Transportation was, of course, only one aspect.
Selling vegetables required a scale, which was also a rarity in those times, costing at least twenty copper coins.
This was another considerable expense.
There was also an important point: the common folk were not very aware of the current vegetable market prices.
Many people planted only for their own consumption and never considered making money from it.
Therefore, it was only natural that Li Dong, seeing how profitable it was to sell vegetables to Old Wu, wanted to plant vegetables too.
"Brother Li Dong, I still have some vegetable seeds at home. You can take them back and try planting them, but I won't give them to you for free. When you harvest, you must give me at least five catties of vegetables."
Those vegetable seeds were not cheap, but considering the future profits, Li Dong agreed.
In fact, Chen Xiaobei hadn't asked for much, even offering a friendship price at a loss. Seeds were indeed expensive nowadays.
Li Dong was a man of action. After finishing work in the afternoon, he returned home and scattered vegetable seeds on the empty land in his yard and around his house walls.
Seeing his actions, his wife, Qiu Mei, couldn't help but ask, "Husband, what are you doing?"
Li Dong quickly instructed, "I've sown vegetable seeds in these places. In a couple of days, green vegetables will sprout. Don't pull them out thinking they're weeds."
Qiu Mei looked puzzled. "Why are you planting so much? We can't eat it all."
"Heh heh, let me tell you, I'm not planting green vegetables to eat. I'm going to sell them in the city. In the city, these green vegetables can sell for one copper coin per catty."
Hearing his words, Qiu Mei's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"
"Of course. Today, I went to the city with Chen Xiaobei and saw him sell a cartload of green vegetables for ninety copper coins. Isn't that much easier than me going out to sell strength?"
After dinner, Chen Xiaobei sat down under the oil lamp. From memory, he carefully drew out the route he had taken into the mountains the previous day. Seeing him drawing again, Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiao'er curiously leaned in.
Although Chen Xiaobei's drawing wasn't very precise, it looked plausible. Especially the several forks in the road, he clearly marked which path to take, which was crucial.
This time, Cui Hongyu understood and asked in surprise, "Husband, did you go this far into the mountains? Don't go any further. My grandfather said there are fierce beasts in the mountains."
Chen Xiaobei understood the principle of "often walking by the river, one's shoes are bound to get wet."
It was impossible for such a large mountain to be without wolves, snakes, or tigers.
As the village elders said, Qingniu Mountain having no venomous snakes was already a blessing from heaven.
Therefore, drawing a mountain route map became even more important.
In the future, when entering the mountains, with this map, choosing the correct route and reducing the time spent in the mountains would naturally reduce the danger.
"It's alright, we're going into the mountains as a group, and Sun Jian and the others are skilled in martial arts," Chen Xiaobei could only say.
"By the way, I have to go to the county town early tomorrow. After returning, I'll have to go into the mountains with Sun Jian again."
Cui Hongyu frowned, her face full of worry. "Husband, take me and Qiao'er to the county town tomorrow. I want to get familiar with the route. If you ever need to go in the future, I can go to the county town for you."
Upon hearing about going to the county town, Chen Qiao'er clapped her hands happily.
"Okay, okay! Qiao'er has never been to the county town before."
Chen Xiaobei thought for a moment. Cui Hongyu's words made sense. He would definitely become busier and busier in the future.
So, it was a good idea to let her go to the county town early to familiarize herself with the situation.
"Alright, let's go together tomorrow. Oh, and let's go visit Brother Dachun's house along the way."
The next day, Chen Xiaobei woke up before dawn as usual.
Hearing the movement this time, Cui Hongyu also got up immediately. To their surprise, Chen Qiao'er also opened her eyes right away.
"Brother, Sister-in-law, are we leaving now?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled and tapped her head. "Don't worry, let me and your sister-in-law go and pick the vegetables from the field."
"Then Qiao'er will go make porridge. Brother and Sister-in-law can eat when they come back."
What a well-behaved child, Chen Xiaobei felt warm inside.
As the sky began to brighten, the three of them set off towards the county town.
This was Chen Qiao'er's first time entering the city, and she was full of curiosity, looking around with wide eyes.
When she got excited, she couldn't help but shout.
After all, she was still a child. Chen Xiaobei didn't stop her from doing anything. Instead, he felt a bit guilty, thinking he should take Chen Qiao'er out more often in the future to see the world.
After entering the county town and arranging the vegetables at Old Wu's, Old Wu gave Chen Xiaobei ninety copper coins as usual.
Seeing this, Cui Hongyu was also a little surprised.
She hadn't expected Chen Xiaobei to sell vegetables like this.
"Husband, why don't we sell the vegetables ourselves?"
Chen Xiaobei chuckled. "If we sold them ourselves, I'd probably have to squat here for half the day. If I were unlucky and had a few catties left, I might not even get these ninety copper coins. Now, we can wander around the county town."
Chen Xiaobei had plans for this money. First, he would buy some cloth so Cui Hongyu could help make two outfits for Chen Qiao'er.
As they arrived at the silk shop, a person walked out and nearly bumped into Chen Xiaobei. Upon closer inspection, it was Feng Xiaoyue.
"Oh, it's Xiaoyue!" Chen Xiaobei greeted her proactively. Su Dan Novel Network
Feng Xiaoyue seemed to be evasive, replied perfunctorily, and turned to leave.
Just as she was about to turn, Chen Xiaobei suddenly noticed several fresh-looking scars on her face.
"Miss Xiaoyue, what happened to you?"
But the other party didn't say a word and walked away directly.
She also seemed to be walking unsteadily.
Seeing this, Cui Hongyu said in a low voice, "Husband, looking at her, she's likely injured too."
"Husband, who is she?"
Chen Xiaobei finally came back to his senses and quickly explained, "Oh, her name is Xiaoyue. She's the one I gave money to for medical treatment last time."
After speaking, Chen Xiaobei shook his head. He had said last time that he didn't want the money back. Perhaps this Xiaoyue was afraid he was coming to collect a debt.
After buying the cloth, the three of them turned towards the pastry shop. It wouldn't be right to visit Chen Dachun's house for the first time empty-handed; they had to bring something.
As they were walking, Cui Hongyu's sharp eyes pointed ahead, "Look, someone is lying on the ground."
Chen Xiaobei looked and found the clothing somewhat familiar. His heart skipped a beat. Could it be Feng Xiaoyue?
He jumped off the carriage and hurried forward. It turned out to be Feng Xiaoyue.
In his haste, he remembered how people rescued others in the TV shows he often watched and firmly pinched Feng Xiaoyue's philtrum.
This trick actually worked. Feng Xiaoyue let out a long sigh and slowly opened her eyes.
Chen Xiaobei's move surprised Cui Hongyu. She didn't expect Chen Xiaobei to be so capable, even knowing how to save people.
Seeing Feng Xiaoyue wake up, Chen Xiaobei felt a bit at a loss. In his urgency, he had held Feng Xiaoyue in his arms, as saving her was the priority. But now that she was awake, it felt a little awkward.