Chapter 9: Lending a Helping Hand

Fu Ciyi glanced at her side; her skin was fair, and her profile was exquisite.

Soon, he inconspicuously averted his gaze and said indifferently, "It was Mother's intention."

"Oh."

Yan Funing responded with a hum, memorizing the route as she walked so she could go to town by herself next time.

The two of them remained silent for the rest of the journey.

Another half an hour passed before they finally arrived in town.

The streets of the town were paved with bluestone slabs. On both sides, eaves curled slightly upward, shops lined the streets, and pedestrians and vendors flowed in an endless stream.

Fu Ciyi's gaze scanned the street. Seeing a bookstore, he turned his head and said, "We shall regroup here in two quarters' time."

"Alright," Yan Funing nodded.

Watching him stride away, her gaze shifted to the roadside, where many people were squatting on the ground with various vegetables laid out before them.

Setting up a stall like this was one way to do it, but she quickly discovered a problem: passersby generally only asked questions, and very few actually bought anything.

If she acted like them, it would be difficult to sell all the oyster mushrooms in her basket within two quarters. She would have to find an inn or a tavern to ask.

Having made up her mind, she walked toward a restaurant ahead.

Halfway there, the crying of a little girl caught her attention.

Following the sound, she saw a man in his twenties holding a little girl in front of a medical clinic, his voice choking with emotion: "My daughter is crying like this—can't you show some mercy and help her first?"

Someone inside the clinic shouted back at him, "Looking at your appearance, whether you can even produce a string of cash is a question. What if you can't afford it?"

While comforting his daughter, the man pleaded, "Please, help my daughter treat her arm. I will definitely make up the consultation fee later!"

At that moment, a physician from the clinic stepped out slowly. "If your daughter's arm isn't looked at soon, it will be ruined. If you have money, go back and get it first."

Hearing this, the man nearly burst into tears from anxiety. "If it's not looked at soon, it'll be ruined! Please, help her as soon as possible!"

Just as he was about to kneel and kowtow to beg, Yan Funing leaned over slightly and held the little girl's arm.

With just that single touch, she knew the little girl had merely dislocated it.

Thus, she gripped the girl's wrist with one hand and supported her elbow with the other, pressing her thumb against the radial head, and with a skillful movement of extension and flexion, a slight popping sound rang out.

The resident physician cast a sidelong glance at Yan Funing and said to the man, "Your daughter's arm has been touched by an outsider; it will be even harder to treat now."

The man said troubledly, "Miss, my daughter's arm..."

Yan Funing patted the little girl's face and asked gently, "Try lifting your arm. Does it still hurt?"

The little girl blinked her teary eyes, lifted her small arm, and suddenly burst into laughter. "It doesn't hurt anymore!"

The man asked joyfully, "It really doesn't hurt?"

The little girl shook her head and said in a milky voice, "Daddy, it really doesn't hurt anymore."

The man pinched his daughter's elbow in disbelief, confirming it truly didn't hurt, before remembering to thank the young girl who had been carrying the basket.

The father and daughter looked around, but where was the girl?

By this time, Yan Funing had already entered a restaurant.

"Boss, these are wild oyster mushrooms picked from the deep mountains. Can I get a good price for them?"

She set down her basket and took out an oyster mushroom for the shopkeeper to inspect.

The shopkeeper took it, squeezed it, and nodded in praise. "Not bad, fresh and succulent." He immediately quoted a price, "Since these are wild, I'll give you twenty-five wen per catty."

Yan Funing didn't know what level twenty-five wen was. Recalling the parts about spending money in the book, there were very few descriptions of prices, so she had to ask, "How much is a catty of rice these days?"

The shopkeeper sized her up. Seeing that her clothing didn't look like that of someone without money, he mused that perhaps she was a young lady from a wealthy family experiencing life so she could manage a household in her future in-laws' home.

Thus, he gave an honest price: "Ten wen per catty."

"Then for these wild oyster mushrooms, will you take them all?"

The shopkeeper nodded. "They are indeed wild; I'll take them all."

Yan Funing negotiated with him, "I picked these mushrooms myself. Considering the hard work, can we make it thirty wen per catty?"

Who haggled like this? It was evident that the young girl before him truly came from a wealthy household and had no concept of money.

This basket of mushrooms was likely picked by her family's servants.

The shopkeeper shook his head with a smile. "That's a five-wen difference, Miss."

He signaled a waiter to weigh them. Excluding the basket, the net weight of the mushrooms was seven catties and eight taels.

Yan Funing negotiated again, "Then let's just call it eight catties to make it easier to calculate. Two hundred wen in total."

"Miss, you certainly know how to do math!" The shopkeeper laughed. "Very well, we'll count it as eight catties. Remember to bring your family to my shop to eat next time."

The shopkeeper had the waiter collect the mushrooms and counted out two hundred wen for Yan Funing himself. Seeing that she had no coin purse, he gave her a red string.

Yan Funing expressed her thanks and used the red string to string the copper coins together one by one, placing them into her sleeve pocket.

The sleeve pocket instantly became heavy. Carrying her empty basket, she headed to the grain and oil shop across the street with her sleeve pocket.

She bought rice and flour at the grain and oil shop, along with some seasonings. The two hundred wen was almost entirely spent, leaving her with only ten wen.

Estimating that the appointed time had arrived, Yan Funing walked quickly toward the street corner.

At this moment, her basket was filled with twelve catties of rice, five catties of flour, and seasonings, making it so heavy her shoulders ached terribly.

How could the delicate body of a female supporting character have ever carried such heavy items? After only a few steps, she was panting heavily.

Fu Ciyi had already been waiting for a while. Seeing her approach with very unsteady breathing, he inconspicuously cast a glance into her basket.

The items in the basket were contained in cloth bags, appearing to be rice, flour, or something similar.

This woman actually managed to sell the mushrooms.

He cleared his throat lightly. "Do you want to take a carriage?"

Just then, the driver they had encountered earlier shouted to them, "Young couple, take a carriage! Ten wen for two people."

The pain in Yan Funing's shoulders made her pay no mind to how others addressed her and someone else.

Besides, they were indeed husband and wife now.

She quietly squeezed the ten remaining copper coins in her sleeve pocket; these ten wen could buy one catty of rice.

The driver patted the two empty seats beside him. "You young couple already saved money coming here; are you going to try to save money on the way back too? That's not how you live your lives."

Yan Funing truly could not carry the basket filled with rice and flour anymore. Just as she pursed her lips and was about to speak, a crisp voice rang out.

"My husband and I already prepaid our coins when we came. My husband is giving you two extra copper coins; how can you give our seats to others?"

The driver laughed. "You two were taking so long that I wanted to head back first and pick you up next time."

The young woman huffed, turned to Yan Funing, and held up five fingers, flipping them a few times. "Fifteen wen. Give us fifteen wen, and we'll give these two seats to you."

Yan Funing said, "We won't sit in seats that you have already reserved."

The young woman sneered, "Can't even produce fifteen wen?"

Fu Ciyi stood beside Yan Funing and asked calmly, "Do you want to sit?"

"No."

Yan Funing squeezed the coins in her sleeve pocket again; she truly could not produce fifteen wen.

If she could walk here, she could naturally walk back.

Not wanting to look at that young woman's face any longer, Yan Funing stepped forward to leave.

Suddenly, her back felt lighter. She hurriedly turned her head to look, only to see someone holding the handle of her basket.

"I'll carry it," he said.

(End of Chapter)