Everyone exchanged perplexed glances, with Lady Zhou sitting stiffly to one side, ramrod straight and silent.
After sending Doctor Li away, the Lian Manman family returned to the West Wing Room.
"Her grandma’s temper, when she starts arguing, she doesn’t care about reason. She just wants to dominate others, otherwise she won’t feel comfortable," Lady Zhang sighed.
"With Dad stepping in this ti, I think her grandma was scared enough. From now on, she should be better," Lian Shouxin also sighed.
Old Master Lian was the pillar of this large family, and moreover, Lady Zhou’s greatest supporter. Since then, although Lady Zhou still refused to yield verbally, there was an obvious change in her attitude.
The Lian Family finally enjoyed a few days of rare tranquillity.
It was the ti of Xiaoman, and all kinds of crops had sprouted in the fields. After finishing his morning work at the snack shop, Lian Shouxin would carry his hoe to the fields. Thanks to the good rains this year, the seedlings were growing uniformly. Like other farrs, Lian Shouxin was pleased; he busily tended to the crops here and there with great care.
It was a rest day for Wu Lang and Xiao Qi, and Lian Shouxin had also co back from the fields. The family of six sat in the snack shop, discussing moving the business to the new shop.
"Everything’s ready, we just need a good day," said Lian Shouxin, "Let’s prepare a few vegetarian dishes later, warm up a pot of vegetarian wine, and still ask Abbot Master to help us pick a date."
"That’s good. The date for our shop’s opening was picked by the Abbot Master, and our business has been so good; the date he chose for us was indeed auspicious," Lady Zhang said.
While they were talking, they heard the sound of a horse-drawn carriage outside, along with a loud voice hawking sothing.
"Clam... Clams here... Clam... Clams here..."
Xiao Qi’s ears perked up at once.
"Sister, did you hear that? There’s soone outside selling clams," Xiao Qi hurriedly pulled on Lian Manman’s hand, her big eyes sparkling as she spoke to Lian Manman.
To want to buy sothing and think of Lian Manman first, rather than Lady Zhang or Lian Shouxin, illustrated just how solid and deeply rooted Lian Manman’s position as the manager of the household’s silver was.
Actually, without Xiao Qi saying anything, Lian Manman’s attention had already been drawn by the hawking outside the window.
"Sister, let’s hurry and have a look, or the seller might leave in a mont," Xiao Qi said urgently.
"Clam seller, wait a mont!" Indeed, hearing the horse hooves quickly passing by the shop’s entrance, about to move on, Lian Manman quickly got up, calling out through the window.
"Hey..." the loud voice outside responded, followed by the sound of the carriage backing up.
"Mom, let’s go outside and have a look," Lian Manman called Lady Zhang while she busily got down to put on her shoes, and dashed out with Xiao Qi.
The clam seller was a man of about forty or fifty, driving a large carriage surrounded on all sides, filled with heaping fresh clams.
About a hundred li away from Thirty Mile Camp lay the seaside, where villagers from fishing villages lived by catching fish. Such a distance would not be considered significant in Lian Manman’s previous life, but in this era of backward transportation, it was indeed a long journey. Thus, people in Thirty Mile Camp rarely got to taste fresh seafood.
The only fresh seafood they could get was these clams, which could survive for so ti out of water. Even so, it wasn’t every year that soone ca here to sell clams.
"How much will you buy?" the man driving the cart asked, seeing a group of adults and children coming out.
Lian Manman approached the cart and carefully looked inside. The clams were large in size, with many of them gaping open, their flesh still moving, and one could even hear the clacking sound of the clamshells. Lian Manman reached out and touched an open clam with a finger. The clam imdiately pulled back its flesh, snapping the shell shut as well.
The clams were very fresh, presumably caught in the morning and imdiately transported for sale. Lian Manman swallowed instinctively. These clams had a thin shell and thick at, and tasted extrely fresh and delicious, sothing she had loved in her previous life.
"How much is a jin of these clams?" Xiao Qi asked.
"Two Wen Money a jin," the man driving answered briskly.
"Sister, shall we buy so?" Xiao Qi asked Lian Manman.
Lian Manman squinted her eyes; the price for such large, fresh clams seed very cheap to her.
"Could you make it a bit cheaper?" Lian Manman asked habitually.
"How many jin are you planning to buy? You ask for a discount," the cart driver said.
Even though it was the peak season for seafood, sellers of clams seldom visit their area. Sotis, not even once a year would soone co.
"Then, let’s buy more," Lian Manman said.
"Yes, yes," Xiao Qi nodded repeatedly, her eyes squinting with joy, "Sister, clams are so delicious, let’s buy a lot, we can eat them."
Lady Zhang brought two baskets from the shop, and Xiao Qi, thinking it was not enough, ran into the house and brought another one out.
All three baskets, filled to the brim, were weighed. Subtracting the weight of the baskets, the total was sixty-two jin.
"You can’t keep this stuff for long, you’re buying so much, I don’t know how many stomachs you have," Lady Zhang laughed and shook her head. Despite what she said, she did not suggest Lian Manman buy less.
"One hundred twenty-four Wen Money, since we’re buying a lot, let’s make it one hundred twenty," Lian Manman proposed.
"Alright," the man didn’t haggle and agreed very readily.
Lian Manman took out One String of Coins, counted off another twenty Copper Coins, and handed them over. The man accepted the money but didn’t leave right away.
"Excuse for asking, but in this village, are there any wealthy families willing to buy clams?" The man driving the cart inquired.
***...***
First update delivered, begging for pink! (To be continued. If you like this work, welco to Qidian (qidian) to cast your recomndation votes and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)
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