Lin Qinghe brought breakfast into the front room and called out, "Mother, You Rong, breakfast is ready."
Mother You came out first. Lin Qinghe served her a bowl of sweet potato soup and placed it in front of her. "Mother, have some sweet potato soup first, then eat some sweet potato cakes."
Mother You responded with a smile and took a bite of the sweet potato cake. The surface was pan-fried to a golden brown, while the inside was soft and glutinous. The taste was delicious, filling her with surprise as she exclaimed, "Qinghe, are these really made from sweet potatoes? They're so good!"
"Yes, I steamed them, then mashed them into small balls, flattened them, and fried them in a cast-iron pan. If you like them, I'll make them for you again next time."
Just then, You Rong walked out. Mother You smiled and called out, "You Rong, come and sit down for breakfast quickly. The sweet potato cakes Qinghe made today taste even better than the corn cakes she usually makes."
Seeing You Rong come out, Lin Qinghe picked up a bowl and served him a bowl of sweet potato soup. She then dared not look at him, cradling her bowl and burying her head in eating.
She was afraid You Rong would say, "After breakfast, you can leave."
But to her surprise, after You Rong finished breakfast and before he left for his odd jobs, he reminded Mother You to take her medicine. He then cast a meaningful glance at Lin Qinghe before going out.
Lin Qinghe couldn't fathom the meaning behind You Rong's glance.
Unable to figure it out, she decided to stop thinking about it. Lin Qinghe, mindful of going to the pawnshop in town to pawn her earrings, asked Mother You, "Mother, I want to go to town for the market. Do you know how to get there?"
Mother You's expression shifted slightly as she asked, "Why are you going to town?"
Lin Qinghe didn't mention wanting to pawn her earrings to get money to buy things. She could only say, "It's nothing. Today is a rare market day that happens only once every half a month. I just want to have a look."
From the original body's memories, Lin Qinghe knew that market days in this area occurred only twice a month, on the first and fifteenth of the lunar calendar.
Mother You hesitated for a moment before saying, "Go to Uncle Li's house at the village entrance. Uncle Li will be driving his ox cart to town to deliver things for people. You can go with him. However, he returns not long after he's delivered his goods. If you stay in town too long and he leaves, you'll have to walk back yourself." Su Dan Novel Network
Lin Qinghe smiled and nodded, "Okay, I understand. Mother, don't worry. I'll come back early to make dinner for you."
Lin Qinghe returned to her room, changed into a slightly nicer outfit, re-styled her hair, and tidied herself up properly. After informing Mother You, she left for Uncle Li's house at the village entrance.
She tidied herself up presentably because she was afraid the pawnshop owner would see her as a country bumpkin and bully her by offering a low price because she didn't understand the value of the goods.
Lin Qinghe took Uncle Li's ox cart to town. She made an appointment with Uncle Li to meet at the same spot an hour later.
Lin Qinghe figured an hour would be enough, so she agreed and parted ways with Uncle Li.
Walking on the street, she saw vendors selling their wares everywhere. Lin Qinghe found it quite novel. She looked around, but since she had no money in her hands, she could only look.
She arrived at a pawnshop in town and walked in. The shop assistant subtly appraised Lin Qinghe from head to toe. He politely asked, "Madam, are you here to pawn something?"
Lin Qinghe's expression was calm. She nodded, "Yes, I do have something to pawn."
"Then please, Madam, let me have a look at it."
Lin Qinghe nodded, took out the earrings wrapped in a handkerchief, and handed them to the shop assistant.
The shop assistant took the earrings and examined them carefully. For a while, he frowned, then looked at Lin Qinghe with suspicion, and then he lowered his head to continue examining them.
Lin Qinghe's expression remained calm. She didn't ask anything, though she was very curious about how much they were worth. She patiently waited for the shop assistant to speak first.
After about half an hour, the shop assistant, holding the earrings, deliberated and said, "Madam, I've examined them. These earrings are indeed pure silver, but they are not very valuable. However, given the good craftsmanship, I can offer you five hundred wen."
"Five hundred wen?" Lin Qinghe frowned slightly. It was much lower than she had expected. She thought it would be at least one or two taels.
Seeing that Lin Qinghe's demeanor did not seem like that of an ordinary person, the shop assistant said politely, "Yes, because they are not inlaid with gold or jade, they are not very valuable. However... are you looking for a loan or a permanent sale? If it's a permanent sale, I can give you another hundred wen."
Lin Qinghe did not hesitate. "Then a permanent sale. Please, bother you."
"Alright, please wait a moment. I'll draw up a ticket now and give you the money shortly."
Lin Qinghe asked the shop assistant to give her three hundred wen in copper coins and some silver fragments. Carrying the money, she left the pawnshop. As soon as she appeared, she went to the market to inquire about the price of pork.
"Madam, this is fresh pork from today. It's twenty-five wen per jin. How much do you want?"
Lin Qinghe thought for a moment. Since she was buying, she might as well buy a bit more. She said, "I'll take three jin of this lean and fatty mix. And those pork fat trimmings... weigh three jin for me too. I'll take them to render lard."
"Alright, please wait a moment. I'll cut and weigh it for you right away!"
The boss handed over the pork, and Lin Qinghe paid a total of one hundred and fifty wen.
After buying the meat, Lin Qinghe went to the grain store to inquire about grains. Rice cost ten wen per jin, and flour cost fifteen wen per jin. Lin Qinghe bought twenty jin of rice and ten jin of flour. She gave the boss the silver fragments plus fifty wen, totaling three hundred and fifty wen.
Having bought everything, Lin Qinghe asked the boss to help deliver the rice and flour to the agreed meeting spot with Uncle Li. She then went to wander around the market, looking at her remaining money to see if she could buy anything else.
Seeing the candied hawthorn skewers the vendors were selling, Lin Qinghe's mouth watered. But after asking the price, thirty wen per skewer, she immediately gave up. After all, thirty wen could buy three jin of rice, enough for the three of them to eat for several days. She would just have to resist the craving.
Lin Qinghe had only one hundred wen left in her pocket. Thinking she couldn't buy much, and having wandered for a considerable time, she headed to the place where she had agreed to meet Uncle Li.
Upon arrival, Uncle Li apologized profusely, "You Rong's wife, I'm truly sorry. I just took a job to help pull some more things in the next village. I can't take you back to the village."
Lin Qinghe smiled and said, "It's alright, Uncle Li. You should attend to your business. I can manage on my own!"
Seeing the pile of things Lin Qinghe had bought, Uncle Li thought for a moment and handed her a carrying pole. "Tie them up with rope, and it will be easier to carry. If you really can't manage, you can go ahead and ask. There are carts you can take, but it will probably cost around one hundred wen."
Lin Qinghe was naturally unwilling to spend one hundred wen. Thinking that the road back wasn't far, and it would take about an hour and a half to walk back, Lin Qinghe smiled and said she could manage, urging Uncle Li to get busy.
However, after walking for about twenty minutes, Lin Qinghe was panting and out of breath. She realized that this was not an easy task at all.
She put down the things she was carrying and sat on a rock by the roadside to rest. She was so tired and thirsty that she began to regret her decision. "If I had known, I would have taken the carriage earlier. I had exactly one hundred wen left, and I wouldn't have to suffer like this..."
But regret was useless now. She couldn't have come this far and then turned back to take the carriage.
Lin Qinghe sighed, got up, and continued to carry the rice, flour, and pork towards Xinghua Village.
Suddenly, she stepped on a small stone without noticing. Her foot slipped, and Lin Qinghe stumbled and fell to the ground.
The pain in her ankle was so intense that Lin Qinghe's face turned pale.
Her first thought was to check if the rice and flour had spilled out of the bags. Then she lifted her skirt and saw a large bruise on her ankle, which was also gradually swelling up.
Lin Qinghe tried to stand up to see if she could walk, but she couldn't walk at all.
Lin Qinghe looked around. There was no one in sight, and she felt like crying.
If no one passed by today and discovered her, she would have to spend the night here!
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You Rong returned earlier today. The sky had not yet completely darkened. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Mother You bent over and coughing in the kitchen. His heart tightened. He hurried over to help her out and support her to the front room.
He poured her some water to drink, and Mother You gradually recovered.
You Rong frowned and asked, "Mother, what were you doing in the kitchen? And... where is Lin Qinghe?"
Mother You, her face pale, said, "She... Qinghe went to town for the market this morning and hasn't returned. It's getting dark, so I wanted to make dinner myself."