Chapter 64 The Value of Silver and Money (First Order Request) "Thank you, Masato!" "The real person has been so kind to us!" The group of merchants were even more surprised and moved than the merchants of Shu Village. At least they didn't know about it in advance and were not mentally prepared. They almost burst into tears when they suddenly lost and got it back. It was not easy to do business these days. Whether it was to Jiangnan or the capital, it would take more than three to five days to go back and forth. In addition to the risks faced on the road and the inevitable exposure to the elements, it was a tough job. Moreover, the status of merchants was not high. Only the most down-to-earth, hard-working and fearless people could persevere. Therefore, many caravans were from the same village and clan so that they could help each other. It is not easy to make money. Once you lose something and then find it again, you have to check it again and again to make the unreal feeling in your heart gradually become real. "Where does the real person practice?" "Yishan, Fuqiu Temple." "Yishan?" “Somewhat remote, unknown to the world.” "Master, do you know what kind of monsters those thieving monsters are? I only heard from people in the city who have seen them that they are tiny creatures not even as tall as a person's knees!"
"It's a group of rat demons." "Rat demon?" "They are not that powerful, but they have some minor abilities that can make people sleepy. If you have strong blood and a strong will, can resist and not fall asleep, and are not afraid of them, then it is not difficult to deal with them." "May I ask, sir, can you get rid of them?" "I don't know if they have been eliminated. I also don't know if there are only the monsters like those last night in this city." Lin Jue sighed in his heart and shook his head. It was really a helpless move to get his money back. "If you are robbed again in the future, you can come to Fuqiu Temple in Yishan to find us." The seventh brother thought for a while and said, "My temple happens to have a way to deal with them." "I've got it, I've got it!" The group of merchants looked at each other, and an older one took out a few pieces of silver and handed them to the seventh senior brother. "I heard that the road to Yishan is remote, so the Taoist priest must accept it no matter what. It is our incense money for the Taoist temple and a reward for the Taoist priest's exorcism. If I am lucky enough, I will definitely go to Yishan to visit and thank you next time." Seventh Senior Brother accepted it. Seeing this, the merchant from Shu Village also took out silver and wanted to hand it over. The seventh senior brother looked back at Lin Jue, but refused, and just smiled and said that this was help from the neighbors. Lin Jue thought for a moment, then walked forward and took out his savings from his pocket, about twenty taels. He only kept five taels and handed over the other fifteen taels. "I just heard from Uncle Shu that there was a flood in the nearby area this summer. I wonder if the village has been flooded. Even if it hasn't, my uncle has just recovered from his illness and needs money." Lin Jue said, "Here are ten taels of silver given to me as travel expenses when I was delivering a letter on the road. The rest is the reward from the county magistrate for killing the monster monkey. Please help me take it back and give it to my aunt." "This? We will help with your family's affairs. Don't you need money when you are away?" Uncle Shu did not respond for a moment. "I have already joined the Taoist temple in Yishan and have been practicing in the mountains since then. I have food and shelter, so I don't have much money to spend." Lin Jue said sincerely, "Please also tell my uncle and aunt that I have settled down outside and am living a good life. Please don't worry about them. If I have time, I will go back to visit them." "All right……" The middle-aged man then took the money and put it away solemnly. He secretly thought that the money earned by Lin Jue for his help should be given to his uncle and aunt.
The two sides said goodbye solemnly and left. Senior Brother Seven weighed the change in his hand, which was probably about six or seven taels. The group of merchants were very particular and gave him a reward of almost 10%. "Don't think too much, at least the money was recovered. The people in this city have learned their lesson and use metal boxes, so they won't be stolen easily. "As for those demons and monsters who are behind the Rat Demon, go back and report to Master, and let him make the final decision." As the Seventh Senior Brother spoke, he took out two pieces of silver and handed them to Lin Jue and Junior Sister: "This money is our extra income for now. You can buy whatever you want. There is no need to be frugal. Anyway, for the temple, no matter how much money you have, it is enough. If you spend anything, you can give the rest back to the temple." "what?" "What? Fourth Senior Brother asked me to buy him a piece of ink, so I went to buy it for him first. Let's split up and meet up at the city gate. If we go together, I don't know how much time it will take. It will probably be dark by the time we get back to the mountain." Seventh Senior Brother said, "Don't worry, Yi County is also a big city. No monster dares to cause trouble in the city during the day." The two men looked down and saw that the silver was already in their hands. The irregular pieces of silver are heavy. Senior Brother Seven turned and left. "Let's go." Lin Jue said something to his junior sister and started walking. The first thing I saw was a butcher's shop. Lin Jue was going to buy some suet to make lard. At the same time, he looked down at the fox at his feet, thought for a moment and said, "You were a great hero last night, so I'll give you a pound of lean meat first." The fox turned to look at him, then back to the butcher's shop. There were already a lot of people on the street, and they all found it novel to see a fox following a Taoist priest, and they all turned their eyes over. "What do you want to buy, Junior Sister?" While Lin Jue was waiting for the butcher to cut the meat, he asked his junior sister again. “I don’t need to buy it.” The junior sister said without thinking. His expression was so determined that he seemed to be in a state of meditation. Lin Jue could see that she was not the type to spend money recklessly. This might be related to her education since childhood, or it might be related to her poor background. He said nothing, but just turned his head and looked away. There is a shop selling wontons. After the meat was cut, the lard was put in a bamboo basket, and the lean meat was cut by the boss and wrapped in lotus leaves. Lin Jue took the fox and the little sister directly to the wonton shop and ordered two bowls of wontons. The lean meat and lotus leaves were placed on the ground, allowing the little fox to enjoy a rare meat meal. The wontons were served soon. The soup base made from bones was a bit jade-colored. It was already very fresh with just a little salt and a few chopped green onions. The wontons didn't have much meat, just for the flavor, but they were much better than the food in the temple. The little sister ate very happily. Lin Jue was thinking while eating.
I bought cooking oil, soy sauce, vinegar and spices last night, and just bought lard. I have to go buy some rice and flour this morning. It's inconvenient to buy in the mountains, but the ham here is famous for its pickled meat, which is easy to store and carry, so I have to buy some. If I see someone selling rice wine, I'll buy a pot of it. If they sell sugar, that's even better. It seems that there is not much salt left in the temple. You can also get a pot of good wine for the third brother. As they were talking, they suddenly heard someone shouting across the street: "Ice yogurt! Ice yogurt from the capital! If you don't buy some now, you won't be able to eat it in a few days! Jade shatters at the bottom of the plate, snow melts at the mouth!" Lin Jue immediately stretched his neck and looked up. It looks vaguely familiar. "Junior sister." "Hmm? What happened, brother?" "Can I have another bowl for you?" "If I don't want to eat, I won't eat." "Another bowl of wontons." Lin Jue shouted to the owner of the wonton shop. Before the little sister could refuse the extra bowl of wontons, she heard the senior brother ask, "Junior sister, have you ever eaten ice cream?" "Huh? W-What ice cream?" The junior sister was a little confused and a little embarrassed for a moment. “Here.” Lin Jue raised his chin towards the front, “It is said to be a luxury item from the capital.” The junior sister immediately became alert. “It must be very expensive!” Lin Jue looked at her with a smile: "Then you must have never eaten it before?" The little girl also looked at him seriously: "Brother, I don't want to eat~" “You can’t get it anywhere else.” “I eat wontons!” "Didn't you hear me shouting? If we don't eat it now, it will be gone in a few days. Last year's ice will have melted!" “No…” After a while—— Two bowls of iced cheese, which is expensive and rare in this era, have appeared on the table of the two people. This is a cold drink made of milk, eggs, sugar, starch and ice. It is like paste, exuding a sweet milky aroma, and a small mountain of ice is served on the plate. Thanks to the prosperous trade in recent years and thanks to this place being the seat of the state government, otherwise I would have to go to the capital to eat it. Lin Jue took the bamboo stick and took a bite first.
But it more than just looks familiar. It tastes somewhat familiar. Lin Jue suddenly showed a look of reminiscence. The junior sister followed his example and scooped up a bite to taste it. In the early autumn when the heat is still lingering, it is dry and hot. But after taking a bite of the iced yogurt, it feels cool in the mouth. It is smooth, sweet and fragrant, and disappears in the mouth. It is just like what the hawkers are shouting: It seems greasy but also refreshing, just condensed and ready to float; The jade breaks at the bottom of the plate, and the snow melts at the mouth. Where has the little apprentice sister tasted this kind of flavor? She was surprised and amazed, and couldn't help but narrow her eyes. When I opened my eyes, I saw my senior brother’s face full of smiles. "Is it delicious?" "good to eat!" "You haven't eaten it yet?" "Never eaten it before! Brother, have you ever eaten it before?" "I?" Lin Jue was stunned for a moment, and wanted to lie, but he had no choice but to pause, and the words that came out of his mouth turned into a sigh: "I haven't eaten it for a long time..." I lowered my head and took another bite, and all I could see were memories. Memories give it a new flavor. It is indeed as Seventh Senior Brother said, the Taoist temple itself is self-sufficient, and no matter how much money they have, it is enough. What is happening to the two of them right now is probably the greatest value of this little money. …… After breakfast, we went shopping and then went out of the city to meet up. There is a hint of femininity on Seventh Senior Brother’s body. However, except for the little fox with a keen sense of smell and a simple mind, which felt strange and sniffed him again and again, Lin Jue and the other two did not say anything and neither of them smelled anything. The three young Taoist priests took advantage of the early morning and took their donkeys, gradually moving away from the official road and heading towards the remote mountains. (End of this chapter)