The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 240: The Agreement

Chapter 240: Chapter 240: The Agreement

He still didn’t know Wang Yongzhu possessed divine power and thought it was all Song Chongjin’s doing, so he regarded Song Chongjin with much more respect.

"I’ll take them all! All of them!" Shopkeeper Wu was very decisive. Even if it was just to establish a connection with Song Chongjin and the Wang Family girl, he was willing to take any amount.

Wang Yongzhu felt completely satisfied, as someone wanted her family’s dried meat!

The two of them discussed the price and, since neither was stingy and both were keen to maintain a good relationship, there was no dispute over the price. At ten taels of silver per catty, it was already very fair.

They agreed that the next day they would exchange the meat for money—this deal was considered concluded.

Just as the food and drinks were served, Shopkeeper Wu invited them to dine again.

During the casual conversation, he learned that Wang Yongzhu was planning to buy lime and saltpeter from the neighboring grocery store.

Shopkeeper Wu smiled. The grocery store next door happened to be his, and with some special channels, he could stock goods that weren’t available in town, and his business was rather good.

Since he had started doing business with Wang Yongzhu, he generously indicated that the prices would definitely be cheap. If there was anything she wanted to buy that wasn’t in the store, she just had to mention it, and he would bring it back when he restocked next time.

Wang Yongzhu had not expected that the grocery store was Shopkeeper Wu’s business and that he could also special order goods for her. She was secretly pleased, knowing that in the future, if she needed anything that wasn’t available in town, she could try Shopkeeper Wu’s store.

The dinner ended to the satisfaction of both host and guest.

After eating, she bought a large basket of lime and tossed it onto Song Chongjin’s back.

Song Chongjin silently carried the basket under Shopkeeper Wu’s somewhat mocking gaze.

After saying goodbye to Shopkeeper Wu, Wang Yongzhu thought for a moment and then ran to the Cloth Store. After all, to test dyes, she needed cloth as well.

The proprietress had been somewhat troubled these past few days by another Cloth Store that had opened up on a different street.

The Cloth Store’s goods came from out of town, offering a wide range of colors compared to her own store. To add to that, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in that store, whether out of competition for control or to drive her own Cloth Store out of business, sold their fabrics cheaply.

Watching her own business become increasingly desolate, sometimes with no customers even after a day with the doors open, the proprietress was anything but happy.

Today, seeing Wang Yongzhu, a familiar face, who was buying an entire bolt of cloth, the proprietress was overjoyed. Not only did she offer a cheaper price, but she even rounded down the change.

While taking the money, she complained to Wang Yongzhu.

Upon hearing the complaints, Wang Yongzhu thought it sounded very familiar.

Wasn’t this the gossip that Old Granny Zhang had told her about? If she wasn’t mistaken, it must be He Dawei’s family who had opened that store.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law she spoke of must be He Dawei’s mother and Li Jinzhi.

A thought crossed her mind, and she asked the proprietress, "Proprietress, why don’t you procure some new, fresh-colored fabrics for your store?"

The proprietress sighed, "Where can one easily procure new, fresh-colored fabrics? Besides, here in Shiqiao Town, we mostly do business with our neighbors. Those bright, fresh-colored fabrics are hard to come by and expensive! Even if I do get them, who can afford them? Wouldn’t they just gather dust? I don’t have the means like the store on the back street; we’re barely scraping by. If the goods don’t sell and pile up, I’m afraid the store won’t last!"

As she said this, there was a noticeable sense of disappointment in her voice.

"If there’s fresh-colored fabric that’s cheap, would you take them, Proprietress?"

"Nonsense! If there are fresh, colored fabrics at a low price, not taking them would be foolish! But where in Shiqiao can one find fresh-colored fabrics that are both cheap and new? Young lady, you don’t understand!"

"Not to hide from you, Proprietress, my family has recently fallen on hard times; it’s almost impossible for us to get by. The other day when I was at your store, I heard that a bolt of Twilight Silk costs twenty taels of silver. So, I thought to myself: could I dye cloth on my own? After a lot of experimenting, I managed to dye this color. Proprietress, see for yourself if there’s demand for a fabric of this color," said Wang Yongzhu, making sure to portray herself as weak, pitiful, and helpless.

The proprietress also remembered Wang Yongzhu, who had been a rather plump girl on her previous two visits, but this time she had slimmed down considerably. Although she looked much better thin, still retaining some fullness, her narrow waist and ample hips clearly indicated that she’d be good at bearing children. If she had a son, she would definitely want to find such a daughter-in-law, someone with a prosperous and joyous appearance.

Though the proprietress felt that the claim of a country girl, promising to dye colorful cloth, was nothing but a pipe dream. If it were so easy, she would have already started her own dyeing workshop.

But seeing the young girl looking at her with those pitiful eyes, the proprietress found it impossible to voice a refusal. After all, the store wasn’t doing any business, and letting the girl down gently and extinguishing her impossible dream seemed like a good thing to do.

"Let me have a look then!"

Eagerly, Wang Yongzhu took out the piece of fabric that she had deemed a failed dye job just the day before. Though not bright enough, the red was even throughout.

The proprietress knew her stuff. At first glance, her casual gaze sharpened on seeing the cloth. She turned it over and over in her hands, studying it for a long while before asking, "Did you really dye this yourself?"

Wang Yongzhu nodded.

"Just this one color?" the proprietress pressed, not letting go.

"No, there’s also an indigo blue and a deep red." Wang Yongzhu hadn’t succeeded in dyeing them yet, but with the System’s guidance, she felt it was only a matter of time.

"I didn’t expect you to have such talent in this field! Look, dyeing small swatches of fabric is one thing, but the real challenge lies in dyeing a whole piece evenly. If you can dye a full length of fabric in one of those colors you mentioned, I’ll take it all!" The proprietress was remarkably straightforward.

Especially since her business needed a breakthrough, or else she would truly have to close shop.

Though the girl in front of her didn’t seem too reliable, she thought, "Might as well try; it’s a long shot."

If this young girl really could dye a full piece of fabric, she’d strike it rich!

That was exactly what Wang Yongzhu needed to hear from the proprietress. They struck a deal, and the proprietress even gave her several scraps of fabric and personally escorted them to the door.

Upon exiting the main gate, Song Chongjin looked at Wang Yongzhu with eyes full of inquiry.

Wang Yongzhu knew he must be full of curiosity at this moment, but, who cared? She wouldn’t tell him! Let him be consumed with curiosity!

Having negotiated two businesses and bought everything she had wanted, Wang Yongzhu was in high spirits.

She was contemplating whether to stop by the pastry shop to bring back some treats for Old Granny Zhang and the children at home when she ran into a familiar face.

Who could it be but Li Jinzhi?

Upon closer inspection, Li Jinzhi’s complexion was pallid, her face layered with so much powder it looked as if she had been plastered. Heaven knows how many layers she had on.

A gust of wind blew and the powder on her face seemed to fall off in clouds.

Her face was painted white, her lips smeared blood red, and her clothes were brightly colored, yet her exposed neck was a contrasting dark yellow, clearly demarcated from her face.

Plus, she was four or five months pregnant by now. Though she wore loose-fitting dresses, one could still tell she was showing.

Li Jinzhi herself hadn’t expected to run into Wang Yongzhu in town and initially didn’t recognize her.

She only recognized Song Chongjin.

Song Chongjin’s handsomeness was well-known to all.

What young maiden or new bride hadn’t dreamed of Song Chongjin?