Chapter 5: Merchant

Fragrant oil and cosmetic bottles

Another ten days passed.

Jiang Li quickly adapted to the harsh life on the mountain. Although she had endless work to do every day, could not eat her fill, slept in a damp place, and was often bullied, Jiang Li quickly adapted to it.

Perhaps she was too quiet and obedient these days. For the first time, the nunnery’s head nun, Jing An, took the initiative to come and see her.

Head Nun Jing An was a young woman in her twenties. It was said that she had once been the wife of a rich family. After her husband died, she went to the mountain and had her hair shaved to become a Buddhist nun.

A few days ago, Jiang Li had noisily demanded to go back to Yanjing after hearing the matter of Marquis Ning Yuan’s young master’s marriage, and almost fought with Head Nun Jing An.

Head Nun Jing An came over and glanced at Jiang Li, said a few polite words of concern and then left without giving them a single thing.

Tong’er placed her hands on her hips and spat at the departing back of Head Nun Jing An, saying, “Pah! Stingy old woman!”

Jiang Li smiled and said, “She is much younger than an old woman.”

In reality, Head Nun Jing An was only in her twenties. Although she was wearing a grey robe, it couldn’t hide her slender and graceful figure. Furthermore, her appearance was exquisite. It was just that her attitude towards the two of them was somewhat condescending.

“What’s the use of being young?” Tong’er pursed her lips, “She’s already a nun here. Does she have a choice other than serving Buddha for the rest of her life? Can she eat meat or wear pretty dresses?”

“I don’t know if she eats meat, but she definitely eats better meals than the two of us. Whether she wears or doesn’t wear pretty dresses, her Buddhist robe is definitely thicker than ours,” Jiang Li replied.

“Hateful!” Tong’er was furious.

“Not only that,” Jiang Li continued explaining to her. “Although she wasn’t wearing jewelry, she used Yanjing’s Apricot Spring workshop’s cosmetics, Red Sleeve house’s silver case fragrant ointment, also the osmanthus flower hair oil from Fragrant Refined Building.”

Tong’er’s jaw dropped, and only after a long time did she say, “This is… Isn’t it too fancy?! That’s not right,” she came back to her senses and stared at Jiang Li with sparkling eyes, “How did young miss know?”

Jiang Li pointed a finger at her nose and said, “Smelled it.”

“This servant knows that the young miss smelled it. This servant wants to ask, how did the young miss know that it was the Apricot Spring Workshop’s cosmetics, the silver case fragrant ointment of the Red Sleeve house, and the osmanthus flower hair oil of the Fragrant Refined Building?”

Jiang Li thought, of course she knew. When she had just married Shen Yurong and arrived at Yanjing, the Shen family had despised her because she was a young girl from a small county in Tongxiang. Even a few female relatives1 and Shen Yurong’s mother had looked down on her. She was afraid that she would embarrass Shen Yurong, so she worked hard to learn the popular clothing and accessories of the madams and young ladies in Yanjing, and slowly corrected her accent.

She had always been a fast learner. Xue Huaiyuan once said that if she wasn’t a girl, she, together with Xue Zhao, might be able to bring fame and honor to the Xue family name.

It was not possible for second miss Jiang who hadn’t gone down the mountain for 7 years to know these products. However, she was able to accurately distinguish them.

Jiang Li said, “Of course I can distinguish them.”

Tong‘er thought about it and actually came up with a logical and reasonable explanation, “Of course young miss knows. Before, these things were used daily by the Jiang family, there’s no reason not to be familiar with them.” As she spoke, she was laden with grief, “Speaking of which, it has been a long time since miss has left the Jiang family…..”

“Tong’er, do you want to go back to Yanjing?” Jiang Li interrupted her,

Tong‘er’s eyes widened and immediately shook her head, resolutely said, “Don’t want! Tong’er only wants to follow young miss. Wherever young miss goes, Tong’er goes.”

Jiang Li smiled, “It’s alright, very soon we will go back”

And, as I mentioned previously, with chapter 5.1 we reach the end of the special launch schedule (oooooh). From now on, regular schedule is 1x week every Sunday, same hour.

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Footnotes:

1: 妯娌, this lit. means sister-in-law, wives of brothers; however Shen Yurong doesn’t have brother; although it could refer to Shen Ruyun, it’s talking in plural, so it is most likely referring to female cousins or other types of extended family (in which SRY might be included)

Just as Tong’er was about to reply, she suddenly heard a loud shout from outside. It was of a man’s laughter that sounded like some kind of folk song. Tong’er pricked up her ears and jumped to her feet, laughing and hopping, “Young miss, Mr. Zhang has arrived! Mr. Zhang has come this year to bring some things! “

Jiang Li immediately turned and looked out the window, then said with a smile, “In that case, take out all the copper coins and let’s go buy cakes.”

“All of them?” Tong’er turned her head in surprise.

“All of them.”

After Tong’er had plundered all the coins in the house, she wrapped them in a blue cloth and carried them in her arms. Only then did she leave the temple with Jiang Li.

The mountain here was too high, but the He Lin Temple beside it was flourishing. Those who came were all wealthy and noble, and generally disdained to buy things from the peddlers. As a result, most peddlers were unwilling to do business in the mountain. Although his family lived at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain, Mr. Zhang would not usually come up.

But every year, from May to June, peach blossoms would bloom in the mountains. Then, not only the rich and powerful families but even the common people were willing to come up Qingcheng Mountain to admire the flowers. With so many people, the merchant chose this day to go up the mountain to sell his cosmetics.

Tong’er was familiar with this man, so they made an agreement to meet here every tenth day of the fifth month to buy things. The nunnery was not as lively as the He Lin Temple. To Jiang Li and Tong’er, being able to buy some snacks from the peddler at this time of the year was the only luxury they had.

As expected, at the entrance of the temple, there was indeed a middle-aged man wearing a conical bamboo hat. He wore short brown hemp pants, a white silk belt at his waist, and black cloth shoes. He was really dressed as a peddler.

Jiang Li seemed to be in a trance.

When she was just a little girl, before marrying Shen Yurong and going to Yanjing, Xue Huaiyuan had just been transferred to the remote village, Tongxiang. At that time, Tongxiang had nothing. The shops in the entire county could be counted with both hands.

For Xue Zhao and her, at a young age living in this kind of environment, the sole delight was just the monthly visit from the peddlers who went door to door. In the peddlers’ hands, they could purchase new and odd clay dolls, pretty silk ribbons, sweet maltose candy, and also rough writing brushes to practice calligraphy.

Although it was hard, they lived every day happily. Afterward, Tongxiang country became better and better under Xue Huaiyuan’s administration. Afterward, Xue Zhao began to prepare for the military examination. Afterward, she married and went to Yanjing. Afterward… There were no more afterward.

Jiang Li lowered her eyes.

Mr. Zhang had also become familiar with the two of them, and told Tong’er that she had grown taller which made Tong’er extremely happy upon hearing it. She turned to Jiang Li and asked, “Young miss, do you want those pastries?”

Only then did Jiang Li look at Mr. Zhang. She smiled at him, causing him to be stunned for a moment and he felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Jiang Li took the cloth bag from Tong’er’s hands and opened it. Inside the bag, there was a neat bunch of copper coins. All of these copper coins had been collected by Jiang Li and Tong’er over the past half year from sewing shoe soles. Adding the several years of the money given by Head Nun Jing An, altogether they had collected a total of forty strings.

“Uncle Zhang,” Jiang Li smiled, “All of these copper coins are exchanged for fruits and cakes, okay? Any kind is fine.”

Tong’er’s eyes widened, “Young miss!”

Although she brought all her belongings, Tong’er didn’t really think that Jiang Li would spend all of her copper coins. The people in the nunnery would deduct their firewood at the slightest opportunity. Sometimes they would exchange the money with the children in the mountain for some quilts. Buying cakes that couldn’t be stored for many days, it soon would be all spoiled. How was it feasible?

“Why?” Jiang Li still had a smile on her face as she said, “The Chief Assistant’s di daughter can’t even spend a few copper coins to buy cakes? What kind of young miss is that? “

Tong’er was at a loss for words.

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