Of course, transportation was just one aspect.
Selling vegetables also requires a scale, which in these times is quite rare and costs at least twenty copper coins.
This is another significant expense.
Another important point is that the villagers aren't very familiar with the current vegetable price trends.
Many grow a little just for themselves and haven't thought about making money from it.
So, it's understandable that Lidong wants to grow vegetables since he saw how much money Chen Xiaobei made selling vegetables to Old Wu.
"Brother Lidong, I have some vegetable seeds at home. You can take them and try planting them. However, I won't give you the seeds for free. When you harvest, you'll need to give me at least five jin of vegetables."
The seeds weren't cheap, but thinking about the future profits, Lidong still agreed.
Actually, Chen Xiaobei didn't ask for much. He even gave a discounted price, as seeds were indeed expensive these days.
Lidong was a man of action. That afternoon, after work, he went home and spread vegetable seeds all over the empty space in his yard and around the walls of his house.
Seeing this, his wife, Qiumei, couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing, dear?"
Lidong quickly responded, "I've spread vegetable seeds in this area. In a few days, vegetables will start to grow, so don't pull them out thinking they're weeds."
Qiumei looked confused. "Why plant so many? We can't even eat them all."
"Hehe, let me tell you, I'm not planting these vegetables to eat. I plan to sell them in the city. In the city, one jin of vegetables can sell for one big copper coin."
Hearing this, Qiumei widened her eyes in surprise. "Really?"
"Of course. Today, when I went to the city with Chen Xiaobei, I saw him pull a cart full of vegetables and sell them for ninety copper coins. This is much easier than going out and selling Daliqing."
After dinner, Chen Xiaobei sat under the oil lamp and carefully drew out the route he took to the mountain yesterday from memory. When Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiao'er saw him drawing again, they were both curious and came over.
Although the map Chen Xiaobei drew wasn't very precise, it still looked fairly accurate. He marked the paths very clearly, especially the forks in the road. This detail was very important.
At this point, Cui Hongyu understood. She asked in surprise, "Husband, did you walk this far into the mountain? Don't go deeper. Grandpa said there are wild beasts up there."
Chen Xiaobei, of course, understood a basic principle: if you walk by the river often enough, you'll eventually get your shoes wet.
It's impossible for such a large mountain not to have wolves, tigers, or leopards.
As the village elder said, the absence of poisonous snakes on Qingniu Mountain is already a gift from the heavens.
That's why drawing the route to the mountain was even more important.
Next time, when we go into the mountain, with this map, choosing the correct route and reducing the time spent on the mountain will naturally reduce the danger.
"It's fine. We'll go in as a group, and Sun Jian and the others are all skilled in martial arts." That was the only thing Chen Xiaobei could say.
"By the way, I still need to go to the county early tomorrow. After I come back, I'll go into the mountain with Sun Jian."
Cui Hongyu furrowed her brows, looking worried. "Husband, tomorrow, take Qiao'er and me to the county. I also want to familiarize myself with the route. In the future, if something happens, I can go to the county for you."
When she heard they were going to the county, Chen Qiao'er clapped her hands in delight.
"Yes, yes! I've never been to the county."
Chen Xiaobei thought for a moment. Cui Hongyu's suggestion was reasonable. He would definitely become busier in the future.
So, having her familiarize herself with the county beforehand was a good idea.
"Alright, tomorrow we'll go together. By the way, let's stop by Brother Dachun's place on the way."
The next day, once again, before it was light, Chen Xiaobei got up.
This time, hearing the noise, Cui Hongyu immediately woke up. To their surprise, Chen Qiao'er also opened her eyes immediately.
"Brother, Sister-in-law, are we leaving now?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled and gently tapped her on the head. "Don't rush. Let me and your sister-in-law pick the vegetables from the field first."
"Then Qiao'er will make porridge. You and sister-in-law can have it when you return."
What a well-behaved child, Chen Xiaobei felt a warmth in his heart.
As the sky lightened, the three of them set off for the county.
It was Chen Qiao'er's first time in the city, and she was full of curiosity, wide-eyed, looking at everything around her.
When she saw something exciting, she couldn't help but shout.
After all, she was still a child, and Chen Xiaobei certainly didn't stop her from doing anything. On the contrary, he felt a bit guilty. He would have to bring Chen Qiao'er out more in the future to see the world.
Once in the county, they delivered the vegetables to Old Wu, who again gave Chen Xiaobei ninety copper coins.
Seeing this, Cui Hongyu was a bit surprised.
She hadn't expected that this was how Chen Xiaobei sold the vegetables.
"Husband, why don't we sell the vegetables ourselves?"
Chen Xiaobei chuckled, "If we sell it ourselves, I'd probably have to stay here for most of the day. If luck's not on our side, we might still have a few pounds left in hand, and we may not even get these ninety copper coins. Now, we can take a good walk around the county."
Chen Xiaobei had his own plans for the money. First, he went to buy some fabric and asked Cui Hongyu to help make two sets of clothes for Chen Qiao'er.
When they arrived at the silk shop, someone almost bumped into Chen Xiaobei as they came out. Upon closer inspection, it was Feng Xiaoyue.
"Ah, it's Xiaoyue!" Chen Xiaobei greeted her first.
But Feng Xiaoyue seemed evasive. She gave a brief response and turned to walk away.
Just as she was about to turn, Chen Xiaobei noticed several fresh scars on her face.
"Miss Xiaoyue, what happened to you?"
However, she didn't say a word and walked straight away.
She also seemed to be walking a bit unsteadily.
Seeing this, Cui Hongyu softly spoke, "Husband, judging by how she looks, she probably has injuries on her body too."
"Husband, who is she?"
Chen Xiaobei snapped out of it and hurriedly explained, "Oh, her name is Xiaoyue. She's the one I sent money to for treatment last time."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head after speaking. He had already said that she didn't need the money last time, maybe she was just afraid he'd come to collect a debt.
After getting the fabric, the three of them headed toward the snack shop. Since it was their first time visiting Brother Dachun's house, they couldn't go empty-handed, so they thought they should bring something along.
As they were walking forward, Cui Hongyu, with her keen eyes, pointed ahead. "Look, someone's lying on the ground."
Chen Xiaobei thought the clothes looked familiar, and his heart skipped a beat. Could it be Feng Xiaoyue?
He jumped off the cart and hurried over. It was indeed Feng Xiaoyue.
In a panic, he remembered how he had seen people saving others in TV dramas, so he quickly pressed on her pressure point.
It worked! Feng Xiaoyue exhaled deeply and slowly opened her eyes.
Chen Xiaobei's move surprised Cui Hongyu. She hadn't expected that Chen Xiaobei was quite the all-rounder—he could even save lives.
When Feng Xiaoyue woke up, Chen Xiaobei felt a bit embarrassed. In his haste to save her, he had pulled her into his arms. Now that she was awake, the situation felt awkward.