Chapter 38 Grandmother Visits Again

Xiao Ding turned around and saw Magistrate Hu. His heart filled with disgust.

Magistrate Hu was dressed in casual clothes, waving a paper fan, still maintaining the appearance of a scholarly middle-aged man. From the surface, it was hard to discern his shrewd and cunning nature.

Today was a day of rest, and Magistrate Hu, feeling idle, decided to visit his father-in-law’s house. He’d heard that his brother-in-law, Han Jun, had brought home an esteemed guest from the capital, and was curious to know who it was.

The Han household was just behind the Fragrant Pavilion. Magistrate Hu had walked around the Pavilion and happened to see Xiao Ding near the back kitchen, so he approached.

“Greetings, Magistrate!” Xiao Ding saluted politely. Though he felt loathing inside, he maintained proper etiquette. After all, he was but a commoner.

“Brother Tian, didn’t we agree to address each other as brothers? Why still call me ‘Magistrate’?” Magistrate Hu feigned displeasure.

“Yes, greetings, Brother Hu!” Xiao Ding had no choice but to salute again, uncertain about what scheme Magistrate Hu was plotting and why he insisted on this brotherly bond.

“Ah, that’s better…” Magistrate Hu put on an amiable expression.

“Brother-in-law, why are you here? Do you know each other?” Han Luer asked curiously.

“Of course! Brother Tian and I bonded at first sight. We became sworn brothers. Brother Tian, this young lady is my wife’s sister, Han Luer, whom I mentioned to you before. She is gentle and virtuous, beautiful in appearance, and this year she just…” Magistrate Hu spoke as if they were old friends.

“Brother Hu…”

“Brother-in-law…”

Xiao Ding and Han Luer interrupted him in unison.

Xiao Ding thought, here you go again, what are you up to this time?

Han Luer wondered privately how this simpleton knew her brother-in-law, and why he had mentioned her to him. She hadn’t yet married—how could her brother-in-law bring her up to this fool? It was utterly embarrassing!

“Oh, hah, hah, right, what are you both doing here? So you already know each other!” Magistrate Hu laughed awkwardly, glancing left and right, making Xiao Ding and Han Luer uncomfortable.

“I hunted a brown bear and plan to sell it to the Fragrant Pavilion,” Xiao Ding explained.

He was eager to take his money and leave. Xiao Ding didn’t want to linger near this sly old fox. First, the man was a government official—a risk not worth taking. Second, his cunning knew no bounds; who knew when Xiao Ding might be caught off guard and tricked?

“Oh, so that’s it. The bear you mentioned is this pile of meat?” Magistrate Hu pointed at the brown bear meat.

“Yes,” Xiao Ding replied.

“Hmm, looks like a few hundred pounds. Should be worth twenty taels of silver…” Magistrate Hu muttered.

Xiao Ding nearly snorted in indignation. He’d intended to sell it for a hundred taels, and now it was reduced to twenty!

“Your brother wants a hundred taels…” Han Luer suppressed a giggle, delighted by Xiao Ding’s disgruntled expression.

“A hundred taels? That’s too much! Brother, twenty taels is already a good price for bear meat. Let me decide for you—sell it to the Fragrant Pavilion for twenty taels. It’s my father-in-law’s business, so take the loss for family’s sake!” Magistrate Hu took it upon himself to decide.

Xiao Ding was so angry he wanted to slap Magistrate Hu. Who did he think he was, meddling like this!

But he reconsidered—after all, this man was the son-in-law of Manager Han. Naturally, they were all on the same side. With this troublemaker involved, a hundred taels was unlikely, but twenty was out of the question.

Xiao Ding was about to haggle further when another middle-aged man entered from the courtyard gate.

“Brother-in-law, Luer, what are you doing here?” he asked.

“Big brother, why are you here?” Han Luer asked in surprise.

It turned out to be Han Luer’s elder brother! Xiao Ding observed him quietly; he looked to be in his thirties, similar in age to Magistrate Hu. He wore a bright blue brocade robe, elegant and refined. Though not as tall as Xiao Ding, he was handsome and dignified.

“I wanted to check the kitchen and see what delicacies we have for our guest at lunch. He hasn’t eaten well for several meals,” the man said, glancing at Xiao Ding and Magistrate Hu. “What’s going on here?”

“Oh, it’s like this…” Han Luer explained, sneaking a glance at Xiao Ding, her lips curling slightly.

“Ah, I see…” The man remained calm, looked at the bear meat, then at Xiao Ding, and said, “Young man, I am Han Jun, Luer’s elder brother. Your bear is now missing its hide and a leg; it’s incomplete. How about fifty taels of silver for it? A hundred taels really is a bit much…” He stopped, staring at Xiao Ding.

In truth, Xiao Ding didn’t know that in this era, the most valuable part of a bear was not the paw, but the hide. People here had not yet mastered the art of cooking bear paw, while bear hide was prized material.

A hundred taels was no small sum. According to Zhao Laixi, a hundred taels could buy a modest house in the county.

For Xiao Ding, selling it for fifty taels was less than he’d hoped, but far better than Magistrate Hu’s offer of twenty. So he nodded. “Agreed, fifty taels it is.”

Having received the silver, Xiao Ding exchanged a few brief courtesies and promptly left the Fragrant Pavilion, heading for the largest pharmacy in the county.

To his surprise, selling the ginseng was exceedingly smooth. When he placed it on the counter, the shopkeeper was overjoyed and immediately offered two hundred taels of silver.

Xiao Ding accepted with pleasure. Two hundred taels was far beyond his expectations—he’d thought he might get a hundred at most. He agreed without bargaining.

The owner was delighted and told him to bring any fine medicinal materials in the future, promising fair prices.

The ginseng was over a hundred years old. Recently, a wealthy merchant’s concubine had fallen ill and needed old ginseng to prolong her life. The merchant had searched every pharmacy in Luoxia County in vain and instructed this shopkeeper to watch for any high-quality ginseng, offering five hundred taels to buy it. If there was one even older, he’d pay more.

Xiao Ding knew nothing of this. He bought a large quantity of excellent medicine for bone injuries, both internal and external. The shopkeeper was thrilled and offered generous discounts.

Leaving the pharmacy, Xiao Ding drove his donkey cart through the streets, inquiring about the prices of various goods, thinking that in the future he’d need to know the going rates for his trades.

He bought some daily necessities and snacks, mostly for Xiaozhu and Xiaofu.

Remembering that Tang Yunzhi was immobile, Tian Dabao was lame, and Xiaofu and Zhu’er were still young, he specifically bought a few “wooden horses” and chamber pots for the household.

A “wooden horse” was a wooden stool used as a toilet, allowing someone to sit and relieve themselves. Chamber pots were commonly made of pottery, with a narrow neck and wide belly, suitable for both men and women. Even women could use them without squatting, which was much more convenient for Tang Yunzhi.

Altogether, including the medicine, he spent just over ten taels of silver. With more than two hundred taels left, Xiao Ding resolved to buy land and build a house before anything else—he would not let Tian Dabao handle the silver.

Driving his donkey cart, Xiao Ding returned to Luoxia Village. He’d left early in the morning, and the cart was faster than walking, so he arrived just at noon.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Xiaozhu came running with quick little steps, calling out:

“Foolish brother, foolish brother, Grandma came again today…”