Chapter 77 (1/2)

“Do you think this agreement will work?”

Before long, the shopkeeper handed a new agreement to him. It didn’t have many changes, only added the clause about the extra amount he had to supply and one tael of silver for one jin. Ling Jingxuan quickly viewed it, took over the seal and pressed his fingerprint, which indicated that their partnership had been established.

“Now that the matter is settled, I will not disturb you more. The restaurant is still busy.”

The shopkeeper took out yesterday’s agreement and tore it before Ling Jingxuan. After putting away the new agreement, he was about to leave. Ling Jingxuan hurriedly said, “Jingpeng? Jingpeng?”

Until this time he was aware that his younger brother had already kept drifting away. Glancing at the bundle in his arms, Ling Jingxuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just a hundred taels of silver! Come oN!

“Jingpeng, Jingpeng…”

“Ah? You called me?”

Under Jingxuan’s push and shove, Ling Jingpeng finally came back to himself, but still it was only confusing feeling in those pair of bright eyes.

Ling Jingxuan shook his head helplessly, “They are leaving. You take them to carry the jam in the cellar.”

“Oh, then this… here you are!”

The puzzlement in the eyes instantly wore off, Ling Jingpeng couldn’t help blushing. He ran away with his head down after stuffing the bundle to Ling Jingxuan. The two servants of Shopkeeper Zhang then followed behind. Ling Jingxuan gave a slight smile, “Sorry to make you laugh. You know, my younger brother has never seen the outside world. So he was a bit in a gaffe.”

But at least he is better than his little bun, and it would be a shame if he also fell down like his little bun.

“Never mind. Never mind. Young men, I know. They need experience and toughening. Oh right, brother Ling, there’s something you don’t know. Yesterday a plague outbroke in Pingan Hall in the town. The county magistrate hurried over taking the yamen runners. It’s said that the village that kid lives in has been quarantined. Fortunately Pingan Hall brought out the prescription for the precaution and treatment in the first place and the plague didn’t spread out. You’d better go to the town and buy a few doses of herbs. And, the county magistrate also brought the news about conscription. A war broke out at the front line, so the Court decides to draft temporarily. Every family with two or more 14 to 35 laborers has to offer one. I heard you have two younger brothers, so you’d better make preparations ahead. I’m afraid soon the official announcement would be issued to all villages.”

When Shopkeeper Zhang said the former part, Ling Jingxuan still looked unconcerned. When he came to the drafting part, Ling Jingxuan abruptly frowned. He didn’t care at all, since he was way below the standard for sure. But his younger brother would be dangerous. Given the whole family’s ignorance of his parents, plus yesterday’s thing, once the announced was issued, they’d definitely let Jingpeng go! Damn it! Why does it come at such a time? In times of cold arms, being a soldier means death!

Unaware of the murderous feeling under his eyes, Shopkeeper Zhang only thought he was worried as he was frowning there. So he hurriedly told him the remedies. All years’ battles, the national treasury has been in short supply, and the military expenditure is also very tense. So money and soldiers are both very important.

“Hmm, thank you for letting me know, brother Zhang.”

Withdrawing the killing feeling in the eyes, Ling Jingxuan cupped his hands and already wore a faint smile on the face. In the world, there’s no absolute good or bad thing. It might be a good chance for them. Who knows?

“You are welcome, brother Ling. I am just telling you it. You don’t have to thank me.”

On hearing how they called each other, one could tell their relationship had gotten one step closer. For this, Shopkeeper Zhang was very happy. He really liked this young man everyone called monster. He didn’t know why. He always had a strange feeling! This man isn’t a walk-over.

“Haha… I got nothing here, only got some mushroom I picked in the mountain to show my gratitude. Please take them with you.”

Hearing that, Ling Jingxuan also did not say much. He stood up and picked up a broken dustpan from the cupboard aside, where he got those mushrooms that had been soaked with the water from the Crescent Spring aired in. They were still very fresh now.

“What?! Mushrooms?”

Shopkeeper Zhang excitedly grabbed the dustpan, picked up one with his trembling hand to sniff, after quite a while, he turned to Ling Jingxuan and asked gingerly, “Can you distinguish mushrooms?”

Nodding, looking confused under that pair of phoenix long and thin eyes. Even a common person could distinguish those edible mushrooms from those poisonous ones, right? Let alone he is a skilled doctor and a killer.

“How can that be? Do you have any idea how precious mushrooms are? In the capital they even have a profession called mushroom identifier, only working for those big restaurants and big families. Even they would make a mistake sometimes and pick those poisonous mushrooms. Almost every year, people would die of it. It’s said mushroom identifiers only run in the family. They wouldn’t teach an outsider. How did you learn it?”

Hearing here, Ling Jingxuan finally know why he was so excited, and also suddenly remembered that when he picked mushrooms for the first time in the mountain, the little bun also said those mushrooms are poisonous and what he picked them for. At the time, he only thought the little bun was too small, so he didn’t know mushrooms are also edible. Heihei…can he say he has found another way of making a fortune?

“When I was a kid, I once met a traveling barefoot doctor who taught me science and how to distinguish mushrooms.”

Ling Jingxuan fabricated a character, anyway, no one would really go check it, right?

“No wonder. Brother Ling, you are really lucky. If you can pick more mushrooms later, you must send them to our Xinyuan Restaurant first. Don’t worry, I will give you a good price.”