Chapter 190 – Selling Grain
Ms. Zhong was indulging in her thoughts when Yan Xiaosi suddenly spoke up, interrupting her train of thought. “Mom, big sister, second sister, you go ahead and buy other things. I’ll wander around the streets for a bit. Let’s meet up in half an hour in front of Xu Family Fur Store and visit third sister.”
Ms. Zhong quickly grabbed her wrist. “Xiaosi, there are so many people on the street today. Be careful not to get lost on your own.”
Yan Xiaosi patted her mom’s hand, freeing her wrist. “Daxing Town is so small, mom. Don’t worry, I won’t get lost even if I close my eyes.”
Watching her run off, Ms. Zhong sighed helplessly. Raised like a boy, Xiaosi lacked any semblance of femininity. With her coming of age, what was to be done?
Yan Shuqin, knowing why her mom sighed, took her arm and smiled. “Mom, don’t always sigh about Xiaosi. I think she’s fine the way she is. She used to be obedient but not happy. Now, though boisterous, she’s happy and never lets herself be at a disadvantage.”
Ms. Zhong thought it over and realized Yan Shuqin was right, letting go of her worries. “Let it be. Children have their own fortunes. Worrying won’t help. Shuqin, Shuxue, let’s quickly go buy other things. We need to visit Yun’er at Xu’s store in half an hour.”
Planning the meal for the workers tomorrow, Ms. Zhong decided on dumplings. She bought cabbage, green onions, garlic, pork belly, and flour. Chopping up the pork and vegetables for the dumpling filling was both convenient and wouldn’t shortchange the workers.
After running a good distance, Yan Xiaosi looked back and saw her family was out of sight. She wandered the streets for a while, then entered a quiet alley, quickly using her mental powers to retrieve several bags of grain from her portable space.
Now that she could use her power after consolidating her consciousness, retrieving or storing items in her portable space no longer required physical effort.
In the blink of an eye, several bags of corn appeared before her. The alley led to a grain-buying shop. After retrieving the corn, she quickly left the alley and entered the shop.
The shopkeeper, seeing her empty-handed, raised an eyebrow. “Young man, are you buying grain? Do you want corn, rice, or wheat?”
Yan Xiaosi, with crescent-moon-shaped eyes, replied, “Shopkeeper, I’m not here to buy but to sell grain.”
The shopkeeper looked behind her, seeing no basket or carrying pole, and was puzzled. “Young man, where’s your grain? If you don’t have any, please leave. Don’t waste my time; I have business to attend to.”
Yan Xiaosi, panting slightly, said, “Shopkeeper, I have grain, but it’s too heavy. I left it in the alley near your shop. Please come with me. The grain I have is plump and of good color; I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
The shopkeeper, seeing Yan Xiaosi’s honest and naive appearance, nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll come with you.”
“Thank you, shopkeeper, thank you,” Yan Xiaosi said, bowing and leading the shopkeeper to the alley where the bags of corn were.
The corn was still there. Yan Xiaosi pointed to the bags and said with an honest smile, “Shopkeeper, these are the grains I brought to sell. I carried them here one by one from my home. They were too heavy, so I had to leave them in the alley and come to find you.”
To make her story more convincing, she had dampened her hair and back with spiritual spring water from her portable space. Her flushed cheeks made her look like she had exerted herself.
The shopkeeper believed her and inspected the bags of corn. The grains were plump and golden, all nearly the same size, making them very marketable.
After inspecting, the shopkeeper was very satisfied. “Young man, how much are you selling this corn for?”
In Xize County, the price of rice was ten wen per jin, and coarse grains like corn, wheat, and highland barley were two wen cheaper per jin. Having shopped with Ms. Zhong a few times, Yan Xiaosi had some understanding of the prices in Xize County.
“Market price, eight wen per jin,” she said.
The shopkeeper frowned slightly, “Market price for corn is indeed eight wen per jin, but young man, your corn is some distance from my shop. If I buy it, my clerks will have to carry it back, so you have to lower your price. How about seven wen per jin?”
Yan Xiaosi smiled faintly. The shopkeeper was trying to take advantage of her perceived naivety, thinking he could deceive her. The clerks’ wages were fixed, and carrying the corn wouldn’t cost the shopkeeper extra. Moreover, this corn from her portable space had a higher nutritional value than ordinary corn. If not for the need to clear space in her storage, she wouldn’t sell it for eight wen per jin.
“Shopkeeper, my corn is top-quality, perfect for brewing fine liquor. It’s worth eight wen per jin, and you won’t be at a loss. If you don’t think it’s a good deal, I’ll have to check with other shops.”
As she began to tie the bags again, the shopkeeper hesitated but finally agreed, “Young man, I’ll take all your corn. Wait here while I call my clerks to carry it.”
“Shopkeeper knows his stuff,” Yan Xiaosi said, stopping and giving him another honest smile.
The shopkeeper noticed something off about her smile this time. “Young man, you’re quite the salesman. Wait here; I’ll be right back.”
Yan Xiaosi waited briefly before the shopkeeper returned with two clerks. After two trips, they moved all four bags of corn to the shop.
Eager to meet Ms. Zhong at Xu Family Fur Store, Yan Xiaosi urged the shopkeeper to weigh the corn. “Shopkeeper, I’m selling this grain to raise money for a marriage proposal. Please hurry and weigh it so I can take the money to my bride’s family. Otherwise, she might run off with another man.”
