Chapter 39: Returning with a Full Load
Lin Sanniang had been so swept up in her shock just now that she hadn’t listened closely enough.
This was cloth. It was usually sold either by the foot or by the piece, and of course, it could also be sold by the bolt—but that wasn’t something a household like hers could afford.
Yet the Proprietress had seemingly just said it was four yuan per catty?
Lin Sanniang was rather unsure. Could cloth really be sold by the catty?
And what kind of currency was this “four yuan”?
Only then did Jian Xingxia remember the currency barrier. She immediately opened the estate management system to inquire about Lin Sanniang’s wage standards.
[Current temporary worker’s skill level: Level 2 Skilled Worker. The hourly wage standard is 10 yuan. The working remuneration must not exceed 10 yuan per hour and must not be lower than 6 yuan per hour.]
Just like Old Man Xu, she was a skilled worker.
Jian Xingxia had only hired her for four hours today, so Lin Sanniang’s total wages came to forty yuan.
After a brief thought, Jian Xingxia offered a simple explanation. “This ‘one yuan’ is a unit of currency, much like the copper coins or silver taels you commonly use.”
“Your wages—I mean, your pay—totals forty yuan today. You can just look through the items and take your pick.”
Jian Xingxia had already introduced the prices of all the goods.
Lin Sanniang felt as though she were floating among the clouds, or perhaps trapped in a dream. “Meaning… I can buy ten catties of this fine cotton cloth?”
Jian Xingxia smiled. “Correct.”
Hearing Lin Sanniang’s words, she felt she could figure out a way to set up a small “self-serve mini-market” and label the prices of all the goods.
In the future, when temporary workers arrived, they could just take their wages and pick out the items themselves.
After multiple confirmations, Lin Sanniang realized this windfall from the heavens had finally landed on her head.
Yet, instead of selecting her items, Lin Sanniang fell to her knees before Jian Xingxia with a heavy thud.
“Proprietress, Miss, I beg you to save a life!”
Lin Sanniang’s voice carried a distinct sob. When she raised her head, however, Jian Xingxia was no longer standing in front of her.
Huh? Where did she go?
Lin Sanniang turned her head, only to see that Jian Xingxia had somehow jumped all the way back into the courtyard.
Right now, she was pointing at her with a thoroughly helpless expression. “You, you, you… I already said no kneeling! If you kneel again, I won’t call you back next time!”
Not a chance.
She found a skilled worker like Lin Sanniang exceptionally useful.
Lin Sanniang sat dazed until Jian Xingxia gestured for her to stand up first. Only then did she rise to her feet.
She felt rather helpless in her own right, but how many people in this world could stumble upon such a miraculous opportunity?
She thickened her skin to plead with Jian Xingxia. “Miss, my own biological sister just gave birth to a baby, but her body grows weaker by the day. Her bleeding hasn’t stopped for two whole months. Miss, I beg you to save her life…”
This was exactly the kind of situation Jian Xingxia feared most.
Although she understood Lin Sanniang’s desperate plea, there was nothing she could do.
“Lin Sanniang, I am not a doctor. I don’t know how to treat illnesses.”
Lin Sanniang’s eyes were filled with pure desperation. “But you cured my illness. Your medicine works… My fever broke after taking just two doses. With a cold that severe, I was able to leave the house in three days. You are a fairy, you…”
Lin Sanniang couldn’t bring herself to continue.
She wasn’t a malicious person who liked putting others on the spot. If she hadn’t reached the absolute end of her rope, she never would have been thick-skinned enough to act this way, unable to just watch Lin Daniang remain bedridden until death.
But seeing the conflicted look on Jian Xingxia’s face, Lin Sanniang felt as though her heart were caught between the two blades of a pair of scissors, caught in a terrible dilemma.
How could Jian Xingxia not understand?
If a modern person were suddenly transported thousands of years into a high-tech future era, and the people there could cure cancer with a single shot they bought casually on the street…
Would she not beg exactly like Lin Sanniang was doing now?
She would probably throw a tantrum and roll around on the floor, clutching the future human’s trouser legs.
To save the life of someone close to her, what wouldn’t she be willing to throw away?
Thinking up to this point, Jian Xingxia found it impossible to ignore Lin Sanniang’s plea.
After pondering for a brief moment, she helped up Lin Sanniang, who was still hunched over in a half-kneeling posture.
“Let’s get one thing straight first: I am not a doctor. I don’t know how to diagnose illnesses or prescribe medication.”
Lin Sanniang stared intently at Jian Xingxia, desperately trying to catch a sliver of hope from her words.
“The only solution I can think of is for you to find a local doctor to look at your eldest sister. Confirm exactly what the illness is and what medication is needed.”
Jian Xingxia measured her words carefully. “I don’t have every kind of medicine here, but if you have a diagnosis and a prescription, I can give it a try.”
“But let me lay down the ugly truth first: I don’t guarantee a cure. This isn’t my obligation. If she truly can’t be cured, you must not blame it on me.”
Jian Xingxia’s expression looked very cold.
Her values, the education she had received since childhood, and the care she had known made her willing to help others within the scope of her abilities.
But she would absolutely never allow herself to be morally blackmailed. Regardless of whether she could help or not, she should never be bound to the altar of judgment.
Lin Sanniang nodded rapidly.
She understood completely. The Proprietress had reservations and was terrified of being extorted if the help went awry.
She immediately swore an oath: “Miss, the fact that you are willing to extend a helping hand leaves us deeply grateful already. Falling ill is a matter of fate, and whether one lives or dies is up to the heavens. I merely want to try one more time for my sister.”
Lin Sanniang’s expression looked resilient and profoundly grateful. “I have done what I can do, and surely Miss is doing the same. Whatever happens next is the will of heaven, and we will absolutely never implicate Miss.”
Jian Xingxia sighed. “Let’s hope so.”
With great power comes great responsibility, indeed.
Jian Xingxia was beginning to feel that being the owner of this estate wasn’t such an easy job after all.
Fortunately, because of this system, the temporary workers were the ones terrified of her losing her temper, so she wasn’t particularly afraid of them causing trouble.
If worst came to worst, she could just stop recruiting them. Could they really travel through time and space to come looking for her?
With the matter concerning Lin Daniang settled, Jian Xingxia said, “Even if we can get the medication, that will have to wait until next time. This time’s wages must be settled now.”
Knowing there was hope for Lin Daniang’s illness, Lin Sanniang felt a great deal lighter.
She was especially filled with gratitude that Jian Xingxia was still willing to give her “wages.”
To think such a wonderful employer existed in this world!
No wonder Taoya could think of nothing else but the “Proprietress Sister” after she returned home.
Lin Sanniang resolved that after she went back, she would also pray for Jian Xingxia every morning and night.
Time was a bit tight, so Lin Sanniang hurried to select her items.
With a famine ravaging her home, food was the absolute priority, so Lin Sanniang selected ten catties of coarse rice.
Although this rice wasn’t as pearly white as the batch Taoya had brought back last time, it was still refined rice without a single grain of sand or speck of husk.
It was a completely different thing from the “coarse rice” of the Daliang Dynasty.
Ten catties of coarse rice only cost her twenty yuan.
She still had twenty yuan worth of items to choose from!
After careful consideration, Lin Sanniang selected over a catty of coarse salt.
This coarse salt was indeed much rougher than the salt Taoya had brought back last time, but it looked exceptionally clean despite its slightly yellowish tint.
To put it bluntly, if this were ground down into fine powder, it wouldn’t be any inferior to the official salt provided by the imperial court.
She took two catties, which felt heavy in her hands. Remembering Jian Xingxia’s earlier warning, Lin Sanniang explained, “Miss, I won’t boast about this everywhere once I take it back. Aside from sharing it with my eldest sister, I will find a way to make some food and mix it into our meals.”
Hearing this, Jian Xingxia felt quite a bit of admiration.
Lin Sanniang was pure and honest, yet she didn’t lose her caution. She could actively plan for the future and seek a path to survival.
For a woman in her dynasty and living environment, she was remarkably capable.
“Alright,” Jian Xingxia agreed.
She helped her weigh it on the electronic scale. At one and a half yuan per catty, it weighed out to just a tiny fraction over one catty and three taels, coming out to exactly two yuan.
Lin Sanniang was overjoyed. With eight yuan left of her wages, she selected fabric for the remainder.
Jian Xingxia let her pick whatever she wanted.
Most of these cheap fabrics came in white, black, and various shades of gray and blue. They also varied slightly in thickness, as the manufacturers just packaged whatever was convenient.
Lin Sanniang began to sort through them meticulously.
Unlike modern people who loved simple, pure white cotton cloth, Lin Sanniang preferred those grayish-blue colors.
These were fabrics that had been treated with dye, which made them a bit more expensive than white cotton cloth.
She had worked as a hired hand for many years and knew a bit about various trades. If she picked these gray and blue fabrics well and patched them together carefully to make garments, she could earn a good amount of money!
With the worries in her heart resolved, Lin Sanniang recovered her efficient nature, picking out all her items in just a minute or two.
At this moment, she also noticed that the flames inside the stove belly had taken on a new shape. The mountain was still there, but the cave entrance was turning faint and flickering.
This was a reminder that if she didn’t return in time, the cave entrance would close.
Knowing that Jian Xingxia disliked kowtowing, Lin Sanniang didn’t kneel this time. Instead, she offered a deep bow before heading toward the back mountain under Jian Xingxia’s watchful gaze.
The moment Lin Sanniang left, Little Hu the Sixth arrived.
“Sister Xiaxia! Are you ready?”
