The ox cart stopped outside the city. Everyone got off one after another. Xiao Jingting and Xu Mu’an went to the city market and rented a stall.
The market was bustling with people coming and going. Xiao Jingting and Xu Mu’an were somewhat shy, but Xiao Xiaofan felt his moment to shine had arrived. He stretched his throat and shouted loudly, “Selling grapes! Selling grapes!”
With Xiao Xiaofan being so helpful, the thin-skinned Xiao Jingting immediately looked at Xiao Xiaofan with new eyes.
Seeing Xiao Jingting’s appreciation for Xiao Xiaofan, Xiao Xiaodong felt envious and anxious in his heart. But he couldn’t shout out like Xiao Xiaofan could. His heart burned with urgency, yet his little face remained stern, which Xiao Jingting found somewhat amusing.
Xiao Xiaofan was cute-looking, and several women heard the shouting and came over to ask the price. Hearing that it cost 250 copper plates per bunch, they were immediately scared away.
Xiao Jingting wasn’t bothered. He cut open several grapes and invited people to taste them, finally opening up sales channels.
However, the impression that grapes weren’t delicious was deeply rooted in people’s minds, and the price was expensive. In one morning, Xiao Jingting only sold thirty-some bunches. Xiao Jingting was unwilling to lower the price, but people who would accept this price didn’t like mixing around in this low-level market. The situation was somewhat deadlocked.
Xu Mu’an looked at the depressed Xiao Jingting, thought for a moment, and said, “I have a suggestion.”
Xiao Jingting nodded and said, “Tell me.”
“I have some friendship with Boss Zhenji of Yueho Restaurant. He runs a restaurant and needs to prepare quite a lot of spirit fruits every day. We could sell the grapes to him – he should be able to take quite a lot. However, the price would probably have to drop somewhat,” Xu Mu’an said carefully.
The former Xiao Jingting was stubborn and self-opinionated, never listening to Xu Mu’an. He often scolded Xu Mu’an for being a “dog catching mice” – meddling in other people’s business. Sometimes he even hit people. Over time, Xu Mu’an rarely voiced his opinions anymore.
Xiao Jingting nodded, his eyes lighting up as he said, “If he can take most of the grapes, then a lower price is fine.” Grapes would spoil if kept too long. If they continued selling this way, many wouldn’t sell.
Hearing Xiao Jingting agree with his opinion, Xu Mu’an couldn’t help feeling somewhat delighted.
Xiao Jingting tidied up and went with Xu Mu’an to find the restaurant owner. They sold three hundred bunches of grapes to Boss Zhenji of Yueho Restaurant at 200 copper coins per bunch. Adding the money from the thirty-some bunches sold earlier, Xiao Jingting suddenly had over sixty taels of silver in his hands.
“You should hurry and redeem those few acres of superior fields,” Xu Mu’an urged.
Xiao Jingting smiled embarrassedly and said, “When I pawned them originally, one acre of superior field was twenty taels. To redeem it back requires twenty-six taels. With the silver I have now, I can only redeem about two acres.”
Xu Mu’an thought for a moment and said, “How about you redeem those few acres of middle-grade fields first.” Although superior fields were good, without sufficient spiritual power, they couldn’t be used to their full potential. With Xiao Jingting’s current strength, tending middle-grade fields was already somewhat taxing.
Xiao Jingting nodded and said, “Good!”
There were six acres of middle-grade fields total. One acre cost ten taels, plus thirty percent interest – redeeming them all would cost seventy-eight taels total.
Xiao Jingting held the land deed and shook his head, feeling completely depressed. After all this trouble, the money he’d just earned was all thrown back in, and he’d even lost more than ten taels.
Before marrying Xiao Jingting, Xu Mu’an’s family had also farmed the land. He had special feelings toward land. Seeing Xiao Jingting redeem the land, he felt much more at ease.
Xu Mu’an looked at Xiao Jingting’s ugly expression and comforted him, saying, “Outside, one acre of middle-grade field sells for around eighteen taels. Although there’s some interest added, it’s still a good deal. With farmland in hand, you can rent it out and have income every year.”
The pawnshop owner probably thought Xiao Jingting wouldn’t come to redeem the land, which was why he had previously driven the land price down to ten taels. When Xiao Jingting went to redeem the land just now, the pawnshop owner’s expression couldn’t have been worse.
Xu Mu’an slightly curved up the corners of his mouth, thinking privately: The pawnshop owner probably never thought Xiao Jingting would come back to redeem the land deeds. I originally also thought Xiao Jingting was someone who only spent without earning.
“I understand,” Xiao Jingting smiled helplessly. But still, so much silver – it really hurt his heart! “Come with me to pick out some seeds.”
Xu Mu’an nodded enthusiastically and said, “Good! For middle-grade field seeds, we should buy better quality ones.”
Xiao Jingting didn’t know that shortly after he left the pawnshop, Wang Erhu walked into the pawnshop.
The pawnshop owner said with complete dissatisfaction, “You said at the time that Xiao Jingting wouldn’t come to redeem the farmland. And the result? He redeemed all six acres of farmland. If I had known earlier, I would have given him more silver before, to earn more interest money.”
Wang Erhu chuckled and said, “He was originally introduced by me. Shopkeeper, you made more than ten taels of silver for nothing, so stop complaining. It’s just that this Young Master Xiao has always been unproductive, only spending without earning. I don’t know where this money came from – he told me before that he’d spent all his money!”
Thinking about what that noble person had said – that as long as Xiao Jingting’s wife left him and his children were separated from him, leaving him wandering the streets, he would be given five hundred taels of silver – Wang Erhu couldn’t help starting to feel anxious. Originally, Xiao Jingting had become addicted to Xiaoyao Powder and obsessed with gambling. His bankruptcy seemed just around the corner. But now he didn’t gamble or visit prostitutes, and had reformed completely. It was too strange!
