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Stopping at the place where the money was buried, Liu Qingxi looked around. It was a dark and windy night, and there was no one around.
Carefully scraping away the top layer of pebbles, he retrieved the buried package and restored the pit to its original state. Liu Qingxi returned along the same path, silent as before.
On the way back, Liu Qingyan was lying on the newly laid grass, covered with their only ragged clothing, sleeping soundly. Liu Qingxi smiled slightly; at least she was not alone now—she had family.
At dawn, Liu Qingxi woke up and called Liu Qingyan: "It's time for us to go!"
The morning sky was gray and hazy, with a few stars faintly twinkling above. The moon hung in the sky, and distant rooster crows could be heard.
Due to limited conditions, they had no wooden comb or washbasin. The siblings quickly tidied themselves up and headed out!
Pushing open the ineffective fence gate, there was no movement from the nearby houses. Liu Qingxi held the wild chicken tied with grass rope in his arms, covering it with a few large leaves.
With previous experience from their trip to town, the siblings were familiar with the route.
As the morning sun rose in the east and the first rays of sunlight illuminated the earth, brightening Liu Qingxi's eyes, Biqi Town appeared before them.
They left early today; there weren't many pedestrians outside the town. Looking back, they saw many farmers slowly approaching with their burdens.
Meanwhile, shops in town were already bustling with activity, either serving customers or waiting for farmers to deliver goods.
"Yan, let's check out the tavern!" This was a wild chicken; although not large and not a rare animal, it was still somewhat valuable. It would be hard to sell for a good price at the market, but it should fare better at the tavern.
"Okay!" Liu Qingyan nodded.
Having visited the town many times, they knew exactly where the tavern was without needing to ask for directions, and headed straight for their destination.
Thanks to the various gossip heard at the market, Liu Qingxi knew that to sell goods at the tavern, one had to use the back door, which was typically the delivery route.
Currently, there were only two taverns in town. Liu Qingxi also understood that compared to other nearby towns, Biqi Town was quite poor, with most people being farmers who exchanged goods.
The bustling scenes seen in the past were merely crowds gathered together; there were not many wealthy individuals, and sustaining two taverns was already a challenge.
These two taverns secretly competed with each other, each trying to outdo the other, but their strengths were relatively equal, and this rivalry had persisted for many years.
In comparison, Yang's Tavern operated more openly than the other establishment, Wanjia Restaurant, so Liu Qingxi chose the former.
"Hello there, miss. What are you looking to sell?" A staff member at Yang's Tavern approached as he noticed a girl peeking around with an unknown item in her arms.
Well, Liu Qingxi just wanted to see if anyone was inside and realized her actions might seem a bit amusing to others.
"Hello there! I was wondering if you accept wild chickens here?"
"Of course! We generally take wild game. How's your wild chicken?"
"Right here, take a look! It's alive. Do you know what price I can get for it?" Liu Qingxi finally revealed the wild chicken she had been holding tightly; it had been bound so securely that it hadn't made a sound during the journey.
The staff member couldn't help but chuckle: "Miss, you don't need to tie it up so tightly."
Liu Qingxi smiled apologetically: "I'm sorry! I was afraid it would escape. It took me a lot of effort to catch it in the mountains. How much can you offer?"
"We always weigh the game at our restaurant. Right now, the price of pork is around ten to thirteen wen per pound, while chicken is a bit cheaper. However, since this wild chicken is alive, it's fifteen wen per pound!"
The waiter explained carefully that this price was quite reasonable, especially compared to Wanjia Restaurant not far away.
"Alright, please weigh it for us!" Liu Qingxi was satisfied with this price.
The waiter quickly weighed it: "Miss, your wild chicken weighs two pounds and six ounces. At fifteen wen per pound, that's thirty-nine wen. Here’s the money; please take it!"
"Thank you, brother! We'll come back here for wild game in the future!" Fair and Square indeed.
Liu Qingxi thought that the weight on the scale was about what she had estimated.
With the thirty-nine wen just earned, plus the eighty-one wen they had left over, they now had a total of one hundred twenty wen, which was all their possessions. "Let's go, Yan. We need to buy some things!"
They urgently needed a pot and two bowls; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to cook wild vegetables later.
Typically, pots could be bought at a Blacksmith Shop or a general store. Liu Qingxi first went to the Blacksmith Shop to inquire: "Master, how much is a pot here?"
A burly man covered in sweat and muscles replied in a gruff voice, "Miss, it depends on what size you want. There are pots for two people, for five or six people, and even for ten or more people. The prices vary with the size!"
"Master, I just need one for five or six people!" Since there were only two people in their household, that would suffice. However, occasionally they might want to boil some hot water for bathing or something similar.
"Here you go; take a look. This one is seventy wen!" The strong man quoted directly.
Liu Qingxi's mouth fell open in surprise; that was way too expensive! Just for this one pot, it would cost more than half of their belongings. She swallowed hard; the price of pots in this era was simply outrageous.
In the past, a modern ordinary wok only cost a few dozen coins, but here it directly costs seventy wen, where one wen's purchasing power is equivalent to two modern dollars. No wonder every household cherishes their meals so much.
"Uncle, can you make it cheaper?"
"Miss, you can ask at the grocery store over there; it's even more expensive than here. The price for iron is set here, and it can't be lower. How about you take one for forty wen?"
The burly man replied briefly, his attitude not particularly warm, as he continued his busy work. The roaring fire burned brightly, and sweat dripped down, quickly soaking his thin shirt.
In fact, whether someone bought a pot or not didn't significantly affect him; the pots at the grocery store were all supplied by him. It was essentially a monopoly in the town—no matter where they bought it from, he would earn the same amount.
Well, Liu Qingxi understood that this era wasn't as developed as modern times. Producing a single pot involved countless processes.
However, buying just one now would surely not be enough in the future. If they were going to buy, they might as well get a larger one to avoid wasting money later on.
Gritting her teeth and steeling her resolve, she said, "Uncle, we'll take this one!"
But her heart ached; after paying, she felt like she had returned to square one. The remaining fifty wen would have to cover other necessities—bowls, chopsticks, and food were all lacking.
"Let's go!" Liu Qingxi felt somewhat dejected; indeed, money didn't last long, and earning it was far too difficult.
After leaving the Blacksmith Shop, she headed straight for the only grocery store in town. Compared to the grocery store in the neighboring village, this place had a much wider selection.
Across from Yang's Tavern on the second floor by a window, a young boy squinted slightly as he watched the passersby. Suddenly, a figure caught his attention.
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