Chapter 273: Accept Any Amount?
These words hit Old Madam Luo right in the heart.
“Alright then, I’ll go over the details with you properly.”
Wen Yao poured water for both of them, then led little Hutou off to the side to play. Luckily, she had plenty of small toys in her space. While they could no longer fool Datou, using them to entertain a normal young child was no problem at all.
Old Madam Luo explained many things to Ruyun, and Ruyun noted down every single detail.
“I wonder if my eldest son is coming back for lunch today. If he isn’t, we can head out to tour the villages today,” Old Madam Luo said.
Hearing this, Ruyun smiled and said, “Old Mistress, I doubt he’ll be back at noon. My husband mentioned at home that they seemed to be heading somewhere quite far today. He said he and Lord Wen likely wouldn’t make it back for lunch and told me to just scrape together something simple for myself at noon.”
“Ah? Is that so? Then… Yao Yao, Xun Feng! Where is Xun Feng? Where did that boy run off to again?” Old Madam Luo shouted at the top of her lungs.
Wen Yao came over holding little Hutou’s hand, and Xun Feng popped up out of nowhere from outside.
“What are you up to?” Old Madam Luo looked at him.
“Nothing at all! What orders do you have, Grandma Luo?” Xun Feng offered a silly grin. He had simply noticed Ruyun, a woman, in the courtyard, so he had squatted by the front door to avoid any hint of impropriety.
Old Madam Luo cast a glance at Ruyun, who had stepped back slightly beside them. Understanding the situation in her heart, she gave Xun Feng a fond glare and didn’t press the matter, simply asking, “Harness the carriage—how about we go check out those villages Yao Yao mentioned?”
“Sure thing! I’ll go get things ready,” Xun Feng said as he headed to the backyard.
Only then did Old Madam Luo take Ruyun’s hand and say, “He’s one of our family’s boys too, so don’t mind him.”
Ruyun offered a bashful smile and nodded. She had thought the old lady hadn’t noticed.
Her impression of this family grew even better; with such thoughtful people, their character was bound to be impeccable, and working with them would surely yield good earnings.
Xun Feng drove the carriage, following the route Wen Yao outlined, arriving first at Sanyuan Village.
Visiting Sanyuan Village a second time, the villagers no longer recognized Wen Yao. Under Wen Yao’s direction, Xun Feng drove the carriage directly to the house of the elderly grandmother who had hosted her the first time.
Wen Yao stepped down from the carriage to knock on the door. A voice sounded from inside the courtyard: “Who is it?”
It was clearly the warm, enthusiastic old grandmother from before. As the door swung open, the old lady looked at the group standing at her threshold. Her gaze lingered on Wen Yao’s face for a long moment without moving, filled with confusion before she finally asked, “You are…? The girl from Scholar Wen’s family? Oh my, why are you here? Did your father come too?”
Wen Yao smiled. “Grandma, my father didn’t come. Today it’s just me and my grandmother.”
Only then did the old grandmother notice Old Madam Luo, Ruyun, and the others standing beside Wen Yao. She quickly stepped aside to make way. “Quick, quick, quick! Please come inside, everyone! My house is shabby, so please don’t mind it.” As she spoke, her hands rubbed together somewhat flusteredly.
Xun Feng stayed on the carriage to wait for them. The old lady led them all the way into the main room. The layout inside was simple: a square Eight Immortals table sat in the middle flanked by stools, a few cabinets stood in the corner, and a small doorway led to the inner quarters.
Flanking Old Madam Luo on either side, Wen Yao and Ruyun helped her sit down before taking their own seats nearby.
“Ahem, please sit first. I’ll go pour some water for you all.” The old lady quickly ran into the kitchen, boiled water, and brought out the best cups her household possessed.
During this brief interval, Old Madam Luo looked around the house, while Wen Yao said beside her, “The first time I came here, this old grandmother thought I was a lost child. She led me into her home, wanted to give me food, and even asked where my family lived so she could take me back.”
Old Madam Luo nodded. “At a glance, one can tell this is a kind-hearted household.”
Before long, the old lady walked in carrying a water kettle, poured water for them, and said, “Here in the countryside, we don’t have much to entertain you guests with. I put a little sugar in the water, so please enjoy something sweet.”
Wen Yao took a sip, and sure enough, it was sweet. In the countryside, sugar was a luxury, let alone eating it regularly. Though the sweetness wasn’t strong, it warmed Wen Yao’s heart—the old grandmother had likely brought out the best thing in her home to entertain them.
“Old Sister, if I may ask, how old are you this year?” Old Madam Luo took the initiative to speak.
The old lady tucked her hair behind her ear bashfully and said, “Fifty-one.”
Old Madam Luo offered an embarrassed smile. “Then I used the wrong address! I ought to call you Sister—I’m a year older than you.”
“Ah? You look much younger than me, Old Sister,” the old lady said with a smile, a trace of admiration shining in her eyes as she looked at Old Madam Luo. But she could understand why—Scholar Wen’s mother was naturally different from country folk like them.
“What is your family name?” Old Madam Luo asked again.
The old grandmother replied, “My husband’s family name is Wang, so I am Wang-Liu.”
Old Madam Luo beamed. “Sister Liu, then I’ll just call you that, alright?”
“Yes, yes, yes! Any address is fine. Old Sister, did you all come out for an outing? How did you end up coming to our village?” Grandma Liu asked.
Old Madam Luo and Wen Yao exchanged a glance. Wen Yao gave a subtle nod before speaking up, “Grandma Liu, we came today specifically to look for you.”
Saying this, Wen Yao explained their plan to collect duck eggs in the area to Grandma Liu, assuring her that no matter how many duck eggs they had, they could deliver them to the Ma household in the city to give to Ruyun. Payment would be settled on the spot without delays or default, and the purchasing price would match the market rate outside.
Grandma Liu listened in daze before asking hesitantly, “Is… is that for real?”
After all, precisely because so many people raised ducks, duck eggs weren’t worth much. When buyers came to collect them, they had even sold at prices as low as eight wen for ten eggs. Even if they set up a stall at the market, selling them at one wen each depended heavily on luck as to how many they could sell.
Yet now, Wen Yao was telling her that they would pay the full market price of one wen per egg, accepting whatever amount was brought in without any worry of unsold stock. Whose household didn’t have a flock of ducks laying fifteen to twenty eggs every day? If this collection was real, they wouldn’t have to worry about unsold eggs at all, nor would they have to sell them at low prices to egg peddlers anymore.
Wen Yao nodded. “It’s real. This is Sister Ruyun—when you go to the Ma household, just look for her, hand the duck eggs to her, and the silver will be settled on the spot. However, Grandma Liu, I must state upfront that you cannot cheat us with spoiled eggs. If any are found, we won’t collect from that person anymore.”
Ruyun nodded as well. “That’s right, Grandma Liu. We don’t know the folks in the village, and Yao Yao said she only knows you, so we must trouble you to help spread the word to the rest of the village. My home is the third house inside Hekou Lane.”
It took Grandma Liu a long moment to snap back to reality, and she asked again, “You’ll accept any amount?”
Wen Yao nodded. “Yes, we’ll accept any amount. Last time I saw your family had twenty or thirty ducks as well. If you can manage it, we’ll take even more if you raise more.”
To Grandma Liu, this meant extra income outside of farming. Which household didn’t rely on a few ducks and duck eggs to supplement their earnings? Now that there was a stable outlet, Grandma Liu was naturally overjoyed.
“Good, good, good! I… I’ll go tell them right now!” Grandma Liu said as she prepared to stand up.
Old Madam Luo called out to stop her: “There’s no rush for this very moment. Sister, tell us a bit more about the surrounding area—which villages have many duck farmers? We still need to tour a few other places.”
