The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 469 - 467

Chapter 469: 467

Qilidun.

Wang Yongzhu suddenly left home, and except for Old Granny Zhang who knew why, the rest only vaguely learned from Old Granny Zhang’s lips that Wang Yongzhu had gone to the county town on business.

As for what business, Old Granny Zhang did not say, nor did anyone dare to ask.

Wang Laozhu did grumble a bit at night, saying how inappropriate it was for a young girl of the family to travel to the county town alone, without accompaniment, that people would gossip behind her back.

But he was promptly silenced by a few words from Old Granny Zhang.

With Wang Yongzhu, the local authority, gone from home, there was still Old Granny Zhang, the firm anchor.

With her daughter not at home, Old Granny Zhang worried even more, fearing that her sons and daughters-in-law might slack off and neglect the family business.

Her daughter’s trip to the county town was to take care of important matters; it was just unfortunate that the family’s foundations were still weak, incapable of assisting their daughter and only serving to hold her back.

If the foraged goods business encountered another snag, wouldn’t it mean her daughter would have to pick up the pieces again?

Therefore, Old Granny Zhang became even stricter than before, scolding them from time to time, to keep everyone on their toes.

Wang Yonggui complained bitterly behind Old Granny Zhang’s back—his sister had left, he had hoped to relax a bit, perhaps slack off.

But it was like his own mother kept watch over them like a hawk, even hurrying him if he spent more than the time it takes an incense stick to burn when using the privy.

If he lingered any longer, Old Granny Zhang would stand outside with a basin of water as a threat. She was less like a mother and more like a demon!

Wang Yongfu was used to it, and he understood that his mother was simply worried about them, concerned that something might go wrong with his sister away.

He just comforted Wang Yonggui a little and became even more careful and vigilant about the business.

What could Wang Yonggui do? He just grumbled a bit.

These past few days, it was the two brothers, Wang Yongfu and Wang Yonggui, who sat at the entrance handling the acceptance and inspection of the foraged goods.

At first, some people teased them half in jest, but Wang Yonggui, with a grin, threw back in their faces the incident where someone had tried to pass off subpar goods as quality merchandise, and that shut them up.

When noon came around that day, all the villagers who had come to sell foraged goods in the morning had finished their business and gone home.

After having lunch, the two brothers, Wang Yongfu and Wang Yonggui, finally had a brief moment of respite to catch their breath.

Wang Yonggui massaged his sore back, thinking that he should have Lady Jiang apply a hot towel to it in the evening and suggest to his mother that they get some medicinal oil from Doctor Liu in the neighboring village to rub on it every night before bed.

Wang Yongfu was also tired, but seeing the daily inflow of foraged goods into his home like a flowing stream, his fatigue seemed to amount to nothing.

Now all they had to do was maintain the quality, as Boss Zhang offered a stable price. After accepting the foraged goods each day, they all knew approximately how much silver they could earn.

This prospect invigorated them; otherwise, with Wang Yonggui’s restless nature, why would he have remained so earnestly helpful to this day?

The two brothers chatted idly for a bit, tidied up the disheveled ground from the morning’s foraged goods, and inside the house, Jinhua had already boiled some herbal tea. Jindou and Jinhu poured the tea into a bucket and brought it out to set aside.

The weather had cooled down. It was also Wang Yongzhu’s idea not to draw well water anymore, as the water was cold and might upset the stomach if drunk.

They would boil water until it was hot and add the tea leaves that the villagers were accustomed to drinking, which yielded a large pot of herbal tea from just two leaves.

After finishing their chores and having hardly any respite, they saw a group of people, carrying large and small baskets, hurrying toward the Wang Family’s collection point.

"Laosan, perk up, we have guests!" Wang Yongfu saw them coming and immediately sat up straight with a smile plastered on his face.

He turned his head and saw Wang Yonggui slouching in his chair, his face the picture of drowsiness, and hurriedly nudged him.

Wang Yonggui yawned and stood up, squinting as he looked at the newcomers.

The visitors were a group of sturdy men, each wearing nothing more than a thin jacket in this weather, sleeves rolled up to their elbows, and pants tied up to their calves.

Exposed were their strong, sinewy muscles, a clear sign of their robust health.

Wang Yonggui was startled and subconsciously stood up, his face reflexively breaking into a smile.

The men, carrying heavy loads, moved at a swift pace and soon reached the front of the Wang Family.

The leader of the men, with a full beard and bushy eyebrows, and sharp eyes under them, wore a short outfit. Perhaps because he had been walking a long way, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, streaming down his neck.

The man put down his burden, casually unbuttoned his jacket, grabbed one side of it and fanned himself, as he asked, "May I ask, is this the Wang Family’s mountain goods purchasing station?"

Wang Yongfu smiled, the embodiment of simplicity and amiability. Using Wang Yongzhu’s words, he was born with the face of an honest man, especially when he smiled, exuding sincerity and dependability that were immensely reassuring.

"Brother, this is indeed the Wang Family’s mountain goods purchasing station. You’re here to sell mountain goods, right? You must be tired after coming such a long way, take a seat and rest a while."

He turned his head and called out to Jindou and Jinhu, "Quick, bring over some tea for these uncles to quench their thirst."

Jindou swiftly brought over a bucket of still-warm tea water, with a gourd ladle floating inside.

The group of men were truly thirsty. After glancing at their leader, someone stepped forward to thank them and took the bucket.

The country folks were not fussy; using the ladle, each one drank his fill.

Wang Yonggui had already cheerfully blended in amongst the men, chatting and joking around, "Big brother here, wow, your goods look really nice..."

"And you, elder brother, I can tell just by looking at these goods that you must be an expert hunter. Look at the quality of these skins, skinned so beautifully..."

...

He put the men at ease, each of them wearing a more relaxed expression.

After giving the goods a brief inspection, Wang Yonggui had a rough estimate in mind. He kept the conversation light and gradually returned to the counter at the back.

Tugging at Wang Yongfu’s sleeve, he whispered a reminder, "Big brother, I’ve looked over their mountain goods, and at first glance, they seem alright. But we still need to be cautious. With such a big group of men, I reckon they must have banded together from some remote mountain area. We need to be careful; if things go south with this many people, it could be troublesome."

Wang Yongfu, now more worldly and somewhat better at judging people, nodded his head to show that he understood.

The group of men weren’t talkative. After drinking their fill and resting for a bit as the sweat on their bodies evaporated, they were ready to sell their goods.

Although Wang Yongfu felt anxious inside, his expression remained composed. He simply smiled and asked them to line up and place their goods on the long table for him to examine.

Over there, Wang Yonggui, unable to stay still, sidled up to the end of the queue to strike up a conversation, subtly probing for information, curious to learn where this group of people had come from.