Chapter 357 Shengge is Being Versailles Again
Qi Luquan smiled and pushed the small box on the table. Qi Xuan also made room for Ye Shengge to sit down.
"This is a thank-you gift for troubling you to take care of me these days. The gift might be a bit common, mainly because I don't have anything better to offer right now."
Ye Shengge looked at her two masters and found a small box standing at their feet, indicating they had already accepted it.
Ye Shengge also smiled and opened the box. The golden color was a bit dazzling, and the quantity was quite substantial.
"Uncle Qi is so generous, it makes me feel a bit guilty to accept it, as I didn't put in much effort."
Qi Luquan quickly held down the box as Ye Shengge pushed it back.
"Without you, I wouldn't even know if I was poisoned and might have died slowly. Now, not only do I know what poison I have, but thanks to your efforts, I've also obtained the antidote. This is saving my life."
"Yes, Little Aunt, please accept it. I even feel like we've given too little."
Qi Xuan had also suggested to his grandfather that they give the amount Shang Shaoyan had mentioned, but compared to his grandfather's life, no amount was too much.
Seeing her masters nod at her, Ye Shengge accepted it calmly. She had indeed found the antidote.
"Then thank you, Uncle Qi. I accept it."
"Hahahaha, good, it's good that you accept it."
Qi Luquan, perhaps having finally received the money he had saved his whole life, seemed much happier and his complexion improved significantly.
"Min Hang said the six medicinal herbs he knows are already on their way and should arrive in the next couple of days. Now we only need the remaining five. We should have some news before the New Year."
Qi Luquan was philosophical, believing that fate dictates life and death. Qi Xuan, however, was filled with joy and hope every day, looking forward to good news from Min Hang's people.
Ye Shengge carried the box back home. Ye Mu'en, who had slept all morning, was waiting in the courtyard. He hadn't even told his sister about the gifts yet.
"What is this? Why are you carrying a box after going out?"
"It's the remuneration from Uncle Qi."
Ye Mu'en lightly tossed the box in his hand and raised an eyebrow.
"You've got some backing now, being so generous with your gifts."
"It's quite a lot, and the masters received some too."
As they entered the room, Ye Mu'en saw many gifts yet to be opened.
"Here, let me tell you about the gifts and also about the situation in Mi Province."
Ye Shengge could tell from the smile on her elder brother's lips that Mi Province was doing well, or more accurately, the goods from Mi Province were good.
"I brought you a lot of clothes, including local specialties. I didn't buy any jewelry, as I wanted you to buy them yourself when you go to Mi Province."
"There's no need to buy jewelry; I can't wear it out yet anyway."
"The rest can be distributed among everyone at home, and I haven't planned who gets what."
Ye Shengge looked at the clothes in her hands. The colors were much brighter than those of domestic clothes, and the styles were very novel. They would be highly sought after in the black market of a big city.
"Brother, how much does a piece of clothing like this cost?"
Ye Mu'en thought for a moment, looking at the lake-green dress in his sister's hand.
"The clothes I bought for you were from department stores. This one should be over fifty yuan."
Ye Shengge, perhaps already accustomed to the prices of this era, felt it was quite expensive when she heard the price and chided herself slightly.
"At this price, it's not suitable for shipping back to sell."
"Of course not. Houzi and the others have already found a wholesale market. A shirt is about fifteen yuan, and after converting the price difference for gold, it can be even cheaper by a third. A shirt is only about ten yuan, which would be quite profitable in the black market."
Ye Shengge caught the key point in her brother's words: the price of gold.
"What's the current price of gold in Mi Province?"
"A little over five yuan."
Ye Shengge wasn't happy about the high price of gold. She didn't want to keep buying supplies with gold, as the current price was too low, and she was reluctant to spend it.
"Do we have to use gold every time?"
Ye Mu'en was taken aback. Indeed, they couldn't have his sister constantly using gold to buy goods, especially since her gold reserves were limited.
"Do you have any good ideas?"
Ye Shengge shook her head. Mi Province, despite its size, had good import and export trade, and there was nothing that China didn't lack at the moment.
"Then we need to find out if there's anything Mi Province lacks that China doesn't."
This stumped Ye Mu'en. Mi Province, though not large, had a good import and export business, and there was currently nothing that China did not lack.
"I'll discuss it with Zi Yisheng first. After all, we always buy goods together, and he must have considered this problem."
Ye Shengge stopped thinking about it and went around visiting families with her brother, carrying the distributed gifts.
Zi Yisheng had gone to the county town early in the morning. It was the day for the black markets to submit their earnings and to have a meeting.
Zi Yisheng looked at the money packed in sacks and the jewelry and antiques found for the little girl in the boxes. He wondered how she managed to hide so much.
"Young Master Zi, the first batch of goods we got from Mi Province sold very well in the black market."
The others who had received goods from Mi Province nodded excitedly. Precious goods were always in high demand everywhere.
"Yes, the second batch of goods should be back soon. This time, the quantity is much larger. We are doing it twice a month now, and we will increase the quantity once we are more familiar with the sea transport with Mi Province."
"Mi Province is good in every way, except that it's too taxing on our gold. The black market has been accumulating gold recently."
Everyone understood the importance of accumulating gold, especially Zi Yisheng. Gold reserves were crucial.
"Let the black market collect some less valuable antique calligraphy and paintings, as well as jewelry and ornaments. We'll have people go to Mi Province to test the market there. If the price is right, we can use them to exchange for cash or gold in Mi Province."
This was the only solution Zi Yisheng could think of. There was really nothing else to trade.
Ye Shengge spent the evening looking at the sacks and boxes piled on the floor, her eyes curved into crescent moons with a smile.
"Your business is doing very well this year. You're earning much more than I am."
Zi Yisheng casually kicked a sack on the floor. He figured these things had some use since his little girl liked money.
"Are you starting to hand over your salary now?"
"Absolutely. It's all yours. You can spend this money however you wish. You earn money, and I'll be in charge of spending it."
Ye Shengge sighed disdainfully, thinking about the era where she had money but nowhere to spend it.
Zi Yisheng patted the little girl's head helplessly.
"Let's save it for now. We can spend it when I take you out to play later."
"That's the only way. By the way, has there been any news from Min Hang?"
"They said they've only found three of the last five medicinal herbs. There's still no clue about the remaining two."
Ye Shengge sighed again. A clever cook cannot cook without ingredients. If the medicinal herbs aren't gathered, there's nothing that can be done.
"We've done our best. We can only leave it to fate."
Ye Shengge had privately heard from her masters that Uncle Qi could only hold on for about three more months. She could only hope for a surprise in the remaining three months.
That night, Ye Shengge took a pile of money and valuables into her space. She had already organized a room specifically for storing money when she earned her first sum. Now, after more than half a year of accumulation, the room was more than half full.
Ye Shengge happily strolled around the room, admiring her collection. In her previous life, money was in banks, and she could only look at the figures. But now, she could admire it so directly. Even if she couldn't spend it, she could at least feast her eyes.
The next day, Chen Tangtang, who had been busy, appeared. Since the New Year was approaching, the village no longer allowed people to work in the fields. In the south, these were the only few idle days in the year.
"Shengge, let's go. I'll take you to see a wedding."
Ye Shengge was still eating breakfast. Seeing the energetic little fatty, she asked Aunt Zhen to serve Chen Tangtang another portion of food.
"Eat more. Whose wedding is it? I haven't heard my mom or the others mention it."
"It's Zhang Aiguo and Zhao Zhenzhen from the Qingyuan. This is the first couple to get married in the Qingyuan. They don't have much money, but they still want to have a small celebration."
Ye Shengge nodded. The speed of these two was quite fast.
"Okay, I'll go join the fun."
Many villagers were standing at the entrance of Qingyuan to watch the excitement. Ye Shengge had to squeeze her way in, but Chen Tangtang's chubby physique managed to clear a path.
At that moment, Zhang Aiguo was coming to pick up the bride. Zhao Zhenzhen was wearing a newly made padded jacket. Although it wasn't red, it made her look energetic and happy.
There was no gate-crashing ceremony, nor was anyone distributing wedding candies. Zhang Aiguo entered the bridal chamber with a large red flower. The other educated youths were gathered inside, simply enjoying the festive atmosphere.
"Shengge, look, the bride looks so beautiful today."
Chen Tangtang was as excited as a child, eating the wedding candy distributed only in Qingyuan and not forgetting to offer one to Ye Shengge.
"I got a handful of wedding candies. These two are quite generous."
Ye Shengge peeled the candy and popped it into her mouth. It was just a regular fruit candy with a faint orange flavor.
"Did everyone in your Qingyuan give gifts?"
Chen Tangtang pouted, her eyes filled with disdain.
"No, only a few people gave gifts. Most didn't."
"Did you give one?"
"Of course. I gave a bar of soap. That should be considered a generous gift, right?"
Ye Shengge nodded. Her mother had also attended village weddings, and at that time, she had given a mere two mao. The bar of soap Chen Tangtang gave required a ticket and cost fifty cents, which was already a significant amount.
"That's quite generous."
"It's okay. My brother said it was a gift from both of us. Besides, these two are considered to have good character among the people in Qingyuan."
"The bride has been picked up! Everyone, follow us!"
The newlyweds walked out side by side and, amidst the cheers of the crowd, left Qingyuan and headed towards their rented house.
"Shengge, those of us who gave gifts are going to the new house for the banquet. We can have a good meal today."
Ye Shengge didn't follow them to the new house, as she didn't know most of the educated youths and could only join the fun by watching.
"Then I'll be heading back. When are you planning to move?"
"My brother said we'll wait for another three days. The house needs to air out."
"Alright, I'll come over to warm the house for you then."
"Hahaha, I'll invite the Ye and Bai families to the housewarming then!"