Chapter 55: Dried Ginger, Evodia Rutaecarpa, and a Second-Hand Stone Mill

Jiang Li looked at their courtyard. The back gate was made of carved rosewood, and the ground inside the entrance was paved with stone slabs.

Thinking of the hesitant expression Butcher Sun had when mentioning eating snakes last time, she stood outside the gate without moving and smiled awkwardly at the young gatekeeper. "Young man, could you please take this inside for me? I won't go in. Look at me... my shoes are all covered in mud."

Her expression was quite sincere, as if she were truly afraid of dirtying the estate's floor by stepping inside.

The young man helplessly took Jiang Li's back basket. "Then wait here for a moment."

"Ah, sorry to trouble you! Thank you."

As Jiang Li finished speaking, he closed the courtyard gate, leaving her to wait outside.

Standing outside, Jiang Li looked at such a large residence; it must house a large family inside.

It wasn't a guess on her part, but where there are many people, there will be more trouble.

That old steward just now had asked her neurotically whether she was married.

What was that about? Were they close?

Hearing her say she was already a mother, he stopped asking.

It wasn't that she thought herself peerlessly beautiful and feared being targeted, but human hearts are unpredictable.

In this dynasty, she was just an ordinary commoner.

She only wanted a simple life and didn't want to get mixed up in any troublesome disputes.

Jiang Li waited for a long time before the gatekeeper brought back the back basket.

Hiding half a peach in his sleeve, he smiled and asked Jiang Li, "Are these lung-fruits grown in your own yard?"

"I haven't eaten any this sweet in a long time! The masters and mistresses in the manor will surely love them. If you have any more at home, carry some over here in three or five days. I'll go ask the steward for you; they will definitely want more."

Jiang Li smiled repeatedly. "Then I'll thank you in advance, young man."

"When I come next time, I'll pack a few separately for you. Today, the rest ran out in the back, so the steward bought all of them."

After saying that, Jiang Li asked again, "Young man, should I carry a bit more next time? Or about the same as this time?"

The young man looked at her back basket and said, "You can carry half a basket."

"Do your household offerings require that many?"

Jiang Li put on a look of having seen nothing of the world, and the young man smiled. "Seasonal fresh fruits from all over are eaten by the nobles in our manor. It's not just for offerings; the chef the master brought back previously worked in the imperial palace, and there are countless ways to cook them. What you brought today might be gone by tomorrow."

Jiang Li nodded in surprise and thanked the young man afterward.

It seemed people weren't unwilling to eat peaches after all; they were just not cheap. Ordinary families might buy a few for offerings, but the wealthy ate them whenever they wanted and prepared them in varied styles.

When she carried some more over in a few days, she would conveniently bring along some spiced tea eggs. In case they wanted those too, she could sell them in batches.

Otherwise, those hundreds of eggs at home would go to waste if she couldn't finish eating them before they spoiled.

The alley behind the Li family's back courtyard was quite long, and Jiang Li took quite a while to walk around it.

After walking for a while, she finally entered the bustling market.

Thinking of making spiced tea eggs when she got back, Jiang Li went straight to the apothecary to buy ingredients, and she also needed to get some tea leaves.

There weren't many people in the apothecary. Because it was market day, an old physician was consulting patients at the entrance.

There were five or six people waiting in line to see the doctor. Jiang Li walked straight into the shop, where the apothecary's boy was explaining how to decoct medicine to the previous patient.

Jiang Li watched as he held up a few slices of something resembling fresh ginger and said to the person, "Put one slice per dose of medicine. After this dose has been decocted until it loses its medicinal properties, you can also fish this out and chew it to eat so it doesn't go to waste."

Her eyes were fixed intently on it. It wasn't her fault for not recognizing it; those had already been sliced and dried in the sun.

***

After sending that person away, the apothecary boy came over to attend to Jiang Li.

"What medicine does the lady wish to buy? Do you have a prescription?"

Jiang Li asked directly, "The thing you said just now that can be chewed and eaten without wasting—was that ginger?"

The apothecary boy nodded.

Jiang Li was instantly overjoyed. So ginger actually existed here! Heavens above, she should have asked about it earlier. Having ginger would make removing fishy odors so much more convenient.

"Is the ginger in your apothecary all dried?"

"Yes."

"None that were just dug up from the earth?"

The apothecary boy shook his head. "These are shipped from the south. Newly dug ones don't keep well, and nobody in our county grows them."

Since the conversation had reached this point, Jiang Li simply asked, "Does your apothecary have that red thing, quite long like this, that tastes spicy?"

The apothecary boy frowned deeply at her description, pondered for a long time, and finally said, "Are you talking about Chinese pepper? But it's not long."

Pepper...

Jiang Li nodded. "Right, right, I spoke wrongly. It's precisely what you mentioned."

"Chinese pepper, ginger, bay leaves, fennel, cinnamon... I'll take one tael of each."

The apothecary boy took out oil paper and began wrapping them up. Jiang Li stood nearby and asked, "By the way, does your apothecary sell tea leaves?"

"You should go buy tea leaves at the grocery store. They also have tea bricks there, which are cheaper."

Jiang Li nodded and thanked him.

After wrapping them up, the apothecary boy handed them to her and stated the price: fifty-two cash.

It wasn't cheap either, but these ingredients would last. Even after making spiced tea eggs, there would still be plenty left over to make braised pork in the future.

Leaving the apothecary, Jiang Li strolled over to the grocery store. She bought a tea brick, purchased a clay basin, and went to the wine shop to buy a jar of wine. Slinging her back basket, she prepared to head home.

Just as she stepped out of the market entrance, she saw a man pushing a wooden handcart while an old woman shouted from behind, "You prodigal son, I'm not selling this stone mill! I've used it for many years, I must take it with me."

The man furrowed his brows with an irritated expression. "If we don't sell it, will you carry it on the road later? Or will you make me carry it?"

When the man finished speaking, the old woman looked dejected but said no more.

The man turned back to look at her and said, "Mother, stop getting angry. Once we reach eldest brother's place, we won't have any use for a stone mill at all. Eldest brother is having you go there to enjoy life; why would you still need to grind flour every day to earn a few coppers?"

Gazing at the stone mill on the handcart, along with the wooden frame underneath and a wooden bucket—all complete, and both the wooden frame and the stone mill looked scrubbed completely clean—Jiang Li figured the old woman must be very diligent and fond of her belongings.

Pondering for a moment, Jiang Li hurriedly called out to the man pushing the cart forward, "Older brother, how much are you planning to sell this stone mill for?"

The man stopped and turned back to look. The old woman looked at her stone mill with considerable sorrow as she gazed at Jiang Li.

The mother and son stared at each other for a long time before the old woman asked, "Lady, are you looking to buy? When I bought this stone mill, it cost two hundred and eighty cash. Although it's been used, just look at it—it's still like new."

Although the stone mill had indeed been well cared for, it had after all been used. If she were made to buy it at the original price, she wasn't in such urgent need of it.

However, if it were cheaper, she could buy it and take it back.

Jiang Li smiled and said, "It's easy to see that you've cherished it greatly, granny."

The man took over the conversation and said, "The lady is right. My mother has indeed cherished this stone mill very much. We're about to move away, and she couldn't bear to sell it, wanting to take it along instead. But moving such a large item is truly inconvenient. If the lady wants it, we'll sell it to you for two hundred cash."

The old woman opened her mouth as if she felt the price was too low, but she was pulled back by the man.

Jiang Li looked at the wooden frame. Although clean and well-maintained, it didn't have the long lifespan of a stone mill, and if these parts broke, she would have to spend money to have them remade. At two hundred cash, she still felt it was a bit expensive. After thinking it over, she made a counteroffer: "Older brother, one hundred and sixty cash. Will you sell it?"

***

When Jiang Li finished speaking, the old woman felt a pang of heartache.

Jiang Li said softly, "Although it's been very well preserved, you've used this stone mill for at least three years or more. No matter how well preserved, there is still wear and tear. Even if you've used it for four years, selling it to me for one hundred and sixty cash means you spent thirty cash per year using it. If I buy it for one hundred and sixty cash, this frame certainly won't last another six years, and whether the ridges of the stone mill can still be used for six years is something I can't be entirely sure about."

Just as Jiang Li finished speaking, the man took up the thread: "We've actually used this stone mill for mor..." Before the word "more" could escape his mouth, he was interrupted by the old woman's voice.

"Sold! Lady, we'll sell it to you for one hundred and sixty cash."

The old woman's attitude had undergone a hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. Jiang Li looked at the man, who gently pressed his brow and finished what he had been saying earlier: the stone mill had been used for more than four years; this year made the sixth year.

Jiang Li smiled and said, "No matter. Since you're selling it for one hundred and sixty cash, shall we make the exchange of money and goods right here?"

The old woman agreed. Seeing that Jiang Li was alone, the man asked, "Lady, how will you carry this back? Is your home far?"

"I don't know how heavy this stone mill is. Let me try it out first."

With that, she walked over and picked up the stone mill together with its frame, leaving the old woman and the man dumbfounded.

Jiang Li tested its weight and said, "It's fine, I can carry it back."

Saying this, she counted out one hundred and sixty cash from her cloth pouch and handed it over. The man helped by placing the upper millstone into Jiang Li's back basket first, then put the lower millstone on top, followed by the wooden frame.

The man collected the money and lent Jiang Li a hand, lifting the back basket onto her back.

Jiang Li felt its weight after putting it on and found it manageable, not too heavy.

Watching Jiang Li leave, the man handed the one hundred and sixty cash to the old woman.

"When people were figuring things out for you, you were in such a rush to sell. I originally wanted to make her add twenty more cash."

The old woman glared at her son and looked back at Jiang Li once more.

"That young lady looks so thin, yet she has truly great strength."

She completely ignored her son's remark. She was reluctant to part with the stone mill, but once the price was right, there was no reason not to sell it.

She had used this stone mill for many years, and many people in the village used to carry grain over for her to grind. She had earned back her capital long ago.

It was just as well to sell it; she would go find her eldest son and enjoy some ease from now on.

When Jiang Li went out, she carried a basket full of peaches; when she returned, she carried a large stone mill.

When she arrived home, the sun had not yet begun to set. Seeing Jiang Li return so early, Xue Man and Ah Ning were both pleasantly surprised.

"Mother, did you sell out so quickly?"

"Why are you carrying a wooden frame? Did you buy it?"

The brother and sister asked in unison, while inside the house came Jiang Huahua's soft whimpering sounds.

"I bought a stone mill," Jiang Li said, placing the back basket by the kitchen door, and then took out the keys to unlock the door for Jiang Huahua.

She was afraid Xue Man and Ah Ning couldn't keep a proper eye on it and it might bite someone in the village, so she had locked it inside the room.

As soon as the door was opened, the little creature rolled out of the room like a roly-poly and tumbled against Jiang Li's feet.

Jiang Li bent down, picked it up, and went inside the room, asking softly, "Did you finish the goat's milk I prepared for you?"

Jiang Huahua only nuzzled against her. Jiang Li looked at the bowl; there was still a small fraction of the goat's milk left.

She had fed it full before leaving, and afterward, Jiang Li had prepared another bowl inside the room precisely because she was afraid it would go hungry.

After raising it for a while longer, once it became familiar with them and she could let it roam slightly more freely, she hoped it would eventually become as sensible and affectionate as a dog, freeing her from having to keep such a tight leash on it.

Baby animals and human toddlers were exactly the same—they were both clingy.