Chapter 280: Grand Market

Yan Lao’er had been in high spirits for days.

After returning home, he pulled out the calligraphy copybook his older brother had written for him and began practicing with great care.

With each stroke of the brush, the characters came alive, full of energy and flair.

“Dad, your handwriting… looks a little different now,” Yan Yu remarked, studying the characters closely.

“Isn’t it good? Haha! I think it looks great too,” Yan Lao’er said proudly.

“No, I mean it’s actually a bit off. Not as good as before,” Yan Yu said after a moment of thought, then nodded with certainty. “I get it now. You’re in a good mood, so your strokes have more freedom to them. It doesn’t quite match the style of the characters, which is why it feels a little off.”

“Dad, what’s got you so happy? Come on, tell me and Mom so we can share the joy!”

Yan Lao’er chuckled, “Can’t say, can’t say.”

As if he’d spill the beans now—his daughter had already switched sides and was backing his older brother.

No way he was leaking any intel!

He picked out the copybook, chose his paper, clumsily folded the grid like his brother had shown him, laid out the sheets, ground the ink, and began writing…

By the time he was done, his long hair had air-dried naturally.

Then, tucking the account book his daughter had organized under his arm, he headed out.

There was always a crowd gathered near the big rock, whether there was something going on or not.

Yan Lao’er sought out the village elders and started by bringing up the Northern Rong bounty.

Village Chief Luo scowled. “Whatever they give us is what we get. The arm can’t twist the thigh, Yan Lao’er. Don’t be foolish. Don’t trade the scholar’s dignity for a few copper coins.”

Yan Lao’er: …

Who do you think you’re looking down on?

I’ve got vision, alright!

“No, no, don’t worry. It might not come through before the festival, but it’ll definitely arrive after. When it does, you can explain it to the villagers. Our Crouching Tiger Village doesn’t follow Yongning’s orders. Over there, they only get a couple of coins per head and can’t even get close to the Northern Rong. But us? We just take a stroll outside and there they are. One head, one string of coins! Let’s think positive—there are plenty of Northern Rong outside the Guard Station. Who knows when they’ll show up again? That’s our chance to strike it rich!” Yan Lao’er deliberately spouted nonsense.

The old men nearly smacked him with their shoes.

“You damn rascal! What nonsense are you spewing? Pah, pah, pah!”

Yan Lao’er laughed and weaved around them, dodging nimbly.

Once the elders were tired out, he finally stopped, took a few harmless swats, and got down to business.

“Last time we got lucky and spotted them in the mountains. Who knows if we’ll be that lucky again? Have you seen the cement bricks the village kids made? I say we build a watchtower right here…”

He went on and on.

He talked up the watchtower like it was the best thing since sliced bread.

The elders were sharp. Once they understood what it was, they made a decision on the spot.

“Let’s do it!”

Village Chief Luo asked, “Yan Lao’er, how do we build this watchtower?”

“I asked Master Lu already. It’s not hard—he can do it,” Yan Lao’er said. “And hey, my Xiao Er said they’ll handle the cement bricks. I figured we can’t let the kids work for nothing…”

“The village isn’t short on money right now. This is a proper project, we should pay for it,” Old Man Song said, nodding.

The other elders agreed as well.

Yan Lao’er grinned. “Alright then, let’s build one first and see how it turns out. If it’s good, we’ll put one on each side of the village.”

“And that wall you mentioned,” Village Chief Luo reminded him.

Yan Lao’er nodded. “Yep, we’ll take it one step at a time.”

They moved on to talk about the medicine and Gufeng.

“Since Crouching Tiger isn’t in urgent need of the medicine, let the villagers take a break,” Village Chief Luo said, exchanging glances with the other elders. “We can use the time to build a few more rafts. Yan Lao’er, you take a group and head to Gufeng. Check on the folks in Da’an Village. They’ve got more sick people over there and probably need the medicine more. But… can we make sure the medicine actually gets to them?”

The elders were concerned about that.

“We won’t just take a look and leave. If needed, we’ll stay a couple of days and deliver the medicine once it’s ready,” Yan Lao’er suggested.

“Uncle Luo, tomorrow’s the Grand Market in Xiqiao Town. I’m planning to take the family for a stroll, maybe see if we can sell a few things.”

The Grand Market was mostly barter-based. Even without coins, they could trade for useful goods.

“We were thinking of going too. Let the nearby folks know our village is here,” Village Chief Luo said. “And with the Mid-Autumn Festival coming up, most of the houses should be nearly done. Us old folks were thinking, instead of holding separate celebrations for each family, why not do one big feast together? A whole day of festivities, every family makes a few dishes, and we celebrate from morning till night!”

Yan Lao’er’s eyes lit up.

He was thrilled.

A feast for each family couldn’t compare to the excitement of the whole village celebrating together.

That was the kind of atmosphere he loved!

“Sounds great. Just let me know how many dishes to prepare. Our family won’t miss a single meal—we’ll make sure everything’s done right.”

Yan Lao’er began calculating in his head. He probably wouldn’t have time for the mountains tomorrow with the Grand Market in Xiqiao Town. Better to go the day after. He’d round up the Qi brothers and head into the mountains then.

The wild game up there had better be smart enough to clean themselves up and wait for him!

…

After finishing his chat with the village elders, Yan Lao’er returned to his courtyard and began pacing around.

Yan Yu watched as her father rummaged through this, lifted that, poked around like he was searching for treasure.

Leaning against the window frame, she called out in a crisp voice, “Dad, what are you doing?”

“Isn’t the Grand Market tomorrow? I’m seeing what we can sell,” Yan Lao’er replied without even lifting his head.

Oh ho!

The moment she heard that, Yan Yu perked right up!

She dashed out with a flurry of footsteps and began circling her father, front and back, offering her ideas.

“Dad, we’ve got plenty of salted duck eggs. Keep enough for ourselves, and sell the rest. While the ducks are still around, we should collect another batch and get them curing.”

“There’s a lot of fish too. Not sure if folks around here like fish, but we should bring both fresh and dried, just in case.”

“We’ve got to bring our main products too. Even if they don’t sell right away, we need to get our name out there. Once people know we’ve got scented soap and charcoal, they’ll come looking for us when they need it…”

“Oh! Mom finished that shampoo! It’s amazing, Dad. Smells like Chinese herbs, and the label says it nourishes, prevents hair loss, fights dandruff, controls oil, and even helps with itchiness. But the cost’s pretty high, and it probably won’t work with just one or two uses. You think we should bring it?”

Yan Lao’er grunted, “Bring what? The Grand Market’s just a few villages trading goods. People barely have a few copper coins in their pockets. No need for fancy stuff. Stick to the practical things you mentioned earlier. Leave the shampoo.”

“But the scented soap’s expensive too! What if someone wants it? I think we should at least advertise it. Otherwise, when they want to buy it later, they won’t know where to find us.”

Yan Yu was still all for spreading the word first.

“Fine, bring one jar. It doesn’t take up much space,” Yan Lao’er agreed easily.

They were taking the cart anyway, plenty of room.

Yan Lao’er added, “I looked through everything. We’ve got way too much fish. If we just sell it like this, it won’t move fast enough. We need a better approach.”

Yan Yu glanced around at the courtyard packed with fish. Yeah… it was a bit much.

Granny Rong had already sorted them by type, all neatly grouped together. Fish, shrimp, and crabs were all organized, and she’d even sorted them by size. You wouldn’t find a nine-ounce fish sneaking into the one-pound pile, that’s for sure.

Author Note:

From morning till afternoon, I’ve been writing, but I keep getting distracted. If you ask me why, it’s because I’ve been watching videos again~

Those Russian wilderness building videos are addictive! Watching them dig holes and build houses in the snow… I can’t stop clicking one after another…

I really need to quit ┭┮﹏┭┮

(End of Chapter)