The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 131: Charming Villain

Chapter 131: Chapter 131: Charming Villain

Fearing that her daughter couldn’t handle it, after all, this was silver!

She hurriedly, with trembling hands, took the silver and put it in her bosom, and patted it to make sure, before she finally felt at ease.

Wang Yongzhu came back to herself and realized that Old Granny Zhang had misunderstood. She was excited, certainly, but not because of the silver—it was the Points, okay?

Then she noticed the shop assistant glancing over with a hint of scorn and the typical urban disdain for rural folk, felt a blockage in her heart, knew it was best not to linger in the restaurant, politely thanked Shopkeeper Wu, and took her leave with Old Granny Zhang.

Only after Wang Yongzhu and her mother had walked away did the shop assistant who had been wiping tables nearby come over: "Uncle Wu, why did you give those two rural women so much money? These ignorant country women don’t know the value of things; wouldn’t a few taels of silver have sufficed to appease them?"

But to be so excited over a mere fifteen taels of silver, their hands trembling... Clearly, they’ve never seen the world; probably, they’ve never seen so much silver in their lives. They really are quite coarse.

The shop assistant believed he was above it all—this wretched place, dealing with these crude rural people every day was just unbearable.

Shopkeeper Wu chuckled and pointed to the Yellow Pine Mushrooms on the table for the shop assistant to see: "Take a close look at the quality of these Yellow Pine Mushrooms. Do you really think that people who’ve got no understanding, those ’ignorant country women,’ could procure such quality? You still have a lot to learn about judging people, kid!"

With that, he instructed the shop assistant to fetch an iron chest filled with crushed ice from the storeroom for storing fresh ingredients, and placed the Yellow Pine Mushrooms and the basket inside.

Then he hurriedly rushed to tidy up, planning to set off early the next morning.

Such fresh Yellow Pine Mushrooms, even kept cool with crushed ice, needed to be dispatched back quickly. With these, this year’s rewards might be top-grade.

Thinking this, Shopkeeper Wu pondered in his heart that in the future, he had to pay more attention to this young girl who sold the mushrooms.

If he could get her to bring some fine mountain delicacies each year, making his presence known now and then, perhaps after a few times, the head steward would take notice and transfer him back. That way, he could escape this godforsaken place.

Otherwise, was he really to die here, trapped for a lifetime?

Wang Yongzhu, who left with Old Granny Zhang, had no idea of Shopkeeper Wu’s thoughts.

It was her pulling Old Granny Zhang out the door initially, but as soon as they left the restaurant, it became Old Granny Zhang pulling her along and they both scurried down the road until they reached a deserted corner.

Only then did Old Granny Zhang stop: "Girl, quick, pinch me to see if I’m dreaming. Did we really sell them for fifteen taels of silver?"

Silver was not unfamiliar to Old Granny Zhang, but for it to come so easily, worth fifteen taels, made even a hardened woman like her question the reality of it.

Wang Yongzhu couldn’t help but laugh and cry, "Mother, you’re not dreaming, we really did sell them for fifteen taels."

After making sure no one was around, Old Granny Zhang took out the silver from her chest, bit it, and only after seeing the bite marks on the silver ingot did it start to feel real.

Her gaze upon Wang Yongzhu grew ever more affectionate.

My daughter indeed has not been doted on in vain! In the past, people said my daughter was indulgent and lazy, claiming that I had spoiled her, certain she would suck my blood dry in the future.

Now, I really should let these people see for themselves, what a remarkable daughter I have raised, one move and she can earn a fortune. Which family’s spoiled girl could do this? Which unmarried daughter could earn so much silver for her family in one breath?

If it had been before Eldest Brother’s accident, I would certainly have boasted about my daughter’s ability to enrich our family all over the village.

But with the current situation at home, if everyone found out, certainly the money the girl had earned couldn’t be kept safe. Old Granny Zhang hesitated for a long time but eventually concluded that silver was more important, as it could provide a dowry for her daughter and buy some land, which was far more practical than intangible fame.

With that thought, she simply took out all the silver, and stuffed it into Wang Yongzhu’s arms: "This is the silver you earned yourself, keep it safe so that others don’t see it."

Wang Yongzhu refused to accept it. Having completed her task now and satisfied with her Points, she didn’t care about the silver. Wasn’t it perfect that it could be used to improve her family’s life and make their days a little less bleak?

The mother and daughter pushed back and forth for a while, and finally Wang Yongzhu remembered that she seemed to have a side task about saving some private money. Considering Old Granny Zhang’s insistence on not taking it, after weighing it up, she accepted the two Silver Ingots of five taels each.

Old Granny Zhang was still unsatisfied, but Wang Yongzhu persuaded her, "Mother, I grew Yellow Pine Mushrooms in the firewood shed, and everyone at home knows about it. Today, I picked all the mushrooms and even brought them to town to sell. Everyone knows we must have earned some Silver. If we don’t bring any back, it would be suspicious. Let’s just take five taels back and say that’s all we sold. This will silence everyone, and they won’t suspect we’re hiding any private money."

After saying this, Wang Yongzhu herself felt she was truly like a charming villain; she had the heart of a good person and did good deeds, yet she had to describe her actions as if she were a villain to pass muster, which was absurd.

Old Granny Zhang had an epiphany, slapping her thigh—as clever as her daughter was, in recent days she had been so worried that she had overlooked an evident flaw.

If she had really done as she initially intended, sold the mushrooms and went back claiming she hadn’t sold them, not to mention others, even the head of the household would feel uneasy.

And not to speak of those little rascals. These days, she hadn’t spared any money to save Eldest Brother’s life. If this detail wasn’t handled well, all her efforts could come to nothing. The money would be spent, but the goodwill wouldn’t be gained—that would be a serious loss!

Relieved, she patted her chest, "It’s you, my daughter, who has thought this through, it’s me who was muddled! Alright, let’s do as you say. Keep these ten taels of silver safe, and tell no one! I’ll go back and tell your father that we only sold five taels of silver."

Having divided the silver, Old Granny Zhang’s purse was heavier, and her mood improved. She took Wang Yongzhu to a seemingly bustling roadside stall, uncharacteristically generous, and ordered two meat buns and two bowls of minced meat noodles.

Feeling satisfied after eating, she also packed more than ten pancakes to take home. These were both cheap and long-lasting without spoiling. She would give several to Lady Lin who was taking care of Eldest Brother, and the rest could be taken back for her daughter and herself to fill their stomachs when hungry.

Old Granny Zhang’s mind was buzzing with shrewd calculations as she placed the pancakes in her basket and headed to the Apricot Grove Clinic.

Upon entering the clinic, she first sought Doctor Ma to inquire about Wang Yongfu’s condition and whether it had improved.

Doctor Ma indeed had some real skill, and he told the mother and daughter that Wang Yongfu had woken up early that morning. If he continued to recover at this rate, they could take him home for recuperation in ten days, as long as they remembered to collect the prescribed medicine on time.

Old Granny Zhang, with newfound assurance, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Being able to recuperate at home was certainly a good thing; at the very least, they could save the expenses of two people staying in town.

In her mind, she kept her own tally. If it cost five taels of silver a day, that would be fifty taels in ten days. Since they could go home after ten days, perhaps they could forego those expensive ginseng whiskers?