Chapter 17 TGBW

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Chapter 17:

Two Liang[1] • Earn More and More

After leaving, Luo Jian Jia noticed the gaze of the crowd.

However, even though she saw it, she remained calm.

So what if she saw it? Selling things depended on one's own abilities.

She couldn't stop selling just because others envied or were jealous.

After returning home, Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao laughed heartily as they poured out the money from the purse.

© translations belonging to flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

Madam Zhao cautiously picked up the silver coin, saying, "This is silver, isn't it?"

Old Master Chu nodded with a smile, "Yes, silver."

Although Luo Jian Jia felt the money wasn't much, it was her first time seeing silver. Looking at this small piece, she seemed to be infected by Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao, and her mood became slightly excited.

"Jia'er, hurry and count how much money we made today," Madam Zhao urged.

Don't be fooled by Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao going out to buy food together every day. In fact, they only knew how many copper coins they received each day, but they couldn't figure out the costs and how much they actually earned.

Because of that wealthy merchant, they made quite a bit today.

Luo Jian Jia quickly counted the copper coins they received today and estimated in her mind, saying, "It's about one hundred and ten wen."

As soon as they heard it was more than a silver coin, Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao's smiles deepened.

"Earning one hundred wen in a day, wouldn't that be three... three taels of silver in a month..."

When Madam Zhao mentioned "three taels," she suddenly paused.

Three taels?

Could they really earn three taels in a month?

Perhaps she had calculated wrong.

When their son worked as a guard in the Prince Mansion before, he earned only a few silver coins a month. After a year, their family only managed to save up about two taels of silver.

"Darling, did I calculate it wrong?" Madam Zhao asked uncertainly.

Old Master Chu had also arrived at the same figure.

However, like Madam Zhao, he too felt uncertain.

To be precise, they couldn't believe it.

They were just selling food at the village's pier, a small-scale business at best. Could it really be that they were making more money than their son's prestigious job?

Did the other villagers doing business in town make this much money too?

The two of them exchanged a glance, then both looked at Luo Jian Jia simultaneously.

Luo Jian Jia understood what was going through their minds and calmly analyzed the situation objectively.

"Mother is correct. If we earn one hundred wen in a day, it does indeed amount to about three taels of silver in a month. However, today's situation is somewhat special. We received twenty-five wen in tips, and there was more traffic passing by the pier today. Whether the customers who come to buy egg fried rice in the future will be as numerous as today remains to be seen. This still needs further observation."

Luo Jian Jia's words seemed to have a magical effect, always calming Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao down.

Of course, this was also because the two of them trusted her.

Upon hearing her words, Old Master Chu was the first to come to his senses and said, "Jia'er is right. Today's situation is indeed unusual."

Madam Zhao felt a slight sense of disappointment.

Luo Jian Jia thought for a moment and said, "However, even if we earn sixty wen like yesterday, we can still have around two taels of silver in a month."

In fact, whether they earned one, two, or even three or five taels in a month made little difference to Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao. As long as they could exceed one tael of silver in a month, they felt it was a considerable amount.

At this moment, hearing Luo Jian Jia's analysis, they hadn't thought about it that way before.

Madam Zhao calculated a bit and said, "Jia'er is right. Even if it's like yesterday, we can still earn two taels."

Old Master Chu was slightly stunned.

"That's two taels of silver!" Madam Zhao continued excitedly.

Old Master Chu also came to his senses and said, "Two taels... Two taels in a month..."

Earning two taels in a month made Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao feel more energized.

They remembered earning just five wen on the first day, and it seemed to increase afterward, but they hadn't really thought about it in detail.

Today, when it was brought up like this, it seemed that they had indeed been earning more and more. At least they could earn one tael of silver in a month.

Just hearing yesterday that their son would be returning soon and now discovering that their monthly income exceeded two taels, Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao felt very happy.

Although they hadn't slept well last night, they didn't take a nap after lunch today.

One of them cleaned the living room while the other went to redo the chicken coop.

Seeing that they hadn't rested, Luo Jian Jia didn't feel comfortable resting alone in her room.

However, despite Madam Zhao's many persuasions, she was pushed back into her room.

Afterwards, Luo Jian Jia returned to her room and lay down.

Having woken up early in the morning, cooked and sold food, Luo Jian Jia was accustomed to taking afternoon naps on regular days, and now she was indeed feeling a bit tired.

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao, being of advanced age, were generally more excited during the day. However, come evening, as soon as they finished dinner, they became incredibly sleepy and went to bed early.

The next day, Luo Jian Jia cooked another five jin of egg fried rice.

Although Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao wanted her to cook more considering the good business from the previous day, they refrained from saying so.

They were increasingly trusting Luo Jian Jia and were more at ease letting her handle things without much interference.

Unexpectedly, the sales were still good today.

Although the wealthy merchant who had been so generous yesterday wasn't around, the egg fried rice was still extremely delicious. Plus, being the closest high-end food option to the pier, there were still plenty of customers.

However, it took about fifteen minutes longer to sell out compared to yesterday.

Today's earnings amounted to eighty wen.

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao continued to smile happily.

Three days later, the egg fried rice became even more popular and sold well.

~ Part 2 ~

However, when Lou Jian Jia reached about eight jin, she stopped adding more. This was because the weather had gotten warmer, and the eggs tended to develop a slight odor if left for too long, affecting the taste when cooked in large quantities.

Even though she only sold about eight jin, she could still earn over a hundred wen each day.

Old Master Chu's health improved significantly, becoming more agile and energetic with each passing day. He walked with a brisk pace, as if propelled by the wind.

Madam Zhao, who used to have many wrinkles around her eyes and sagging eyelids, gradually regained some vitality, with her wrinkles smoothing out and her eyes appearing more spirited.

That day, after selling their goods at the pier, Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao went to the town.

Lou Jian Jia returned home alone, pushing the cart.

As soon as she entered the house, Madam Wang from next door came over.

"Jian Jia, where are your parents?" Madam Wang asked.

Lou Jian Jia explained, "They went to the town to buy some things."

"Oh," Madam Wang replied. Instead of leaving, she approached and brought a stool, sitting down under the eaves of the living room.

Seeing this, Lou Jian Jia realized that Madam Wang didn't have anything urgent to discuss, so she continued tidying up.

Lou Jian Jia was strong, and she quickly unloaded everything from the cart.

After unloading, she squatted by the well to wash the buckets used for vegetables and rice, as well as the used bowls and chopsticks.

While the buckets were fine, Lou Jian Jia was extremely careful when washing the dishes and chopsticks, fearing that she might accidentally break them.

During this time, Lou Jian Jia could feel Madam Wang watching her closely.

Finally, as Lou Jian Jia was almost finished cleaning up, Madam Wang spoke again.

"Your mother came by today," Madam Wang said.

"Oh," Lou Jian Jia replied nonchalantly, her actions unchanged as she continued to wash.

Madam Wang didn't miss the change in her expression but was satisfied to see her remaining calm.

"Did she go to the dock to find you?" Madam Wang asked again, with a hint of gossip in her tone.

Lou Jian Jia truthfully replied, "No, she didn't."

As for whether her birth mother had actually gone to the dock, Lou Jian Jia wasn't sure. Based on her speculation, knowing Madam Zhang's personality, there was a high probability that she had gone.

However, Lou Jian Jia didn't voice these thoughts.

Upon hearing this answer, Madam Wang's eyes flickered, and she continued, "Your mother asked me to tell you that if you have some free time these days, you should come back to your maternal home. Your father has something important to discuss with you."

Lou Jian Jia had just finished cleaning the dishes. She lifted the basin containing the dishes, poured the water into the vegetable garden, and calmly responded, "Oh, I see."

After speaking, Lou Jian Jia noticed Madam Wang staring at her strangely, so she quickly added, "Thank you, Madam."

Madam Wang observed that the daughter-in-law next door had indeed changed significantly from before.

Such a drastic change in temperament was quite surprising.

Previously, she always looked down on others and didn't care much about them.

Now, although still reserved, she showed a hint of warmth.

"Do you know why your father wants you to come back?" Madam Wang asked, unable to resist her curiosity.

"I don't know," Lou Jian Jia replied succinctly.

Lou Jian Jia's demeanor, although reserved, seemed satisfactory enough to Madam Wang.

"I heard your father has been getting close to a wealthy businessman surnamed Liu from out of town. They often dine together, and he even visited your mother's family," Madam Wang said to Lou Jian Jia. "Your parents said that your brother is coming back soon."

Lou Jian Jia furrowed her brows slightly.

Madam Wang didn't say more after that, glancing at Lou Jian Jia before heading home.

Originally, Madam Wang thought that a woman like Lou Jian Jia should have been divorced by now.

However, in recent days, she noticed that Lou Jian Jia was becoming increasingly different from before. She had become someone who could earn money and manage a household.

Moreover, Madam Zhao and Old Master Chu seemed to be quite satisfied with their daughter-in-law.

So, Madam Wang decided to add a few more words.

What Madam Wang didn't know was that Lou Jian Jia's furrowed brows were due to her realization from Madam Wang's words that the wealthy businessman from the novel, the one who took away the original host, had indeed appeared.

The plot from the novel was silently unfolding amidst her daily chores and routines.

Presumably, that wealthy businessman surnamed Liu had already taken a discreet look at her too.

This revelation sparked some doubts in her mind.

Calculating the days, wasn't it a bit too late for that businessman to show up?

It seemed like in the novel, he arrived long before the male protagonist. By this time, hadn't the female lead already eloped with him?

Could it be that her arrival had triggered a butterfly effect, affecting everyone's timeline?

However, these thoughts only lingered in her mind briefly before she quickly pushed them aside.

Even if she didn't cooperate, it would be difficult for this matter to proceed smoothly.

Even if she was forced to cooperate, it would depend on whether her fists agreed or not.

That day, Lou Jian Jia didn't go back to her parents' house.

She knew that Lou Fu Sheng called her back for two reasons.

One was about their business at the dock, and the other was about her remarriage.

Either one of those reasons or both could be the case.

Regardless, Lou Jian Jia didn't want to discuss either of them.

Visiting the Lou family would only upset her, and Lou Jian Jia wasn't one to seek discomfort. After finishing her chores, she went to tend to the small flowers she had planted in the corner of the yard.

Now the flowers were blooming beautifully in various shades of pink, yellow, and purple, adding warmth to the courtyard. Lou Jian Jia spotted the morning glories and skillfully arranged them to climb the fence.

After tidying up, Lou Jian Jia's mood immediately brightened.

Lou Jian Jia glanced at the sun and estimated that Madam Zhao and the others wouldn't be dining in town, so she went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

The next day, just as she reached the door before heading to the pier, Lou Jian Jia remembered what Madam Wang had mentioned yesterday. She casually grabbed a doorstopper from behind the door and placed it on the cart.

"What are you doing with that?" Madam Zhao asked, puzzled.

Lou Jian Jia replied calmly, "Just in case someone disturbs us while we're selling vegetables. It's for self-defense."

"Oh," Madam Zhao still seemed somewhat puzzled, but she didn't say anything more.

•••

[1] liang 两 : In ancient China, particularly during the imperial era, was not only a unit of weight but also a unit of currency. It referred to a silver coin or ingot that weighed approximately 31.25 grams or 1 tael (also spelled as "tael"). This unit was used for transactions and trade, similar to how we use dollars or euros today. However, the value of the liang could vary depending on the region and time period in ancient China.

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Chapter 17 TGBW

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