Becoming the Villain's Discarded Wife
Chapter 210: Price Negotiation

Chapter 210: Chapter 210: Price Negotiation

When Lin’s father and mother came out to check the commotion at the gate, they were startled by the sight of Nanzhi and her companions.

"Little roundy, where on earth have you been to shop?"

Watching the cart driver unload a bunch of sacks into their courtyard, Lin’s mother didn’t want to block his work, so she gently tugged at her daughter’s sleeve.

"We bought some spices."

As soon as the cart driver had finished unloading, Nanzhi handed him twenty copper plates, closed the gate, and then Lin’s mother came closer to inspect the sacks.

She immediately noticed an unusual smell as she approached.

Just as she was about to ask, a light green ball with some white on it rolled out of a sack, leaving her stunned.

"Little roundy, are these turnips you have bought?"

"Mom, that’s Pilazi from the Western Region, used in cooking," Nanzhi said with a smile, picking up one from the ground, partially peeling it, and presenting it to her mother.

The moment Lin’s mother leaned in a bit closer, her eyes were irritated by something, and she quickly rubbed them, but could not stop them from watering.

"What kind of Pilazi is this? Why is it so irritating to the eyes?" Her eyes showing some redness, she dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief.

Pilazi from the Western Region stings like chili?

It’s even more irritating than chili. Wouldn’t the dishes made with it also be spicy?

The four children gathered around the sacks, chattering away, sniffing the oil paper packages, and prodding at the Pilazi.

"Mother, you’ll get used to it soon," Nanzhi laughed. Seeing her impish grin, Lin’s mother aimed to catch her.

Nanzhi, however, scooped up three rolling Pilazi in her clothes and ran into the kitchen.

"Dad, Mom, wait and see. Tonight, I’ll let you taste something from the Western Region!"

Watching Nanzhi’s receding figure, Lin’s mother’s face broke into a smile again, but she also looked puzzled.

She figured goods from the Western Region wouldn’t come cheap, yet her daughter had bought so much. Where did she get the money from?

Just as she was frowning at her two sons, Lin Yicheng and Lin Ercheng, they exchanged glances and then took their parents back into the house, leaving the door open behind them.

Only the four children remained, still pondering over the sacks.

"Eldest, second, where did your sister get the money to buy these things?" Lin’s mother asked, her heart filled with concern.

Although her son-in-law and daughter were formerly husband and wife, her daughter was still unmarried and using the groom’s dowry was unacceptable.

"This ..."

After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Yicheng finally revealed the truth: "Little roundy sold her two pearls at the silver shop."

"Sold?" Lin’s mother was stunned. Those pearls weren’t worth more than five taels of silver and they were used to barter for necessities when they were refugees. So these sacks only cost ten taels?

"Yes, fifteen taels each, totalling thirty taels of silver."

Lin Ercheng said quietly.

Upon hearing that a single pearl was worth fifteen taels, both the elderly people were dumbstruck.

Lin’s father even squashed the Osmanthus Cake he was about to eat into crumbs.

"So, how much did all these goods cost?"

"Thirty taels in total."

Lin Yicheng honestly replied.

"We asked little roundy to slowly repay us for the silver, but she said she doesn’t need it..."

Lin’s mother took a deep breath to steady herself, her voice trembling slightly: "This, this matter... we will discuss it later with your sister."

Originally, little roundy had given one pearl to each of them including the two little grandchildren, all of which they had sewn into little bags. But over time, they ended up using or losing them, leaving only three.

When they calculated, it turned out that they had lost several dozen taels of silver!

Back when they were in their village, a family could save four to five taels a year with some effort. Now in Yan City, including the carpentry shop and food stall, even if business was very good, they could only earn about twenty to thirty taels a month.

And that was without taking into account their family’s spending.

Even if my daughter originally gave them pearls, who would have known they could be so valuable!

Although Father Lin didn’t say anything, he couldn’t eat anymore Osmanthus Cake. He just sat there, stunned.

As soon as Nanzhi entered the kitchen, she sent her two sisters-in-law to rest.

"Fatty, you take a break. We can manage,"

Chen Qiulan told her younger sister, who was rushing around.

"Elder sister and second sister, you’ve been busy all day. Go rest. I’ll cook some new dishes for you."

Nanzhi unceremoniously pushed her two sisters-in-law out of the kitchen and shut the wooden door.

Three white onions, all fairly large, lay quietly on the stove. And the cumin from the Hu Shang earlier in the day would be just enough.

Rolling up her sleeves, Nanzhi started to get to work.

Since they started doing business, the Lin family’s kitchen was well stocked, right down to the finely ground chili powder.

Finally, Nanzhi managed to concoct a large platter of "roast meat."

It wasn’t until Nanzhi opened the kitchen door and called for lunch that Lin Yicheng and Lin Ercheng hurried over to serve the food.

If they didn’t eat soon, they were going to starve.

Lin Mother held back Chen Qiulan and Sun Cui, letting only their two sons and four children help.

When all the food was served, the Lin family members didn’t dare to touch the two large plates of food in the center of the table.

With the lessons learned from Mother Lin’s tearful experience with the pnyazi, everyone was waiting to see who would taste the dish first.

The children at the small table next to them had no such concerns. Although they had been snacking on Father Lin’s cakes, they were still a bit hungry now, especially after smelling the "roast meat". They immediately reached for their chopsticks.

Shen Zhiyu always trusted his mother’s cooking skills, so he was the first to pick up the food.

After his first bite, the little one chewed it a few times then reached out with his chopsticks to get a piece of meat from Yuanbao’s bowl.

Lin Zihan and Lin Jian, seeing his actions, knew the dish must be delicious, and they started grabbing some food too.

On the main table, it was Sun Cui who first picked up some stir-fried pnyazi meat.

She usually likes extra spicy food, and since her mother-in-law mentioned that pnyazi is spicy like chili, she wanted to give it a try.

The spice didn’t sting like chili. Rather, it was somewhat sweet, and it was crispy and delicious after a few bites.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by the attention on her, Sun Cui stretched out her chopsticks to pick up another bit of pnyazi.

Seeing her reaching for more of the dish, the Lin family members breathed a sigh of relief and started trying the new food as well.

By the time they finished eating their meal, both big and small tables had completely cleared the dishes, not a drop of soup was left.

Both the adults and the children were full and satisfied, patting their stomachs.

The food from the Western Region is incredibly delicious!

"Fatty, how many wen per pound does this vegetable cost?" Father Lin, who loves sweets, found the pnayzi incredibly palatable as well.

"Ten wen per pound."

Nanzhi was very pleased with the "roast meat" she had made. While it wasn’t as good as the ones there, it was delicious enough for here.

When they heard it was ten wen per pound, there was a pause in the Lin family’s laughter.

Most vegetables in the market are one or two wen per pound. Even pork is only seventeen wen. This pnayzi alone costs ten wen per pound?

"Since it’s a plant from the Western Region, naturally it’s more expensive."

Nanzhi explained, laughing. Inside, though, she felt somewhat relieved.

Thank goodness her mother didn’t ask about the price of the cumin.

Hearing Nanzhi’s explanation, the Lin family nodded in understanding. Since it’s from the Western region, it is naturally a bit more expensive.

Perhaps fearing they’d be faced with something awful, Lin Mother suddenly asked Nanzhi another question.

"Then... how much does that fennel cost per pound?"