Chapter 46: Even Sweeter Than Childhood Memories!

As the silver landed in her hand, Mao Wenjuan froze for a moment, then was struck by utter shock.

In this remote and impoverished backwater, there was actually someone willing to spend money so extravagantly.

This was a solid silver ingot.

Unable to restrain herself, she brought it to her mouth and bit down on it. "Oh my, it really is silver."

Looking at his sister's simple-minded expression, Mao Xiaolong couldn't help but tap her on the head. "Don't make Boss Zhao laugh at you."

Mao Wenjuan's face flushed red, and she hurriedly apologized to Zhao Zheng, "I'm so sorry, Boss Zhao. My brother was cheated by someone last time, so I..."

The young girl took off her scarf, allowing Zhao Zheng to see her pretty features clearly. "It's fine. It's better to be cautious."

As he spoke, Zhao Zheng stuffed the small furs into his bamboo basket.

Mao Xiaolong also used a rope to bind the rest of the pelts tightly. "Boss Zhao, let me carry them for you!"

"No need, I'll manage myself." Zhao Zheng smiled. "Little Mao, I'll probably be back in about ten days. If you have any furs, keep them for me."

"Aside from pelts, if you come across any good mountain goods, you can save those for me too. The noble families in the city quite like them, and they pay high prices."

Putting on a bold front by invoking imaginary powerful backers, Zhao Zheng patted Mao Xiaolong on the shoulder.

Mao Xiaolong looked at him with newfound respect. He truly was a major merchant from the city, specially sent down to collect rare mountain delicacies and game for the city's nobility.

Why was he dressed in such ragged clothes?

Naturally, for the sake of safety.

Carrying the pile of furs on his back, Zhao Zheng hurriedly found a secluded spot and stored all the pelts inside his inventory.

He had no intention of renting a storefront.

That would require official identification.

It would be too easy to attract attention, and besides, all the business in the townships had already been carved up by the local gentry. Trying to snatch food from the jaws of a tiger—was that an easy task?

Unless he had powerful backers behind him, trying to stand out and get ahead here was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

They always said modern times offered fewer opportunities, but upon arriving in the Great Kang Dynasty, he realized this was practically a hell-difficulty setting. A single travel permit could trap you in your village and ruin you.

Daring not to linger, he quickly left the bustling market.

After a single trip to the market, he had made about forty liang of silver. Deducting costs, his remaining balance was forty-four liang.

He had sold everything that needed selling, kept what he needed in the warehouse, and filled his bamboo basket with worthless junk.

Things like scraps of old cloth and rice bran—these were purely for the villagers to see.

He hadn't even passed up some rotten pieces of wood.

***

It was around three in the afternoon by the time he returned to the village.

"Well now, Old Zhao, back from the market? Looks like you hauled back some good loot."

"Ah, not really. I went to the township to do some odd jobs. These are just things the master didn't want and let me pick up," Zhao Zheng said.

"Well, would you look at that! The sun must be rising from the west. Old Zhao actually deigning to do manual labor?" Many people wore looks of utter astonishment on their faces.

Who didn't know that Third Zhao was gluttonous and lazy? When had he ever been known to do an honest day's work?

"Go on, go on. Who are you looking down on? Can't a man turn over a new leaf?" Zhao Zheng rolled his eyes with annoyance, then limped his way back home.

Hearing that Zhao Zheng had returned, Yang Zhaodi and Zhang Xiaoyi hurriedly put down what they were doing and rushed over. "Xiaoyi, go pour a cup of tea for your father-in-law!"

"Coming right up!" Zhang Xiaoyi wiped the sweat from her forehead and scurried to pour Zhao Zheng a cup of tea, even spooning a spoonful of white sugar into it.

Zhao Zheng took the tea, took a sip, and let out a satisfied sigh of relief. "Xiaoyi still makes the sweetest tea!"

Looking at the full bamboo basket, Yang Zhaodi knew her father-in-law must have brought back good items today, but she didn't rummage through it, simply setting it on the kang bed. "Father-in-law, she came again."

"Who?" Zhao Zheng frowned.

Immediately following, Zheng Chunmei appeared from behind the house, looking dust-covered and disheveled. "Uncle Zhao!"

"Didn't I tell you not to come here?"

Zheng Chunmei braced herself and said, "I promised you I would help, and I can't break my word!"

Zhao Zheng was at his wit's end. He finally understood that Zheng Chunmei intended to sponge off the Zhao family indefinitely.

She had tasted too much sweetness and couldn't bear to leave anymore.

"Have you no shame at all?" Zhao Zheng blurted out angrily. This widow was too clingy, like sticky candy that couldn't be shaken off. Who knew what kind of trouble she might stir up in the future? A clean break must be made now.

Zheng Chunmei was stunned mute by the scolding. "Uncle Zhao, am I wrong to want to help?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're plotting," Zhao Zheng said with a stern face. "You want to extort my family, don't you? Let me tell you, keep on dreaming!"

Zheng Chunmei panicked. "No, Uncle Zhao, I really don't want to extort you! I just wanted to compensate you..."

"I said no! Can't you understand human speech?" Zhao Zheng said with a dark expression.

Tears instantly welled up in Zheng Chunmei's eyes. Standing there, she felt utterly cheap and wretched.

Yang Zhaodi frowned slightly. Even she felt that her father-in-law's scolding had been too harsh.

Although Zhang Xiaoyi disliked the widow Zheng, she also felt he had gone too far.

"Uncle Zhao... I..."

"Get out of my house. My family doesn't welcome you." Zhao Zheng issued an ultimatum. "This woman, why can't she understand a direct refusal?"

***

Zheng Chunmei burst into loud sobs.

She could no longer hold it together and bolted away in a blind panic.

Zhao Zheng let out a sigh of relief. Surely Widow Zheng wouldn't dare come back after this, right?

"Father-in-law, wasn't that a bit too harsh?" Yang Zhaodi said timidly.

Zhang Xiaoyi chimed in, "Even I felt heartbroken listening to that."

Zhao Zheng shook his head. "If I hadn't done that and she really latched onto our household, who would take responsibility? That mother-in-law of hers is completely unreasonable, and she has three little toddlers at home. If they really moved in and laid claim to our doorstep, should I drive them away or beat them?"

Both women understood the reasoning, but it still felt too cold-hearted.

In the end, neither of them said anything more. In this world, every family had their own struggles; it was better not to let excessive kindness bring trouble upon their own home.

After resting for a while, Zhao Zheng went behind the house. The outdoor dry toilet was mostly built, with only the roof left to put on.

"Good progress. Using the latrine will be much more convenient from now on." Zhao Zheng smiled, then called the two women into the house. From the bamboo basket, he pulled out a plethora of good items: rock sugar, an iron wok, some coarse cloth, ten catties of rice, several clay jars, bowls, plates, a batch of chicken and duck eggs, and three catties of pork belly!

The sight made both women swallow hard.

"Father-in-law, why did you buy so many things?!" Zhang Xiaoyi's eyes widened in disbelief.

Zhao Zheng smiled, and as if performing a magic trick, pulled out two candied hawthorn skewers and handed them over. "Here, I brought you some little treats!"

"Oh, candied hawthorns!" Zhang Xiaoyi's eyes crinkled into sweet crescents. "Thank you, Father-in-law!"

Yang Zhaodi was also filled with joy. No young girl didn't like candied hawthorns. Her father had only bought her a single skewer when she was very small, and back then, she had only eaten one piece, leaving the rest for her older and younger brothers.

To this day, she still remembered that sweet and sour taste.

Even later on, when she went up the mountain to pick wild hawthorns to eat, she had never tasted that exact sweet and sour flavor again.

With a single bite, the outer sugar shell shattered, and the fully ripened hawthorn, sweet and tart, mingled with the maltose, creating an intensely delicious fragrance.

"Delicious!"

In the past, she could only ever eat one piece.

Yet now, she had an entire skewer all to herself.

Yang Zhaodi's eyes curved into smiles. This taste was even sweeter than her childhood memories!