Chapter 14: The Capricious and Scheming Little

As the sun set, the creaking sound of a carriage echoed from the muddy path in the distance. The families of Great Uncle and Great Aunt gradually drifted away amidst the lingering, reluctant gazes of the Zhu family. Grandfather stood at the main gate, staring blankly at the retreating silhouette of the carriage, unable to let go.

Of course, Zhu Ping'an felt none of this parting sorrow. Patting his bulging pocket, he grinned from ear to ear; having money in his pocket meant having peace of mind.

Mrs. Chen was also staring at Zhu Ping'an's pocket, her eyes narrowing into crescents.

As it turned out, experience counts. The New Year's money Zhu Ping'an had received was confiscated by Mrs. Chen, leaving him with only five copper coins. To top it off, she even lectured him about not spending money recklessly.

Zhu Ping'an looked resentfully at Mrs. Chen, who was smiling while counting money under the oil lamp. *You only left me five wen; how am I supposed to spend it recklessly?*

"One, two, three, four, five, six..." Mrs. Chen was counting silver beans under the lamp.

"Wife, we're going to the market tomorrow. Is there anything you want me to buy for you?" Zhu Shouyi, his father, walked in from outside and asked. Just now, Grandmother had called his father over because tomorrow was market day in town. She wanted him to go to town to buy daily necessities like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, and while he was at it, sell the two rabbit skins from this trip, the three skins they had stored previously, and the dried wood ear mushrooms and bamboo shoots to supplement the household income.

Zhu Shouyi meant well, but he didn't expect to earn a massive eye-roll from Mrs. Chen.

"Oh, I'm right in the middle of counting! Don't mess me up!" Mrs. Chen said with an annoyed expression. Being interrupted by Zhu Shouyi's voice meant she had to start all over again; there was no way she would give him a pleasant look.

And so, the counting began anew.

A moment later, Mrs. Chen finished counting the New Year's money she had forcibly taken from Zhu Ping'an. Excluding the five wen left for him, there were now a total of eight silver beans and twenty copper coins on the table.

It was nearly worth one tael of silver. Delighted, Mrs. Chen tucked the money away under her pillow, intending to hide it properly when no one was looking.

"Alright, stop pouting. Tomorrow, your father will take you to town to play for the day," Mrs. Chen comforted Zhu Ping'an.

Even though he knew it was a "free lunch" strategy, he couldn't win against his elders, so Zhu Ping'an could only accept it.

Xiahe Village was about five *li* away from the town, which was called Kaoshan Town, named for its proximity to the great mountains.

Kaoshan Town was embraced by surrounding mountains, with streams winding past both sides of the town. The layout within the town was orderly, with the commercial and residential areas clearly demarcated. Shops lined both sides of the trade district, and the cries of street vendors were incessant.

While it wasn't much in Zhu Ping'an's eyes, compared to the village, it was quite prosperous and lively.

Zhu Shouyi had driven the ox cart to Kaoshan Town with his two sons. In addition to the mountain goods Grandmother requested—the rabbit skins and wood ear mushrooms—Zhu Shouyi had also brought some bamboo baskets and small daily necessities he had woven himself. Zhu Ping'an had also brought a backload of dried honeysuckle to see what price the town's pharmacies would offer.

Upon entering the commercial district, Zhu Shouyi spent two wen to rent a ten-square-meter stall and laid out the mountain delicacies, rabbit skins, and bamboo crafts.

Right next to their street stall was a small snack stand. An oilcloth canopy was set up outside, with six tables underneath for customers to sit and eat.

To secure a spot early, Zhu Ping'an and his family had not yet eaten breakfast. After setting up the stall, Zhu Shouyi led his two sons to the adjacent snack shop for a meal.

Zhu Shouyi ordered four steamed buns, two meat buns, and three bowls of dough drop soup for himself and his sons. Two buns cost one wen, one meat bun cost one wen, and three bowls of dough drop soup cost one wen in total, amounting to five wen. The shopkeeper even gave them a small dish of pickled vegetables for free.

Zhu Shouyi ate two buns, while Zhu Ping'an and Zhu Pingchuan each had one meat bun and one bun.

"Dad, you eat the meat bun. One bun is enough for me," Zhu Ping'an said, reluctantly placing the meat bun in front of Zhu Shouyi.

"Me too," added Zhu Pingchuan. He was a simple, quiet boy.

Zhu Shouyi felt gratified and patted his sons' heads, shaking his head. "You two eat them. I drank too much yesterday; I don't want anything greasy today."

Knowing when to stop, Zhu Ping'an also quite craved the meat bun. This was the first meat bun he had seen since arriving in ancient times; surely the taste wouldn't disappoint him.

"How pathetic!"

Just then, a childish, arrogant voice drifted over.

Zhu Ping'an looked toward the sound and saw a little girl, about four or five years old and similar to his own age, expressing her contempt through her gaze.

The little girl was dressed in a miniature Ming-style *ruqun* with silk ribbons and a tasseled hair ornament; she looked lively, elegant, and breathtakingly beautiful. Had it not been for her words, Zhu Ping'an would have certainly admired the beauty of the Hanfu style and remarked, "If only all daughters were like this!"

Unfortunately, she was a willful, sharp-tongued, gold-digging, and ill-mannered little girl. Such a beautiful face was wasted on her.

Sitting next to the little girl was a chubby local landlord, wearing a watermelon hat on his round head and large gold rings on his fingers; he was dressed even better than Great Uncle. On their table were slices of braised meat, a steamer of meat buns, exquisite side dishes, and two bowls of wontons.

So, it was a wealthy landlord. No wonder!

The landlord showed no intention of