novelSusiti Chapter 92 The Hidden Line in Lantian
Chapter 92 The Hidden Line in Lantian
Chapter 92 The Hidden Line in Lantian
On the 21st day of the sixth month of the ninth year of Zhenguan, before dawn, Zhou Xia was patted twice on the shoulder.
The person who took the picture was Wang Zhihuan.
The pressure wasn't heavy, but the location was precise, hitting the Jianjing acupoint exactly. A tingling, numb sensation shot up the tendons to the fingertips, and Zhou Xia felt a jolt throughout her body, instantly dispelling her drowsiness.
"Master, it's not even dawn yet!" He rubbed his eyes and sat up, his voice still muffled in his throat.
"Get up quickly, the vegetables will wilt when it gets light, these things can't be delayed."
Wang Zhi was still standing by the bed, holding an oil lamp, completely ignoring whether Zhou Xia was grumpy in the morning.
"The cabbage was cut last night and delivered early this morning, so it's still fresh and crisp when it arrives at the shop. If it's too late, the leaves will soften, and it won't be good for business."
Zhou Xia stopped talking and got out of bed.
He was busy changing Zhou Bo's son's dressing until midnight last night, and his eyes are still a little hard to open, but his movements are still swift and precise.
He walked to the well, poured a bucket of cold water over his head, and was so shocked that he shivered twice before he was fully awake.
In the courtyard, Wang Zhi had already arranged all the vegetables to be delivered.
The cabbage was tied into six bundles with straw rope, the roots still covered in wet mud, and the leaves were emerald green and fresh. It was placed on the top layer of the donkey cart.
The radishes grow in the sandy soil behind the mountain. Each one is the size of a fist, with a skin so thin that it's translucent, allowing you to see the white flesh inside.
The eggs were collected fresh in the morning, and the bottom of the basket was lined with dry straw, with each egg packed tightly together.
Wang Zhihuan squatted beside the donkey cart, pointing to each item with his finger and muttering, "The cabbage from the shop, the radishes from the county government's kitchen, and the eggs from Manager Zhou's pharmacy."
He stood up, took out a small, rough porcelain wine jar, about the size of a palm, from his pocket, and sealed it tightly with burlap. "This is from Sun's Restaurant on West Street."
"The pine syrup hasn't been priced yet. Let Boss Sun try it first. After he tastes it, ask him how much he's willing to pay."
Zhou Xia took the wine jar and carefully placed it into the cloth bag next to the medicine box.
His medicine chest was something he never parted with; it contained the needle pouch and notes left to him by his master, and he carried it with him wherever he went.
He adjusted the straps of the cloth bag over his shoulder and was about to bend down to move the vegetable basket when Wang Zhihuan had already loaded the egg basket onto the donkey cart.
"Pinellia, remember this well. Put the egg at the bottom, the radish in the middle, and the cabbage on top. Cabbage is sensitive to pressure; if it's crushed, it won't look good."
As Wang Zhihuan spoke, he used hemp rope to firmly tie the vegetable basket to the cart. He tugged the rope a couple of times to make sure it wouldn't come loose before turning back to look at him. "When we get to the county town, we'll go to the shop on East Street first."
The county government kitchen prepares lunch at 9:00 AM, and the radishes must be delivered before then.
There's no rush at the pharmacy. Manager Zhou is usually not in the shop in the morning; you can go in the afternoon too.
But the tavern had to be open before noon—Boss Sun didn't drink in the morning, so his palate was sharp and he could tell good from bad.
He took out two freshly steamed buns from the kitchen, wrapped them in dried lotus leaves, and stuffed them into Zhou Xia's hands.
He then pulled out a neatly folded strip of paper from his sleeve and placed it on top of the steamed bun.
"Write down the order of delivery on a piece of paper. Also, after you finish delivering the vegetables, go to Chen's Grocery Store and buy me a pound of tea, the kind of wild tea I bought last time."
Tell Old Chen that it was Master Wang who sent you to buy it, and he'll know. Do you still remember all the addresses?
"Don't worry, Master, I have a good memory."
Zhou Xia tucked the steamed bun into his pocket and folded the note into his belt. He climbed onto the donkey cart and gripped the reins.
The gray donkey snorted and, without waiting for him to shake the reins, started walking towards the gate.
The donkey cart creaked and groaned as it made its way onto the official road.
Zhou Xia sat on the carriage shaft, holding the reins in one hand and eating a steamed bun in the other.
The steamed buns were made with leavened dough, and when you bite into them, they were soft and chewy, with a slightly sweet taste—I guess the chef added cane sugar to the dough.
He took two bites and looked down at the gray donkey.
The donkey walks steadily and smoothly, and when it gets into a good position, it will even turn corners on its own. When crossing a bridge, it doesn't even slow down, so you really don't have to worry about it at all.
The county town wasn't far; the donkey cart swayed and bumped along for half an hour before we arrived.
The city gates had barely opened when the streets began to bustle with activity.
A long queue formed in front of the steamed bun stall, and white steam billowed into the sky when the steamer was lifted.
The large pot of mutton soup was bubbling away, and the aroma of mutton mixed with pepper wafted across half the street;
Several children chased a spotted dog out of the alley, nearly knocking over a bamboo basket on a roadside vegetable stall, and were yelled at by the stall owner.
The children weren't afraid and ran off laughing and joking, while the dog tucked its tail between its legs and disappeared into the depths of the alley.
Following the order on the note, Zhou Xia went to the shops on East Street first.
Two large pots were set up at the entrance of the shop. The proprietress was cooking noodles in the pots. When she saw him driving the donkey cart over, she immediately put down her chopsticks and came to greet him.
"Oh, Zhou Xia, did Master Wang send you to deliver this?"
She turned over the bundle of cabbage; the leaves were lush and green, and the roots were still covered in wet mud. After checking, she looked up at Zhou Xia.
"These cabbages are so fresh! My husband said the day before yesterday that the cabbages from the Wang family are better than those bought in the market, and all the guests praised how sweet they were."
I don't know what kind of fertilizer your landowner uses, but the vegetables you grow are always fresher than everyone else's.
She carried the vegetables inside, turned around, counted out some copper coins from the counter and handed them over, then took out two steamed buns and stuffed them into Zhou Xia's hands: "Take these, eat them on the way. When you get back, tell the master that from now on, we'll order all the cabbages and radishes from him, and we won't take any vegetables from other places!"
Zhou Xia thanked the proprietress and put the steamed buns and copper coins into her cloth bag.
Without lingering for long, the donkey cart continued towards the back gate of the county government office.
The kitchen manager was a chubby middle-aged man wearing an apron stained with oil. He took the basket and weighed it.
After that, he looked down at the scale again, picked it up, and weighed it once more.
"Two pounds more." He looked up at Zhou Xia.
Zhou Xia was stunned for a moment, and was about to explain when the manager took out a few copper coins from his pocket and stuffed them into his hand: "The extra money is also money, we can't let you suffer a loss."
Master Wang is a man of integrity; the radishes he sent last time were all plump and fresh, and they didn't become brittle even after three days. These days, there are fewer businessmen like him, so we can't be careless.”
The pharmacy was at the end of West Street. When Zhou Xia arrived, the door was ajar, and a tall, thin shop assistant was drying medicinal herbs at the entrance.
He bent down and spread out the bamboo trays one by one, inside which were slices of astragalus root, gleaming with a pale yellow light in the sunlight.
The waiter said that Manager Zhou had gone out to see patients and wouldn't be back until noon.
Zhou Xia went to Sun's Restaurant first, as he had never been there before and was meeting the people there for the first time.
Boss Sun was a tall, thin man in his forties with a goatee and small but shrewd eyes.
He was wiping the wine jug behind the counter. The cloth in his hand was already dusty from wiping it, and he kept rubbing the spout repeatedly, as if he wouldn't stop until he could see his reflection in it.
Upon seeing Zhou Xia enter, he put down the wine pot and his gaze first fell on the bulging cloth bag behind Zhou Xia.
"Young man, you are..."