So tomorrow, find the craftsmen, and after the house repairs are done, buying a donkey cart will have to be put on the agenda.
Returning home, Chen Xiaobei handed the ginseng to Cui Hongyu.
Upon seeing the two ginseng roots, Cui Hongyu's eyes lit up.
"Husband, you've truly found treasure today. These two are probably fifty years old. Each one is worth at least two taels of silver."
Chen Xiaobei was very excited to hear this. He had been thinking about when he could save enough money to buy a donkey cart after coming down the mountain.
Now it seemed that he was only two ginseng roots away from his goal.
After examining the ginseng, he also took out the other few plants. However, Cui Hongyu's response left him somewhat disappointed. These plants had no medicinal value and were just common, though not often seen, growths at the foot of the mountain.
Despite the disappointment, these plants were not poisonous, so they could at least be eaten as wild vegetables.
Before it got completely dark, Chen Xiaobei went next door to find Dachun.
When he wasn't busy with farming, Dachun would follow the village craftsmen, doing odd jobs like repairing houses. He wasn't an expert, but he knew enough.
Hearing that Chen Xiaobei wanted to repair the house, Dachun was a little surprised. This was a major undertaking.
But then he thought, after all, Cui Hongyu had brought a substantial dowry when she married.
From the way Dachun looked at him, Chen Xiaobei could tell it was the look one gives to a man who lives off his wife.
But none of that mattered; the important thing was to get the job done.
Dachun lowered his head and pondered for a good while before speaking slowly, "It will cost at least four taels of silver, and you'll also have to provide meals for the craftsmen for a few days."
Chen Xiaobei nodded. Meals were manageable, and the expense was within his budget.
"Alright, Dachun, please help me find people and see when they can come. Let me know as soon as possible."
The next morning.
Chen Xiaobei woke up early and headed to the river. He needed to catch a few fish today.
He planned to sell the two ginseng roots in town today, so he would bring some fish along. He also needed to check on the water skins he had ordered.
Additionally, Chen Xiaobei wanted to go to the mountain to collect wild chicken manure, but he had no tools for it now, so he needed to buy two bamboo baskets.
When he thought about it, today's expenses would be quite a bit.
However, things didn't go as planned. After busy morning, he didn't catch a single fish.
Seeing that the sun had already risen, Chen Xiaobei had to give up fishing and head to the county town with the two ginseng roots.
Upon arriving at Hua Hao Tang, Jia Wannian's eyes lit up at the sight of the two ginseng roots.
He smiled at Chen Xiaobei and said, "Young Master Chen, what price are you asking for this item today?"
Seeing that the other party had proactively asked for the price, Chen Xiaobei was secretly delighted. He remembered Cui Hongyu telling him that these were worth at least two taels, so he decided to aim higher.
With that in mind, he gritted his teeth and held up three fingers. "Each one should be at least this price."
Jia Wannian chuckled and cupped his fist in greeting. "Young Master Chen, let's sit down and chat."
He then turned and called to a shop assistant, "Serve tea."
While drinking tea, Jia Wannian said with a smile, "Young Master Chen, can we discuss the price of this ginseng again? These two roots are at least fifty years old, but your asking price of three taels is a bit high."
Chen Xiaobei was inwardly surprised.
He had to admit, Cui Hongyu's judgment of medicinal herbs was very accurate. They were indeed over fifty years old, and she had also told him they were worth at least two taels. Asking for three was purely to raise the price.
Thinking this, he smiled slightly. "Shopkeeper Jia, since you've brought it up, for the sake of long-term cooperation, I'll reduce my price by half a tael, and you can increase yours by half a tael. How about that?"
Jia Wannian listened, pondered for a moment with his head lowered, and finally smiled.
"Very well, since Young Master Chen has spoken, it shall be as you say."
He then stood up. He walked behind the counter and took out five strings of copper coins.
One string of copper coins is one thousand wen, which is equivalent to one tael of silver.
Therefore, five strings of copper coins are equivalent to five taels of silver.
"Young Master Chen, please count carefully. Here are five strings."
Chen Xiaobei took them without looking. Could such a large establishment like Hua Hao Tang be short of a little bit of money?
After securing the copper coins, Chen Xiaobei moved on to the general store. The two extra-large water skins he had ordered were ready. The shopkeeper's face was so full of smiles that it could have trapped flies when he saw him.
"Ah, young master, you've arrived! See how they've turned out."
The shopkeeper personally demonstrated for him, filling the water skins with water. They didn't leak at all, which surprised Chen Xiaobei. The craftsmanship of water skin making in this era was indeed better than he had anticipated.
Chen Xiaobei paid for the water skins and then went to buy two bamboo baskets and a carrying pole.
With everything taken care of and intending to return, Chen Xiaobei deliberately detoured to buy a pound of pork and two pounds of bones.
Chen Qiao'er was growing and needed good nutrition. Of course, Cui Hongyu also needed nourishment; she still looked somewhat frail.
Returning home, Cui Hongyu still felt a pang of disappointment seeing Chen Xiaobei buy so many strange and unusual things. When would her husband's habit of wasting money change?
Chen Xiaobei knew that explanations would be useless; only actions would speak louder.
So, after lunch, Chen Xiaobei didn't even take a nap. He prepared to carry the two bamboo baskets and head out.
His target was clear: to collect wild chicken manure.
This time, Cui Hongyu insisted on accompanying him into the mountains.
Alright, Chen Xiaobei relented, and had to take Chen Qiao'er to their second aunt's house next door.
Upon seeing him arrive, the second aunt greeted him with her usual warm smile.
"Xiaobei, you go ahead and do your work; Qiao'er is fine with me."
After thanking her, Chen Xiaobei left with Cui Hongyu.
Seeing them leave, the second aunt, Xiu Mei, quickly took out a handful of seeds from inside the house and started feeding them to Chen Qiao'er.
While Chen Qiao'er ate, the second aunt deliberately tried to pry for information.
"Qiao'er, did your sister-in-law bring a lot of dowry?"
Chen Qiao'er was taken aback by the question. "Second Aunt, what do you mean?"
Second Aunt Xiu Mei smiled slightly. "It's nothing special. Yesterday, your brother came and said he wanted to repair the house. I guessed that your sister-in-law must have brought quite a dowry."
Chen Qiao'er was young and had no defenses against such questions. She immediately followed along, saying, "No, my brother didn't use my sister-in-law's dowry."
"My brother exchanged these by digging up ginseng in the mountains."
Second Aunt Xiu Mei's mind stirred. She smiled even more brightly. "Qiao'er, you shouldn't lie. If you lie to me..."
Before she could finish, Chen Qiao'er interrupted, "Qiao'er knows. If I speak half a lie, lightning will strike me!"