Chapter 48: A Place of Fortune

Jiang Lili handed out the cooling shirts delivered by Xiaopang, allowing Xin Che and the others to change into them.

The style of the cooling shirts Xiaopang had chosen was very similar to the ancient hunting outfits, so they didn’t look out of place on the group.

The outer layer of the cooling shirts was made from waterproof fabric, while the inner layer was a cooling technology fabric, which ensured that even in the humid and hot mountain forests, they wouldn’t feel overly stuffy.

After putting on the shirt, Xin Cheng repeatedly marveled, “This fabric is light and cool. It must be quite expensive. I wonder what material it’s made of.”

“Don’t rush, you’ll learn once we get to Haizhou,” Jiang Lili replied with a mischievous smile. “You, little brother, will be indispensable when it comes to farming, construction, and building things in Haizhou.”

Liao Ji was at the gate of the courtyard, battling crickets with Xin Yan. When he saw everyone in their new clothes, especially Xin Che in the tight-fitting black mountaineering outfit, looking like a male model—handsome and impressive—he crossed his arms and, with a cool expression, turned to Jiang Lili. “Sister Lili, what about mine?”

Jiang Lili silently handed him a children’s shirt with a “Meiyangyang” (a popular cartoon character) design.

“Xiaopang said this is the last one in the smallest size, and it’s this pattern.”

Liao Ji was speechless. He suspected Xiaopang did it on purpose, but he had no evidence.

Seeing the disgusted expression on Liao Ji’s face, Jiang Lili teased, “Master Liao, if you don’t wear it and get bitten by mosquitoes, don’t come crying to me. I’m not a miracle doctor.”

Liao Ji, with a serious face, took the children’s cooling shirt and went inside to change.

In addition to the cooling mountaineering outfits, everyone was equipped with mountaineering poles, hiking boots, mosquito-repellent bracelets, and other necessary items.

The group then arrived at the relay station, where they met up with the exile team. Thanks to Jiang Lili, the officers had been staying in excellent rooms at the inn for the past two days, and now they greeted the Marquis’s family warmly, almost ready to put up a “Welcome Back to the Team” banner.

After the group gathered, they left the city and headed towards the Qinglin Mountain range in the southern part of Linzhou City.

In addition to increasing the manpower, Magistrate Li had also sent an extra cart to carry supplies for the journey. The original cart was, of course, given to the Marquis’s household, and no one dared to raise any objections.

Captain Wang had timed everything perfectly. By the time they reached the base of the mountain, the sun had risen, and the heavy fog in the forest began to thin out.

At first, the exile team didn’t notice much difference between Qinglin Mountain and other mountains—they saw only more trees and grass, and the lush greenery was quite soothing.

However, as they ascended further into the mountains, mosquitoes gradually became more numerous, and the ground beneath their feet turned damp and slippery.

People kept breaking off thick branches from the trees to use as support while climbing. With one hand gripping the branch, they used the other to swat away the mosquitoes that came near. They also had to be cautious of any bugs falling from above or any thorny plants or seeds that might stick to them—everyone was busy dealing with it all.

In contrast, the Marquis’s household was fully equipped, from head to toe—hats, goggles, face masks—there was no place for the insects to land. With their mountaineering poles and hiking boots, they moved with ease and comfort.

Captain Wang, while swatting away mosquitoes, couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Miss Jiang, why don’t the mosquitoes go near you guys?”

“Did you all use some kind of mosquito-repellent sachet?”

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention toward Jiang Lili.

Jiang Lili took out a mosquito-repellent bracelet from her sleeve and said, “This is a mosquito-repellent bracelet. They’re fifty wen each, but the quantity is limited, so it’s first come, first served.”

When they heard the price of fifty wen, some people were unhappy.

“Fifty wen? That’s so expensive! You could buy two pounds of meat with that!”

“You’re really making it hard for us—who can just pull out fifty wen like that?”

“It’s fine if you don’t have money right now; you can buy on credit and repay in Haizhou,” Jiang Lili announced loudly. “If any of you have special skills or a particular talent, you can work as labor to pay it off instead.”

She was no benevolent saint. Even if immortals came to her, they’d have to work for her for a year before leaving.

“Lili, let’s just forget it. These people don’t know quality when they see it,” Xin Che said, pulling Jiang Lili along to continue walking.

“Wait, wait, wait! Miss Jiang, I’ll take one!”

Captain Wang and the other officers had learned their lesson after experiencing the consequences of not taking Jiang Lili’s offerings seriously. They weren’t going to make the same mistake again. When Miss Jiang offered something, it was guaranteed to be top-notch!

The officers took fifty wen each from their newly received salaries and handed it to Jiang Lili. Just like that, she made a quick profit of five hundred wen. One tael of silver could be exchanged for a string of coins (1,000 wen), so Jiang Lili had just earned half a tael of silver.

“Miss Jiang, my Concubine Yin is working for you as a cook. That counts as contributing effort, doesn’t it? Surely I can get a mosquito-repellent bracelet for that?”

At this point, Liao Cheng, the censor official whom Yin Zhen had been following, stepped forward and asked Jiang Lili for a bracelet.

Seeing Liao Cheng, Yin Zhen looked somewhat frightened, and Liao Ji quickly tightened his grip on his mother’s hand.

Jiang Lili was stunned by the audacity of this man. “No wonder you’re a censor official—your thick skin is unmatched!”

“Yin Zhen is working for me as a cook. What does that have to do with you? She’s not your property!”

Liao Cheng’s face turned from green to white at Jiang Lili’s blunt words. He immediately tried to use the pedantic ethics of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues to argue with her. “The saying goes, ‘When married, a woman follows her husband; when widowed, she follows her son.’ Concubine Yin is naturally—”

Jiang Lili waved her hand impatiently. “So, if you’re bitten by poisonous bugs and die here, by your logic, Yin Zhen would then follow her son, Liao Dabao, right?”

“Well, in that case, I have even less reason to give you one.”

Jiang Lili called for Yin Zhen and Liao Dabao to leave with her.

“This… this…” Liao Cheng, completely flustered by Jiang Lili’s logic, could only sputter. Finally, he burst out angrily, “You… you venomous woman!”

Xin Che, hearing this, turned back and cast a cold, piercing glare at Liao Cheng.

Liao Cheng immediately fell silent, trembling like a cicada in winter.

He muttered under his breath, “Hmph, fine, no bracelet then. I’m strong enough to swat mosquitoes barehanded!”

Just as he finished speaking, a large green mosquito flew near him. Liao Cheng clapped his hands together with a loud “smack,” venting all his frustration on the unfortunate insect.

Someone exclaimed in alarm, “Hey, Old Liao! Didn’t Captain Wang warn us not to smack those green mosquitoes? They’re poisonous!”

Looking at his hands now covered in green goo, Liao Cheng quickly wiped them on his clothes. But soon, he felt a searing pain spreading across his palms.

“Ah! My hand—”

Jiang Lili saw her chance. Holding a bottle of antidote and pain-relief ointment, she walked over to Liao Cheng. “Didn’t want the bracelet? Fine. How about buying some ointment?”

“200 wen per treatment.”

“No, I—” Liao Cheng gritted his teeth, but Jiang Lili cut him off, speaking in an ominous tone, “Then just let your hand rot. It’ll swell, fester, and stink—”

Terrified by her description, Liao Cheng closed his eyes in defeat. “Fine, I’ll buy it!”

He turned to his wife and barked, “Madam, hand over the money!”

Reluctantly, his wife pulled out 200 wen and handed it over, shooting a glare at Yin Zhen. “What’s the point of keeping you around if you’re useless to the master?”

Jiang Lili, now beaming with joy, called out, “Dabao, come help your father apply the ointment!”

Liao Cheng’s wife frowned and snapped, “Shouldn’t you just give us the entire bottle?”

Jiang Lili grinned slyly. “Madam, this is a pay-per-treatment service. If you want the whole bottle, that’s another 1,000 wen.”

<< _ >>

Related Posts

Leave a Reply