh, his son loved money, and as a father, he could only try various ways to earn more.

 

"Really?! Then, let's not eat the mushrooms we pick ourselves. Let's keep them all and sell them for money," Ling Wen decisively made a decision after hearing this.

 

"Huh?" Ling Jingxuan's forehead darkened, and he couldn't help but twitch his mouth. "What are you thinking, Xiao Wen? Mushrooms are the only nutritious food in our family. How can we sell them all?"

 

How will he ever get them to grow up big and strong like meat buns if they don't eat the mushrooms?

 

"That's not a problem. I've already thought about it. Dad, didn't you say mushrooms are more expensive than meat? We'll take the money from selling the mushrooms to buy two little piglets. We can raise them to fatten them up for the New Year. We can slaughter them and have a New Year's feast."

 

Seeing how confidently Ling Wen spoke, Ling Jingxuan felt like banging his head against the table. Why didn't he think to tell him what mushrooms could be used for? Now, the only tasty food they had was gone.

 

"Daddy, this is a great idea - catching piglets and eating roasted pig dishes!"

 

The two little buns were completely oblivious to their father's frustration. The older one spoke confidently, and the younger one clapped his hands and danced around the room. Ling Jingxuan slumped his body on the table, feeling utterly helpless. One was obsessed with money, the other with food, and they were both little troublemakers. Were they deliberately giving him a hard time?

 

"Ha ha... Big brother, I think catching two piglets is not a bad idea. We can also sell some chicks. In the future, they'll lay eggs, and besides, Xiao Wen, don't sell the eggs from our hens. Keep them to improve your health. Look how thin you both are. Even if you don't care about yourself, think about me and Xiao Wu."

 

Ling Jingpeng said with a smile, fully understanding his older brother's feelings. Really! But in the future, he would definitely not let his children hang out too close to Ling Wen. This kid's stingy habits were too much trouble, even though it was quite funny.

 

"I know, okay?" After hearing his uncle's straightforward remark, Ling Wen blushed slightly even though he hadn't considered that aspect.

 

"Ha ha." Ling Jingpeng couldn't hold back any longer and laughed heartily, holding his stomach as he bent over. He was sure if he hadn't reminded him, his nephew would have definitely thought about selling those eggs.

 

Ling Wen gave a fierce glare at his uncle, who was laughing without any decorum. It was only then that he noticed his father, who seemed exhausted, holding a pile of silver coins in his hand. Reflecting on what he had just said, Ling Wen suddenly felt a little guilty. He walked over and tugged at Ling Jingxuan's clothes, asking cautiously, "Dad, are you angry?"

 

"Huh? No, I just feel that while saving money is important, the best way to become rich is to increase our income. Xiao Wen, do you remember what I told you? Before doing anything, we must have good health. Look at us, we are all so thin and weak, always panting for breath. In the past, it was understandable because we didn't have money, but now that we are earning, we should ease up a bit on our food restrictions, don't you think?"

 

Regaining his composure, Ling Jingxuan turned around and placed his hand on Ling Wen's shoulder, speaking earnestly. He knew that if they continued living like this, they would lose the purpose of earning money.

 

Ling Wen tilted his head, his eyebrows furrowing and relaxing as if he was carefully pondering his father's words. After a while, he took a deep breath, his face showing a pained expression, and said, "Then let's buy wheat flour and rice and occasionally get some meat. Is that okay?"

 

"Yes, that's exactly it. Not only meat but also eggs. I also want to buy a cow or a sheep to raise. Look at you both, you're five years old but look like three or four-year-olds. Do you know how much I worry about you? Dad is a doctor, so let me take care of the food from now on. Didn't I say it before? I must turn you both into well-fed buns. Give Daddy a chance, alright?"

 

It was quite difficult to make the big bun loosen his grip on money. Ling Jingxuan's previous frustration disappeared, and he took the opportunity to regain some control over the household affairs. Other than that, he didn't think too much about it. After all, being thrifty could be a good thing – at least they could save some money, right?