It was still early, so Li Xiangli decided to take a walk around the market. Her top priority was to buy food. Although the money she earned today wasn't much, it filled her with confidence. This was just a small start, Li Xiangli had much bigger ambitions in her heart!
After asking around, she learned that rice came in two types: coarse rice and fine rice. Coarse rice cost five copper coins per pound but was mixed with stones, sand, and various impurities, and the quality was poor. Fine rice, on the other hand, was eight copper coins per pound—pure and white. Without hesitation, Li Xiangli chose fine rice. The children couldn't eat rough food.
She bought ten pounds of fine rice for 80 copper coins, a few pounds of cornmeal, and some firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Her home was practically bare, so she had to start from scratch. After this shopping spree, 200 copper coins were gone, but Li Xiangli didn't feel bad. With the remaining 500 coins, she headed to the butcher to get some meat for the kids.
"What can I get you, miss? Fatty meat is 15 coins a pound, lean meat is 13. Want to look?" the butcher greeted enthusiastically.
Li Xiangli pouted. "Uncle, that's a bit unfair. It's late in the day, and this meat's been sitting here all day, hasn't it? Yet you're still charging me so much."
It was already late afternoon, and the meat indeed had been left out all day. The butcher, eager to sell it off, compromised. "Fine, fine. If you want it, I'll knock two coins off per pound. How about that?"
Li Xiangli smiled broadly. "Deal! I'll take ten pounds of lean meat and ten pounds of fatty meat."
"Wow, buying so much!" The butcher beamed. "Alright, I'll pack it up for you."
Li Xiangli's sharp eyes noticed some pig offal and large bones by the counter. She quickly asked, "How much for these?"
"Oh, those? Nobody really wants them. If you do, I'll give them to you for two coins a pound," the butcher replied.
Li Xiangli's eyes lit up. Clearly, ancient people hadn't yet discovered the deliciousness of pork intestines and bone soup! Still, she kept a straight face. "These things are so dirty, and nobody else wants them. Uncle, aren't you just going to throw them out if I don't buy them? Besides, I'm already buying so much from you. Why are you nickel-and-diming me? If you keep this up, I won't come here next time!"
The butcher laughed helplessly. "Alright, alright. You've got quite the bargaining skills, little missy! Fine, take them for free, but you'd better come back next time to buy more meat!"
Li Xiangli grinned. "Of course, I will!"
However, she couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed. Everyone kept calling her a "little miss." In truth, she wasn't that young anymore. Not only did she already have two children, but she was 19 years old! Unfortunately, years of hardship and malnutrition had stunted her growth, making her look like a 13 or 14-year-old girl. That wouldn't do! Beyond everything else, she needed to nourish herself. Being flat-chested was just too frustrating!
Clenching her fists, Li Xiangli resolved that building wealth was an absolute necessity!
After buying her groceries, she still had 200 copper coins left and went to a fabric shop. The children were practically wearing rags, which was heartbreaking. They needed new clothes.
Li Xiangli didn't trust her own sewing skills, but buying ready-made clothes was too expensive and not worth it now. Instead, she bought fabric and decided to try making the clothes herself.
She chose soft cotton fabric at 10 coins per foot. It wasn't too expensive and would be much more comfortable than the coarse cloth the kids currently wear. She picked five feet of pink fabric and five feet of light blue fabric—perfect for Le'er and Xiaozhu. After calculating her expenses, she still had 100 coins left. With that, she chose a floral blue fabric for herself. It wasn't flashy but looked fresh and pleasant.
After paying, her purse was almost empty, with only 60 coins left. It was clear she couldn't rely on this small amount to sustain her household. Li Xiangli needed to find more ways to make money. However, the supplies she bought today would be enough for the family to live comfortably for a while. With that thought, her mood brightened, and even the heavy basket on her back didn't feel tiring.
When Dazhu arrived, Li Xiangli had already been waiting for a while. Apologetically, he said, "Sorry, I got delayed delivering goods. You didn't wait too long, did you?"
"Not at all. I just got here," Li Xiangli replied with a smile. "Don't worry about me, Brother Dazhu."
Dazhu took the basket from her shoulders and placed it on the donkey cart. He hefted its weight and was surprised. "Wow, you bought so much!"
He wanted to ask where she got the money but didn't dare.
Li Xiangli, sensing his thoughts, didn't treat him as an outsider and laughed. "I sold some herbs I gathered earlier in town and earned a bit of money. It was just enough to buy household supplies. There was nothing at home, so I had to buy more."
"Herbs can sell for that much? How do you know so many herbs?" Dazhu was amazed. His entire day of hauling goods barely earned 60 to 70 copper coins, while Li Xiangli's purchases clearly cost several hundred. It was astonishing how much she'd made in just one day.
"Oh, I met a doctor before, and he casually taught me a few things. It's nothing special," Li Xiangli fibbed casually.
"Really? You're so lucky! They say good things happen to good people, and it must be true!" Dazhu marveled.
Li Xiangli chuckled and didn't say much more.
When Li Xiangli returned to the village, it was already dusk. She worried the children might be anxious, as she could feel how much they relied on her.
Sure enough, before the donkey cart reached Aunt Chen's house, Li Xiangli saw the two little ones squatting on the doorstep. As soon as they spotted her, they ran joyfully toward the cart.
Li Xiangli hurried down and scolded gently, "Why are you waiting by the door? It's chilly outside!"
"But Mother wasn't back yet. Xiaozhu was worried."
"Le'er was worried too. What if something happened to Mother? Last time, Mother got hurt and stayed in bed for days before waking up," Le'er said, her eyes welling up.
Disclaimer:
I am not the original author of this work. This is a translated version of the original text, shared for reading and reference purposes only. All rights to the original content belong to the original author. I do not claim ownership of the original work or its characters. This translation is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes.