Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Entering the County City_1 (1/2)

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Entering the County City_1

Translator: 549690339

It was the beginning of summer in April, when the fragrance of pagoda tree flowers filled the air.

Doctor Li was teaching his grandson how to recognize herbs at their pharmacy when Jiang Sanlang walked in, carrying a basket on his back.

Jiang Sanlang bowed to Doctor Li, “Elder Li, I’ve baked some more Auricularia mushrooms, would you like to take a look and see if you can buy any?”

Upon hearing this, Doctor Li’s face brightened and he stroked his beard, “Let’s have a look.”

Jiang Sanlang placed his basket on the counter and opened the hemp cloth covering it.

The basket was full of vibrant golden mushrooms, each resembling a small yellow embroidered ball, they were a feast for the eyes.

Surprised, Doctor Li looked up at Jiang Sanlang, “Where on earth did you find so many Auricularia mushrooms?”

Jiang Sanlang scratched his head, embarrassed, “They are not found, they were grown by us.”

“No wonder.” Doctor Li exclaimed, “No wonder they’re all uniform in size and pure in color.”

He picked up a mushroom and felt it. It was dry and when squeezed it, the mushroom made a cracking sound as if it would shatter into pieces any minute.

“You’ve put in quite some work, Sanlang.” Doctor Li smiled, “The quality is good, if stored properly, it won’t spoil for a year.”

After taking another glimpse at the mushrooms in the basket, he muttered,

“We’ll need to find something to seal them up.”

He turned to his grandson and instructed him to fetch two bamboo baskets to store the mushrooms.

The mushrooms shouldn’t be subjected to pressure to prevent them from breaking.

His grandson dashed off towards the back hall.

Doctor Li took out his scales and began weighing the mushrooms.

“Three catties in total.” Doctor Li said, “Based on a rate of ten coins per catty, I owe you thirty coins. Sanlang, would you like the payment in copper or silver ingots?”

Although Jiang Sanlang already knew how much money his mushrooms would fetch, he still felt dizzy when he heard the sum again.

Good heavens, thirty coins, it equates to thirty thousand copper coins, it would require a big basket to hold this amount.

However, they still had a substantial amount of copper at home, more than enough for their expenses for half a year. It would be more convenient to take the silver ingots for easier storage.

“Silver ingots, I’d prefer silver ingots, they’re easy to carry.” He replied with a grin.

Doctor Li laughed too, ordering his grandson to place the mushrooms, while he went to the backyard to fetch the silver.

This time he brought out six silver ingots, each weighing five taels, and displayed them shiningly before Jiang Sanlang.

This was the first time Jiang Sanlang had seen so many silver ingots. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he stashed each of them in his waist pouch.

After slinging on his now empty basket, he asked, “Old Uncle Li, I have some more mushrooms at home, do you still need more?”

On hearing the words, Doctor Li was taken aback, “What? You have more?”

“Yeah, we planted quite a lot. The ones I brought today only account for forty percent.” Jiang Sanlang replied.

It was now Doctor Li’s turn to scratch his head.

In embarrassment, he said, “To tell you the truth, Sanlang, I can only store as much. After all, the main consumption of these mushrooms is in the autumn and winter seasons.

At present, I can only purchase this many. If you have any more, I don’t have the available cash for payment. You can try selling it to the larger pharmacy in the county town.”

Jiang Sanlang paused, and then bowed to Doctor Li, “Understood. Thank you, Old Uncle Li for your advice.”

When he returned home, Jiang Sanlang was in low spirits.

Although he had earned another thirty taels of silver, the majority of the mushrooms still remained unsold.

Besides, his elder brothers were eagerly anticipating the opportunity to grow mushrooms with him in order to get rich. But now Doctor Li was not buying anymore. If they couldn’t sell the mushrooms, his brothers would be sorely disappointed.

Noticing her husband’s somber expression, Chunniang quickly inquired,

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Sanlang relayed Doctor Li’s words, sighing, “Doctor Li’s pharmacy can’t buy any more Auricularia mushrooms, it appears I will have to make a trip to the county tomorrow instead.”

Upon hearing, his daughter Yingbao immediately lit up, and promptly raised her hand, “Dad, I want to go too! I want to go to the county town!”