Chapter 20: Gathering Together

Lin Qiuran chuckled softly. Aunt Li glanced back, caught in the act of gossiping behind someone’s back. Embarrassed, her expression darkened momentarily.

But her sulking was brief, and soon she wore a stern face, asking, “What are you laughing at?”

Lin Qiuran replied, “Of course I’m laughing because it’s amusing.”

She had intended to leave quietly, but since the conversation had turned to her, she listened a moment longer as Li Cuihua continued spreading rumors.

Lin Qiuran said, “Aunt, your mindset is quite remarkable. If anything happens in the family in the future, you’ll just blame others. Then anyone who went out with you that day, anyone you ran into, or even your own family members, would be held responsible. At least you have the courage to say your household has had no joyous or sorrowful events.

Besides, my husband died fighting in the war, sacrificing for the country with great honor. The government even exempted our family from taxes for five years. Moreover, many others have died defending the homeland each year—it's not just my husband. Should we then say all these people’s families have bad luck? That would be too much of a grievance against fate.”

Turning to Li Cuihua, Lin Qiuran said, “Gossiping behind others’ backs is the habit of a long-tongued woman.”

She then addressed the other women, “Ladies and aunts, today she spoke about my Xiao family to you. One day, she might talk about you to others. It’s not that I want to sow discord, but you really should be cautious.”

Having said that, Lin Qiuran clapped her hands and went home. Once she left, the seated women quickly dispersed—one said it was time to prepare dinner, another said the chickens needed feeding, and yet another exclaimed, “Why is there smoke coming from my house? Could it be on fire? I’ll go see.”

None of them glanced at Li Cuihua’s face as they hurried away.

Upon reflection, Lin Qiuran’s words made sense. Xiao Xun died a hero for the country; without people like him, they wouldn’t have a decent life. It was one thing not to help others, but to spread gossip behind their backs was worse. A widow was already pitiful enough—Lin Qiuran didn’t even beat her child and remarried; just that alone was more than they could do.

They knew Li Cuihua well—talkative and always commenting on others’ affairs, probably gossiping about them behind their backs too.

When everyone had left, Li Cuihua’s face flushed a deep purplish-red.

Lin Qiuran closed her door behind her, realizing there was no work to be found in the village.

Sun looked at her and asked, “How was it out there?”

Lin Qiuran said, “Not many people. The wind picked up, so I came back.”

They would sell fish first—tomorrow making garlic-flavored crucian carp. Adding it all up, there were over forty fish. Lin Qiuran instructed Sun, if Zhao Guangcai didn’t come tomorrow, to go look for him.

If the house hadn’t sold and the owner refused to lower the price, they’d have to find another way. If it was sold, it meant she wasn’t destined for that house. Since she wasn’t showing yet, it wouldn’t hurt to make a few trips to the county seat and slowly save money.

The next day was also clear and sunny, with the weather growing cooler by the day. Lin Qiuran found cooking fish less exhausting, much easier than before.

She got up early to prepare the garlic-flavored crucian carp, which Sun and Xiao Dashi then took to the county. They returned around the same time yesterday, but today Lin Qiuran went to the village entrance to look and saw no sign of them.

They were late coming back, and Lin Qiuran felt worried.

She worried they might have encountered trouble on the road and that the fish wouldn’t sell well. After all, they sold quite a few yesterday, and even if the crucian carp was cheap, people might not want to buy more so soon after.

About fifteen minutes before the expected time, Sun and Xiao Dashi finally pushed the cart back. Sun’s expression was grim. Lin Qiuran closed the gate and asked, “Did the fish not sell, or what happened?”

Sun shook her head. “Qiuran, the fish sold, and Boss Zhao came today, but he said... the house owner won’t lower the price, stuck at thirty-seven taels, not a single coin less.”

Zhao Guangcai had tried to negotiate for two days without success, having done all he could.

Sun had been worried all the way back. Lin Qiuran recalled she said the family had saved thirty-four taels, earned seven hundred and ninety-six wen from fish sales yesterday, and two hundred and forty-three wen today.

Including the money borrowed from Aunt Chong, that totaled just thirty-six taels. They still had to pay Zhao Guangcai’s middleman fee and deed tax, which was not enough.

Sun sighed heavily in distress. Lin Qiuran said, “Mother, don’t worry yet. We still have some fish left to sell tomorrow and can make more money. I’ll go with you tomorrow to exchange the gold and change all the copper coins into silver. Then we’ll ask Madam Yu at the Wang household for a loan.”

They could also ask if the Wang family needed thirteen-spice seasoning and offer to sell two jars at a discount.

Sun said, “Alright, but Boss Zhao said many have looked at the house. Qiuran, do you think someone else might buy it tomorrow?”

It was rare to find a buyer, and if someone else got it, all their efforts would be wasted. Sun knew Lin Qiuran wanted to buy a house in the county and would be upset if she failed.

Lin Qiuran comforted her, “Boss Zhao is just doing his job. It’s fine—we think it’s expensive, others probably do too. It won’t sell immediately; we’ll check again tomorrow.”

Sun nodded. That was all they could do. She said, “Then let’s prepare the fish tomorrow, and once ready, we’ll go to town by ox cart.”

Lin Qiuran agreed, “I’ll tidy up the house first.”

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All the earnings these days were in copper coins. Previously, one thousand and twenty copper coins could be exchanged for one tael of silver. Now, she wasn’t sure.

There were four thousand four hundred and eighty copper coins; Lin Qiuran strung every thousand into a bundle, called a “string of money,” which could be exchanged for about four taels and four qian of silver.

At the post station, payment was in silver. The family’s silver totaled seventeen taels and six qian, which Lin Qiuran had weighed three times for certainty.

The gold bracelet dug from the field remained in its box. Lin Qiuran took it out to examine. The bracelet and earrings were beautiful. After a while, she carefully put the earrings, bracelet, and box away separately.

That morning, Xiao Dashi had gone fishing again and caught a few carp, which could be sold over the next couple of days. Carp brought better profits.

Lin Qiuran touched her belly, which was still flat. She hadn’t shown any sign of pregnancy yet. She had been going everywhere and felt no change; perhaps the child was obedient and strong.

She thought to herself, I want to take you to the city, but if money is short, we’ll have to wait. Still, there has been steady income, so not for long.

After dinner, Lin Qiuran washed up and went to bed. Early the next morning, she prepared fish. Once done, she and Sun set off in the ox cart to the county seat, leaving Xiao Dashi to sell the fish with the cart.

They had been selling fish for several days now with fixed prices, only waiting for customers to weigh and buy. It wasn’t too troublesome, and Xiao Dashi could manage alone.

Once they finished their business, they could go help him.

First, they went to the money exchange and converted all copper coins into silver. Fortune smiled on them; one thousand and three copper coins exchanged for one tael. They exchanged four taels and four qian in total.

Lin Qiuran carefully put away the silver and then, with Sun, inquired about pawnshops in town, discovering three.

Although she had a rough idea of the value, Lin Qiuran wanted to check all three for comparison.

The first pawnshop was nearby, only a quarter-hour walk away.

A sign hung outside with the character for “pawn.”

Inside was a straight counter, behind which was a multi-compartment cabinet with a statue of the God of Wealth on top. Various items were in the compartments.

Sun looked around, following Lin Qiuran.

Lin Qiuran asked, “Boss, do you accept items?”

The owner lazily raised his eyelids, “What do you have? Let me see.”

Lin Qiuran said, “Family heirloom jewelry.”

She took out the earrings and placed them on the counter. The owner picked them up, examined them in his palm, held them to the light, and weighed them on a small scale. Glancing at Lin Qiuran, he said, “Two qian in weight. If you pawn it without redeeming, I can give you two taels of silver.”

Pawned items could be redeemed within a period; if not, the shop sold them.

The weight matched Lin Qiuran’s own: the bracelet was one tael and one qian, one earring one qian, totaling one tael and three qian.

But these were jewelry pieces, not raw gold or silver. Lin Qiuran said, “Boss, this is gold jewelry. Two taels is too little.”

The shopkeeper replied, “Ah, old jewelry is melted down and remade. What use is the design? You’ll find the same price elsewhere.”

Lin Qiuran took back the earrings without showing the bracelet, planning to visit another shop. If the price was the same, she could always return.

At the second pawnshop, she again showed the earrings. The owner examined them and, knowing she intended to pawn them without redeeming, said, “The design is decent. Two qian total weight; I’ll give you three taels.”

Lin Qiuran added, “There’s also a bracelet. Boss, take a look.”

The owner examined the bracelet, weighed it, and said, “It’s quite heavy, but the design isn’t as exquisite as the earrings. I can offer you twelve taels for the bracelet.”

Twelve plus three made fifteen taels—more than Lin Qiuran had calculated, which surprised her. Still, she suspected such places never gave honest prices.

Lin Qiuran said, “Boss, this is my family’s heirloom, cherished by elders. It cost several dozen taels originally. Fifteen is too low. The style is still fashionable now. If it weren’t urgent, I wouldn’t sell.”

Gold jewelry’s value is certainly different from raw gold; jewelry has been precious since ancient times.

Sun watched anxiously, impressed by Lin Qiuran’s shrewdness. Though she couldn’t speak like that, she wouldn’t hold Lin Qiuran back.

Unexpectedly, the owner was unmoved. “Madam, everyone who pawns things here is desperate. No matter how much you paid, once it leaves the jewelry shop, the price changes. I’ve already offered you a lot. There are others who pay the gold price.”

This was a standard line from pawnshops, which the proprietor had heard countless times.

There were indeed places that paid by gold price, but Lin Qiuran still intended to check the last pawnshop. She believed in comparing three places—if the last didn’t offer more, she’d return to this one. After all, pawnshops didn’t run away.

If she sold now, she’d have enough for the house, but more money was always better.

After leaving, Sun whispered, “I didn’t expect the gold jewelry to fetch so much.”

Lin Qiuran was surprised too; it showed the original owners must have been wealthy or noble. Even if she sold it for a few taels more, the family’s finances would ease. Surely moving house didn’t mean abandoning valuables; if all the money went to the house, life would be hard.

They asked around and found the last pawnshop.

This one was larger, the floor polished and reflective. The counter displayed abacuses and ledgers. Besides the owner, there was an assistant.

Lin Qiuran again showed the earrings. The owner inspected and weighed them.

Before he spoke, Lin Qiuran explained, “These are heirlooms. The previous shop offered fifteen taels. They said I shouldn’t be fooled by gold prices; I know the market.”

If this owner thought the items were good, he’d naturally offer more.

The owner examined the bracelet and earrings carefully, even using a magnifying glass, silently contemplating their worth.

After a while, he asked, “Pawned without redemption or with?”

Lin Qiuran said, “Without redemption.”

They were found items, and quicker resale was better.

The owner nodded. Pawned goods were resold quickly; if he paid too much, his profit would shrink. Since the other shop gave fifteen taels, he said, “I’ll add one more tael.”

Lin Qiuran took a deep breath, “Add two more taels. The bracelet is exquisite, and so are the earrings. With a good cleaning, they’ll sell easily. You’ll profit quickly.”

The owner smiled, “Alright. If you have more like this, bring them here.”

Lin Qiuran nodded. Thinking further, she took out the box. “Look at this too.”

She hadn’t expected the box to be valuable. But since the owner mentioned it, she reconsidered. The box matched the bracelet; the bracelet fetched a good price. The box, buried so long underground, had a corroded lock, but its pattern remained intact with no signs of insect damage or rot.

The owner glanced at it with interest. “Let me see.”

Lin Qiuran handed it over. The owner examined it with a magnifying glass, turning it over. It was a flat square box with patterns on top and bottom; only the lock was broken.

“It’s made of rosewood, good material. The lock is gold.”

He opened it several times, scrutinizing every side, then said, “I’ll give you ten taels for the box. That’s with the bracelet, selling together. You won’t find prices like this elsewhere. You’ve seen other shops, so you know.”

Lin Qiuran hadn’t expected the box to fetch money, much less a high price. She had been too excited about finding gold to consider the box’s value, unaware the lock was gold.

She nodded, “Alright. We need the money; otherwise, we wouldn’t sell.”

The owner nodded, wrote a receipt, and asked Lin Qiuran to stamp it with her seal—two copies, just in case.

Lin Qiuran thought the items were worth more; otherwise, they wouldn’t offer twenty-seven taels, roughly half the market price for resale.

But resold goods weren’t priced by original cost.

Pocketing the money, Lin Qiuran and Sun left the pawnshop.

She kept the silver close. Now with the house money ready, she could talk to Zhao Guangcai today.

Selling the lingzhi brought ten taels, the gold twenty-seven—exactly thirty-seven taels, the house price.