An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Chun Tao couldn't help herself. She looked at Jing Chunxi, put her mouth close to the lady's ear, and whispered, "Miss, should we buy some more? I know the prices in the capital. Usually they sell for more than 20 coins per catty! Near the end of the year, you can't buy such good ones for 30 coins."

Chuntao's voice was soft, but it was filled with a hint of urgency. She knew that the young lady was very caring towards the people in the village. If she could buy more bamboo shoots and bring them back to the capital, not only would it be fresh for everyone to taste, but it would also save her a lot of money.

Although Chuntao didn't cook in the Marquis' Mansion before, she would go to the main kitchen to get the servants' meals. Sometimes she would even come back after eating in the kitchen. As a result, she became very familiar with the maids in the kitchen.

The women always loved gossiping about the neighbors, and the head of the household also liked to chat about things happening at the market. For example, what vegetables were in short supply at the market today? What was more expensive? What was the freshest vegetable?

They could hear a lot of conversations in less than a cup of tea, so Chuntao had some idea of ​​the price of bamboo shoots. She clearly remembered that fresh bamboo shoots, freshly picked from the mountains, were more than three times more expensive than the dried ones here. Not to mention the dried ones, even fresh bamboo shoots were in short supply in the capital's market, and prices remained high.

"Is the difference so big?" Jing Chunxi initially thought Chuntao was just looking for something new and wanted to cook it on the boat, but when she heard the price in Beijing, she was stunned. She frowned, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

In fact, Chuntao's intention was simple. Although they would eat about 10 to 20 kilograms of food along the way, she still wanted to buy some back for the other two masters of Qingshan Manor to try. If the young lady agreed, it would be even better if she bought more so that the children in the manor could also have a bite.

Jing Chunxi's mind wasn't limited to simply thinking about feeding dozens of people. Her eyes gradually lit up, as if she had spotted a business opportunity.

They were all under the wings of the same dog emperor, and the geographical differences were only a thousand miles. Could the price difference be that big? If so, wouldn't it be easy to make money if someone with a little bit of brains used their brains and put in a little effort and hard work? Her thoughts were turning rapidly, as if she had already seen a way to make money.

"We're quite remote here, and we don't have access to the capital by water, so it's hard to sell the mountain products and wild animals, which is why we're so poor."

The boy who was speaking was wearing clothes that were a bit torn, and the black cotton wool inside the coat was exposed. It looked stiff and probably not warm at all.

His voice was a little hoarse, but his tone was filled with helplessness and sadness. He stood there, his hands tightly clasped around his arms, as if to resist the cold, or to hide his inner uneasiness.

"Do you have many bamboo shoots at home?" Jing Chunxi couldn't help but ask curiously.

She also thought about the large number of people in Qingshan Manor, plus the soldiers from Daqingshan, Qingshuihe, and Langya Manor, as well as the several manors she had recently purchased. She would buy a few hundred kilograms of dried bamboo shoots and give each manor a few hundred kilograms as a holiday gift.

There are more people in the village, and the things to be divided up are not a small amount. It is mainly three cents per pound, which is not considered silver to her at all. Why not do it?

She had already sketched out a series of pictures in her mind: the joy of the people in the village when they received the bamboo shoots, and the children gathered together to taste the bamboo shoot pot, with happy smiles on their faces.

The more dried bamboo shoots, the better. She could collect them all and sell them in the shops in the capital, and even earn some money for the journey. Her heart was filled with anticipation, as if she could already see the bamboo shoots being very popular in the capital's market.

As soon as these words came out, the children's faces were all smiling, and their eyes were shining, as if they had already seen the clattering of copper coins.

The oldest boy knew immediately that the young lady in the middle who had suddenly spoken was the most prestigious. Besides the slight difference in clothing, her aura was also different. He immediately approached and asked, "How much would you like, young lady? With the New Year approaching, everyone wants to sell. Everyone must have several hundred pounds!" His words didn't sound fake at all.

The little boy who had spoken earlier was also bold and rushed out to say, "Spring bamboo shoots are almost out, and I still have half a room full of dried bamboo shoots. My grandma said that if any guests want them all, they'll sell them for five cents per two pounds." His voice was childish, but there was a certain firmness in his tone. His little face flushed red, and his eyes were fixed on Jing Chunxi, as if waiting for her answer.

"I have some at home too! My dad said it weighs five or six hundred kilograms." Another child couldn't wait to interrupt. His voice was trembling, and he was obviously a little timid, but there was a hint of stubbornness in his eyes.

"I have a lot at home too! Miss, do you want to go take a look?" Another child came up, his voice a little shy, but his eyes full of anticipation. He clutched the corner of his clothes tightly, as if to hide his inner nervousness.

Hearing their questions and answers, many children gathered around, all with expectant looks on their faces. Everyone said they had a lot at home, three to five hundred kilograms, and some even said they might have more than a thousand kilograms.

People in the mountains have little land, even barely paddy fields. At best, they can cultivate cassava and sweet potatoes. But the bamboo in the mountains is all wild, and digging it up, drying it, and selling it can help supplement the family income.

So when bamboo shoots sprout, adults and children alike head to the mountains every day to dig as many shoots as they can, never too many. Returning home, they shell and dry them in the sun, which isn't too tiring. So, for those with more labor, it's not uncommon to find thousands of pounds of bamboo shoots stored at home.

There was a gleam in the children's eyes. They talked one after another, vying to introduce their own bamboo shoots, for fear of missing this rare opportunity.

Looking at the situation, now that the question has been asked, if they don’t buy it, they may not be able to get away.

Cheng Rui and Cheng Zhi were following them, also wanting to go shopping in the county town. When they first saw Jing Chunxi and the others stop, they thought they were just casually asking about the price or buying a few dozen kilograms.

So they didn't rush to get ahead, letting the people in front slowly move forward, and they were not in a hurry to follow behind. They were just strolling around, not planning to buy anything.

Who knew that in the blink of an eye, they were surrounded by a crowd of people, and the crowd had stopped moving forward. The two brothers immediately realized that something was wrong and quickly pushed aside the children who were surrounding Jing Chunxi and squeezed in front of him.

Cheng Ruicai asked in a low voice: "Miss Jing, do you need help?" There was some worry in the young man's voice and concern in his eyes.

Chun Tao quickly shook her head at them, signaling them to keep quiet. Seeing that no one was acting strangely, the two brothers felt relieved. Then she slightly leaned to the side and stood in Jiu Yue's place.

They also wanted to know what was going on, so they stood quietly by, observing the situation and ready to provide help at any time.