Translator: 549690339
âWellâ¦â Li Wangcai chuckled, âConsidering that we both have the surname Li, and my name is similar to your second brother Li Cai, please donât tell anyone.â
Li Gui held out his hand, âGive it to me.â âGive what?â Li Wangcai was puzzled.
âYour remaining eight copper coins.â
Li Wangcai widened his eyes, âLi Gui, are you joking? Your family is so rich, much richer than the Zhu Family. You wouldnât miss eight copper coins, would you?â
âItâs not about the money. Itâs about the principle. Su Qingyue took the payment for her service, and I want mine too.â
âBut she made a contribution; she beat Zhu Nengwen. He was afraid of being laughed at for not even being able to beat Su Qingyue, so he gave the money because of his pride. But youâ¦â
âExactly because I didnât make any contribution, and merely overheard, so I get fewer copper coins than Su Qingyue.â
âYou canât be seriousâ¦â
âYou can choose not to give.â
âWellâ¦â Li Wangcai put on a sullen face, âHere you go!â He handed it over.
Li Gui actually pocketed it and reminded Wangcai, âDonât forget, youâre not allowed to tell anyone.â
âI wonât say a word. Even if you hadnât given me the money, Iâm not the type to be a gossip.â
âSo I gave you the money for nothing?â
âYeah.â Li Gui nodded and left. He touched the eight copper coins in his sleeve pocket, thinking of Su Qingyueâs calm and reasonable demeanor while extorting others, the corner of his mouth involuntarily lifted.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Li Wangcai couldnât laugh at all. He had just collected forty-two copper coins, but they were gone in the blink of an eye. If he had known, he wouldnât have blackmailed Zhu Nengwen. Not only did he earn Zhuâs enmity by doing so, but he also didnât get even one copper coin from it, which was really unlucky.
Su Qingyue arrived at Aunt Zhangâs house and saw Aunt Zhang weighing food with a scale for another woman.
She called out at the entrance of the courtyard, âAunt Zhang.â
âAh, itâs the wife of the Xiao Family.â Aunt Zhang looked over, âCome on in.â Su Qingyue walked into the yard, âYouâre busy.â
âI have some surplus food to sell at home. Iâm weighing some flour for Auntie
Hua.â
Su Qingyue glanced at the other woman, memorizing her appearance so as not to forget next time, and greeted Auntie Hua. She asked, âHow much is the flour per jin?â
âSame price as in the town, seven cents per jin.â Aunt Zhang replied.
Su Qingyue calculated in her heart that she had earned a total of 136 cents by selling medicinal mud toothpaste, plus the thirty-four copper coins earned, for a total of 170 copper coins. With the 128 copper coins she still owed as debt, minus the ten cents owed for the ginger, she had thirty-two copper coins left as flexible funds. âAunt Zhang, I also want to buy three jin of flour, can you weigh it for me?â
âSure.â
âDo you have any ginger at home? Iâd like to buy another five jin.â âYes, we have it, but itâs in the field. We have to dig it up.â
Su Qingyue looked at the sky. It was getting dark, and Granny Sun was probably at the Xiao Family to collect her debts. âAunt Zhang, the flour costs twenty-one cents for three jin, and Iâm paying back the ten cents for the ginger I owe you. Now Iâm buying another five jin, for a total of forty-one cents. Iâll
give you an extra cent. Can you please deliver them to the Xiao Family later for me? Otherwise, weâll have no food to eat tonight.â
She handed her forty-two copper coins.
Aunt Zhang wanted to return one, âWife of the Xiao Family, no need to give extraâ¦â
âItâs fine. My third brother often asks you to send vegetables, and I borrowed your jar. Itâs always been a trouble for you. Now that Iâm asking you to deliver things again, itâs proper. Itâs just that I donât have much money, only this much for now; otherwise, I would have liked to give you a few more cents. Iâm leaving the jar I borrowed from you here.â After saying that, Su Qingyue left..