A tragic journey through ancient times, trying to make money

Grandpa Zhang decided to go to the livestock market to check out the donkeys first, as the market had already opened for business.

Zhang Yunyue also put down her work in the kitchen and went to the livestock market with Grandpa Zhang.

When he arrived at the livestock market, the smell of animal feces and the cries of animals rushed into Zhang Yunyue's ears and nose. Zhang Yunyue took a deep breath and did some psychological self-regulation.

Then Zhang Yunyue followed Grandpa Zhang to the place where donkeys were sold. When they arrived, Grandpa Zhang went straight into the donkey shed and observed each donkey one by one.

The boss who was selling donkeys nearby looked at Grandpa Zhang entering the donkey shed and Zhang Yunyue guarding outside, and began to sell his own donkeys.

"You two, are you planning to buy donkeys today? All the donkeys I have are healthy, and most of them are one or two years old, which is the best time for them to work and pull millstones. You can take a good look at them."

Grandpa Zhang: "Yes, we are here to buy donkeys. Let me take a look at the donkeys first and make a selection."

"Uncle, you can take a look and choose whatever you want. I can guarantee that all the donkeys here are healthy and have no diseases. If there is any disease, I can replace it for you in two days."

When Grandpa Zhang heard what the donkey dealer said, he guessed that the donkeys here were probably similar to what he described, otherwise he would not dare to make such a boast.

"Okay, let me take a look first."

Grandpa Zhang saw more than 10 donkeys in the donkey shed. Two of them met his requirements very well. They looked energetic. Although they were not fat or heavy, they had obvious endurance.

Grandpa Zhang pointed to the two donkeys he had selected and asked the donkey dealer:

"Mr. Donkey, how much do these two donkeys cost?"

"Uncle, the price of these two donkeys is 8 taels of silver each. Do you want one or two? If you want two, I can lower the price for you."

"Well, Mr. Donkey, I'm going to buy two donkeys, so you have to lower the price. What do you think?"

The donkey dealer changed his mind and thought that if the customer bought two donkeys, he could make three or four taels of silver, so he could lower the price a little.

"Well, uncle, if you want two donkeys, I'll give you one tael less. You can ask in the market. The price of a donkey will not be less than eight taels."

Grandpa Zhang: "One tael of silver is too little. In this case, you should give us another donkey cart. Otherwise, I will go and have a look. I am really sincere in selling these two donkeys. Boss, please think about it carefully."

The donkey dealer thought about it again. If the price of a new donkey cart was about five or six hundred coins, it would be equivalent to a reduction of one and a half taels of silver. Then he could still make two and a half taels of silver, which was not bad.

"Okay, uncle, since you bought two donkeys, I will give you another donkey cart. If you want to buy another donkey in the future, you can come to my place again."

"Okay, if I have another idea in the future, I'll come back to buy from you. You can first harness the donkey cart to the donkey."

"Okay, wait a minute, I'll put it on for you."

When Grandpa Zhang saw the donkey dealer harnessing the donkey cart, he took out 15 taels of silver he had prepared in his arms and prepared to give him the silver after the donkey dealer harnessed the cart.

The donkey dealer harnessed the cart to the donkeys and handed the ropes of the two donkeys to Grandpa Zhang. Grandpa Zhang then gave the silver he had prepared to the donkey dealer.

Grandpa Zhang tied the rope of the donkey without a harness to the cart and let the donkey follow in front. Zhang Yunyue then followed Grandpa Zhang on the donkey cart and walked towards his own food shop.

When they arrived at the food store, Zhang Yunyue asked Grandpa Zhang to put him down.

"Grandpa, please go back to the food store first. I'm going to go to Jinxiufang now. I'll come back to find you and go home together."

"Okay, go ahead, just be careful."

"Ok, I know."

After saying that, Zhang Yunyue went to Jinxiufang. Grandpa Zhang led the donkey by the rope and entered through the back door of the food store. He put the donkey in the cowshed and put a board in the middle to separate the cow and the donkey to prevent conflict.

Zhang Yunyue had already walked to the entrance of Jinxiu Building and found the shop assistant sister. "Hey, sister, I'm here to see your shopkeeper, Madam Chen."

"Miss Zhang, now you are here. Don't call me sister every time. My name is Yu Xiutong, and you can call me Xiutong." Yu Xiutong said.

"Then I'll just call you Sister Xiutong."

"That's fine. You wait here. The shopkeeper is on the second floor now. I'll go and call our shopkeeper for you."

After saying that, Yu Xiutong went to the second floor of Jinxiu Building.

After a while, Madam Chen followed Yu Xiutong down from upstairs.

Mrs. Chen saw Zhang Yunyue standing next to the counter and said with a smile:

"Miss Zhang, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you for several days. Let's go inside and talk. Xiutong, bring a pot of tea and some snacks."

Yu Xiutong said: "Okay, my lady."

After Xiutong finished speaking, Madam Chen took Zhang Yunyue to the backyard of Jinxiufang.

"Have a seat. I wanted to notify you a few days ago, but we've been dealing with each other for more than a month and I didn't even ask you where you live. I have no choice but to wait for you to come."

Madam Chen smiled and joked to herself.

"Mrs. Chen, if you have any questions in the future, you can send them to the Four Seasons Food Store at the junction of East and West Streets. It's owned by my family. I'm usually in the village. If there's a letter, someone will help me bring it home."

"Oh, Four Seasons Food Store is owned by your family. The noodles in your Four Seasons Food Store are better than any other in town. I've been there several times. OK, I get it. Next time I have something to do, I'll send a letter to your food store."

"Uh-huh."

"Boom, bang, bang."

Yu Xiutong stood outside the door and knocked, saying, "Madam, tea and snacks are here."

Madam Chen looked towards the door of the reception room and said, "Xiu Tong, come in!"

With a creaky sound, Yu Xiutong pushed open the door of the reception room, walked in, and placed the tea and snacks on the tray on the table.

He poured a cup of tea for Zhang Yunyue and Chen Niangzi respectively, "Please enjoy your meal."

Then he walked out and closed the door.

Madam Chen pushed the snack towards Zhang Yunyue:

"Miss Zhang, try the snacks from our Jinxiufang. They are quite good."

Zhang Yunyue picked up a piece, tasted it, and nodded:

"Madam Chen, the snacks at your Jinxiufang are really delicious. They are sweet but not greasy, and have a smooth texture. They are delicious. By the way, Madam Chen, please call me Yueyue from now on. I am not used to calling you Miss Zhang all the time."

"Okay, I'll call you Yueyue from now on. By the way, wait a minute, I'll get the account book for you to take a look."

After saying that, Madam Chen stood up and walked towards the study.

After taking a bite of the snack, Zhang Yunyue couldn’t help herself and picked up another piece to eat.

After Zhang Yunyue had unknowingly eaten three or four pieces of snacks, Madam Chen slowly pushed the door open and came in.

He handed the account book in his hand to Zhang Yunyue.

Zhang Yunyue patted the remaining broken pieces on her hands.