Chapter 28: Shopping in the County

“Customer, I also have this kind of fabric here, but the workmanship is a bit rough. The boss told me to sell it cheaply. How about eight hundred coins for this one?”

The shop assistant introduced another option. The material and workmanship were worse, probably a defective product.

But even a defective one cost eight hundred coins. That showed how thick the quilt must be.

Lin Qinghuan reached out and pinched it. Indeed, a thick layer of fluff.

“Alright, I’ll take this one.”

Lin Qinghuan asked the assistant to tie the quilt with rope, just for show. Once she left the shop, she could put it into her space and take it out again when she reached home.

After buying these two items, she still needed to get ink sticks, brushes, and Xuan paper.

There weren’t many shops selling stationery in the county, only Zhenpinxuan and Hongmofang.

Lin Qinghuan walked into one of them at random. She told the shopkeeper her needs, and he quickly packed everything up while chatting with her.

“Does your family have a scholar, madam? I’ll throw in some extra Xuan paper for free.”

Lin Qinghuan smiled and accepted. Who would refuse a freebie? “Thank you, shopkeeper. My husband is a xiucai. These are for him.”

“I see! You’re lucky, madam. If your husband passes the imperial exams, your hardships will pay off. That’ll be four hundred coins. Take care.”

Lin Qinghuan paid four hundred coins. She didn’t put the items into her bamboo basket.

She planned to put vegetables in there later, and Xuan paper was easily stained. Better to carry it by hand.

Now she only needed to buy some groceries before heading back to the oxcart.

Lin Qinghuan wasn’t deliberately trying to anger Old Madam Lin. She genuinely wanted to buy some meat.

The children were all growing up and needed nutrition. From now on, they would have meat at every meal.

She could buy chicken and duck in her space, but pork had to be bought in the county. With such a large basket, if there wasn’t a piece of meat inside, Zhang Cuihong would definitely find an excuse to mock her on the way back.

She went to a fresh pork stall. The vendor was a burly man who sharpened his knife while greeting her.

“What would you like?”

Lin Qinghuan selected two large pieces of streaky pork with a good balance of fat and lean, plus some hind leg meat. It came to about ten catties.

“Two hundred coins.”

The vendor tied the meat with straw rope and tossed it into her basket, naming the price.

Lin Qinghuan handed him a tael of silver as payment. She noticed the spare ribs and offal under his feet.

In ancient times, these items were considered useless. Some wealthy families would buy them to feed their livestock.

“Boss, do you sell the things at your feet?”

The vendor glanced down, looking a bit surprised that Lin Qinghuan was interested in such stuff.

“Manager Zhang said he’d buy them for his horses, but he hasn’t shown up yet. I’ll sell them to you. Give me thirty coins for the lot.” The vendor said generously.

A whole rack of ribs, plus pig intestines, pig heart, pig kidney… She was getting a good deal.

“Also, I want that piece of leaf fat and four trotters. Add them to the total, please.”

Pig trotters were all bones and needed long cooking. Few people bought them, so they were priced similarly to offal.

The vendor didn’t understand but respected her choice.

He cheerfully wrapped everything for Lin Qinghuan.

“That’ll be twenty coins extra. Total is two hundred and fifty coins. Here’s your change.”

After receiving the money, Lin Qinghuan counted out ten coins and handed them to the vendor.

“Could you trouble yourself to chop up those bones? And split these four trotters in half? As a weak woman, it’s really inconvenient for me to handle them at home.”

Lin Qinghuan softened her tone appropriately. Besides, she was paying ten coins for the trouble. Who would refuse?

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