The White-Bone Demon of the Farm is as rich as a country

By the time they came down from the mountain, the sun had already set, and all three of them were exhausted. Anping, who was calm and composed, said weakly, "Sister, you're so tired. Come sit down and rest."

Ru Yue took her sister in her arms and let her lie down on the wooden bed to rest. She stroked her little face with deep affection, "You all worked hard today, but fortunately we got a good harvest. We should be able to sell it for a good price in town tomorrow."

Thinking of the group of prey, the three of them smiled knowingly.

Early the next morning, Ru Yue settled her younger brother and sister-in-law, and went to the town with a bunch of prey. When she found a secluded place, she threw all the prey into the space and continued on her way.

When she arrived in town, Ru Yue did not go to the market to join in the fun, but instead asked passers-by and went to Mr. Lou's house.

The Lou family was wealthy, their five-story mansion situated on the town's prime land, covering over two acres. Above the gates of the mansion stood a large plaque inscribed with "Lou Mansion." Surrounding it were golden bricks and red jade, and emerald tiles and vermilion roofs, all evoking the noble character of its owners.

Ru Yue walked around to the side door and rang the doorknob. A servant opened the door in a moment. "Who are you looking for?"

"Excuse me, little brother. I'm here to deliver mountain products to Mr. Lou Er."

The servant looked Ruyue up and down for a long time. Because of the relationship with Second Master Lou, he didn't dare to turn Ruyue away. "Come in with me. Don't walk around or look around. You can't afford to offend the master."

"Don't worry, little brother. The Second Master bought some of my fruits a few days ago and specifically instructed that any good things he had should be sent to your house first. So, I hunted some wild animals in the mountains, all alive, and quickly sent them to you."

The mansion of this wealthy family was indeed magnificent. Walking along the winding corridor, the houses that came into view were all decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, with corridors and side rooms on both sides. Occasionally, a few well-dressed maids and servants walked by, turned around the screen, walked around the small three-room hall, and came to a side room in the back hall.

"Wait here, I'll go and report to the building manager." After saying that, the servant left the side room to look for someone.

Meng Ruyue was carrying a bamboo basket and leading a wild goat, staring straight at the door of the side room. Although the Lou family was magnificent, it was nothing to her who had traveled all over the country in her previous life. After all, she had seen more than one ancient capital palace.

Soon, a noisy voice came from outside the door, "Did that girl really send some live game? What are they?"

"Master, it's really alive, but I...I didn't ask in detail what was there, I just saw a sheep." The servant answered hesitantly.

Before he could finish his words, several people went into the side room.

"It's only been two days, and the little girl has gotten something good again?" The person who spoke was the middle-aged man who was wearing the dark blue silk shirt that day.

"Hello, sir." Ru Yue hurriedly bowed to him. "You said the other day that if there were any good things, you would send them to the Lou Mansion first. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to hunt some wild animals in the mountains. They happened to be alive. I brought them to you first. After you choose, I will take them to the market."

As she spoke, Ruyue put down the bamboo basket and took out the bundled rabbits and pheasants. "It's getting hot. If these weren't all alive, Ruyue would never have sent them to your house."

"Lou An, come over here and take a look. Is this enough for the banquet?"

"Second Master, now everything is solved. A wild goat, three rabbits, and two pheasants. These living creatures can be raised for two days without any problem." The wealthy man who followed in bowed and smiled at Second Master Lou.

"Little girl, you really helped me a lot this time."

"Sir, you are too kind. It was just a coincidence. Ru Yue dare not take credit for it."

"Lou An, quickly calculate the money for the little girl and give her the account..."

"Second Master, Second Master, the old lady has something to tell you." Before anyone arrived, the voice had already come in, interrupting Second Master Lou's words. Everyone looked outside at the same time.

Ru Yue looked in the direction of the voice. This should be a maid who was very much appreciated by the master. She was wearing a light pink dress and her hair was tied up in a simple and refreshing bun and fixed with a silver hairpin. She had an average appearance, but her smile was gentle and charming.

The maid came closer and bowed to Master Lou, "Greetings, Master. The old lady heard that someone had sent something to the mansion, so she sent me here to ask about it. But if it was the person who sold fruit to Master Lou that day, please ask her to send some more fruit to the mansion in the next two days."

The maid was very articulate and explained the matter clearly in just a few words.

"Madam, do you think the fruit is edible?"

"That's right. Because there weren't many fruits, the old lady had some cut up and distributed them to the ladies and girls to try. Everyone thought the fruit was really good, and even the old lady felt much more refreshed after eating it. So when she heard someone was delivering mountain products, she sent this servant to come and tell the Second Master quickly."

"Taohong, go and tell the old lady quickly that I can save myself from this matter."

The maid smiled and leaned over to leave.

"Girl, you heard everything, but do you still have the fruit?"

Before this deal was finished, new business came in. Ru Yue couldn't help but feel secretly happy, but she remained calm on the surface. The market situation is due to the supply and demand relationship, and the principle that rare things are valuable is the same in ancient and modern times.

"Since the master asked, Ru Yue dared not lie, but there is nothing left at home." Ru Yue looked at Mr. Lou Er and paused for a moment before continuing, "Since the old lady and the girls at the mansion like it, I will go to the mountains again in the next day or two. If I can still find it, I will send it back to you. Is that okay with you?"

"That's great." Second Master Lou turned around and instructed Lou An, "Pay the little girl the bill. You don't have to use the market price. Wild animals are hard to come by these days, and alive ones are even more precious. Just give her ten taels."

"Next time you come to the mansion, go find Lou Xi directly and he will bring you in." Mr. Lou Er did not forget to explain the rest of the matter.

"Don't worry, Second Master. I know what to do." The servant who brought her in replied hurriedly.

"Don't worry, sir. Practice makes perfect. Next time you come, Ru Yue will know what to do."

"This girl is smart. Your name is Ru Yue?"

"My surname is Meng, my name is Ru Yue, and my home is in Mengjia Village. You can call me by my name if you don't mind." Although women's names in ancient times were not allowed to be revealed, firstly, Mr. Lou was older and could be considered an elder, and secondly, if she introduced herself, it would also dispel the doubts of the Lou family. After all, ancient times were different from modern times, and the household registration system was strict. Having a name, surname, and address could make people feel at ease.

"Okay, let's go."

Meng Ruyue followed the housekeeper Lou An to the accounting office in the side courtyard and withdrew ten taels of silver. "Miss Ruyue, you should have a rough idea of the price of prey. Wild goats are thirty cents per catty, rabbits are twenty-five cents per catty, and pheasants are only twenty cents. Even if they are all alive, it's just an additional five or ten cents per catty. You should have a rough idea of the market price of these things today." Ruyue heard that this was the housekeeper Lou's warning to her, so that she would know the value and not be greedy.

"Butler Lou is worrying too much. Although I am a country girl, I am not a greedy person. Second Master, please be more considerate. Ru Yue will understand." Ru Yue answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Hearing this, Housekeeper Lou couldn't help but look at her twice. He had originally thought she was just an ignorant country girl, but he didn't expect Ru Yue's gentle words to be so sonorous. The little girl must be unhappy, reminding herself of her duty. This made Housekeeper Lou look at her with a higher opinion of her.

Ru Yue took the silver and followed Lou Xi all the way to the side door, took out ten cents and put them in Lou Xi's hand, "Brother Lou Xi, thank you for your hard work today. You took me in and out of the mansion and helped me find the second master and the housekeeper. Take this small amount of money to buy tea." In her previous life, she was accustomed to the warmth and coldness of human nature and knew how to behave. As the saying goes, it is easy to meet the King of Hell but difficult to deal with little ghosts. If she made friends with this person, it would be easy to come to the Lou Mansion in the future.

Lou Xi was not polite. Ten cents was not a lot, but it was an extra income. The little girl was sensible, so he would just take care of her more in the future.

After leaving the Lou Mansion, Ru Yue went to Yifengtang. It would be unsuitable to keep the poisonous silver ring snake on her body forever, so it would be safer to exchange it for money.

It wasn’t far and we soon arrived at Yifengtang, where Manager Cao happened to be.

Ru Yue entered the store and hurriedly bowed to Shopkeeper Cao, "Hello, Shopkeeper Cao."

"Miss Meng is here, are you here to sell medicine again?" Shopkeeper Cao fixed his eyes on the bamboo basket she was carrying.

"Does the store accept poisonous snakes, insects, and ants?"

"We do collect them, but poisonous snakes and insects are hard to find, so few people come to sell them."

"Could you please get me a bucket, a slightly bigger one."

The young man was easy to talk to. He ran to the backyard without saying a word. Manager Cao stared at Ru Yue without saying a word.

When the bucket was brought, Ru Yue took out the bamboo tube containing the snake, gently moved the lid away a little, and quickly opened the lid and threw the snake into the bucket.

A silver ring snake as thick as two fingers was crawling in the bucket, which made Manager Cao's mouth twitch.

"Manager Cao, take a look. Can you accept this?"

"It's a good thing, but it's a little small. But it's really hard to catch. I only come across one in a year. I'll give you three taels of silver. How about that?"

"I listen to you. I caught it by chance and I won't rely on it to make a dish." Ru Yue knew that Manager Cao was not fooling her, so she agreed with a smile.

After receiving the silver, Ru Yue left Yifengtang. Although it was still early, thinking that the food at home could still last for a few days, she only bought a bag of osmanthus sugar cakes at the pastry shop as snacks for the two children, and bought a braised chicken at the braised food shop to satisfy their cravings, and then hurried back to the village.