Chapter 4: Shenshan Town

 

Qianshu Village and Houshu Village were the closest villages to Shenshan Town, and just a few dozen miles beyond Shenshan was the capital itself, Jingdu.

Xu Guoguo wanted to go to the capital someday. But to get there, she’d need to hitch a ride on an ox cart—and there weren’t any available right now. For today, her only option was to tag along with Xu Dehai to Shenshan Town.

Initially, her mother was against letting her youngest daughter go into town alone with her son. But Old Madam Xu’s words eventually swayed her:

“You pampered Nannan too much when she was little. That made her timid and antisocial, which is why she panicked so badly last time and fell off the cliff. You love her, yes, but you also need to let her grow. It’s just a trip to town, not to the mountains. Let her go.”

Her mother finally gave in—though not before reminding Xu Dehai a dozen times to look after his little sister properly. He agreed with growing impatience, and only then did the siblings set off.

It was winter, but the market was still bustling. Even though they were already running late, they passed several villagers from Houshu along the way. When the others saw Xu Guoguo walking on her own, their eyes widened in shock.

She understood those looks but didn’t care. Surprisingly, it was Xu Dehai who turned to comfort her.

“You don’t know how scary it was that day. You came back covered in blood—these people were all whispering behind our backs, saying you were as good as dead. Grandmother had to scold half the village for talking nonsense. Just ignore them!”

She glanced at him and nodded. “I don’t mind.”

Xu Dehai looked at her in surprise.

Xu Guoguo ignored his reaction.

It took more than an hour on foot to reach Shenshan Town from Qianshu Village. Xu Guoguo’s own stamina was fine, but the body she had inherited was far too weak. After half an hour, she was already short of breath. Though Xu Dehai had slowed his pace for her, it still wasn’t enough.

“Little sis, if we don’t pick up the pace, the market will be over by the time we get there.”

Xu Guoguo wanted to go faster too, but she was practically gasping for air. She looked at him and suddenly said, “Why are you going to town anyway?”

Xu Dehai blinked. “To go with you. And maybe look for work.”

Looking for work? She glanced at him suspiciously.

Given the family’s background and how she viewed gambling addicts, Xu Guoguo had the least patience for this second brother. The idea that he was genuinely out to find a job was hard to believe.

She narrowed her eyes, then suddenly said, “Second Brother, carry me.”

“…Huh?!”

“You said we’re in a hurry. Carry me then.”

Xu Dehai looked at her like she was crazy, then glanced at the sky. Gritting his teeth, he finally crouched down. “Fine! Get on!”

Xu Guoguo happily climbed onto his back.

Back in her old world, she’d never had any siblings. Being carried like this was actually kind of novel. Xu Dehai wasn’t especially muscular, but he managed to walk steadily with her on his back. From her position, she could see the sweat dripping down the back of his neck.

She enjoyed the ride guilt-free until they finally reached the entrance of Shenshan Town. He set her down.

“We’re here.”

Xu Dehai looked at her, expecting at least a “thank you.” But all she said was, “You’re too weak. You should exercise more.”

“…”

She ignored him and walked straight into town. The original Xu Guoguo had a pretty little wooden basket, dainty and well-made. She carried it on her back as she headed into the town center.

This was her first real exposure to the outside world, and it was very different from the village. The streets were lined with tiled rooftops and blue brick houses. But the “market” only spanned two long streets, just enough to see the end at a glance. Still, it was bustling, and she took in every detail.

Trade was lively. There were vegetable sellers, butchers, and street vendors everywhere. As Xu Dehai had said, they’d arrived quite late, and many of the early sellers were already packing up. But Xu Guoguo wasn’t here to buy products; she went straight to a pork stall.

It was a butcher’s shop with slabs of pork hanging over the rails. In ancient times, fatty meat was more desirable than lean, unlike modern preferences. The richer the cut, the more people liked it. Lean cuts like tenderloin or leg meat were cheaper by comparison.

Xu Dehai followed her in and was horrified. He quickly tugged her sleeve and whispered, “Are you crazy?! We don’t have money to buy meat!”

Of course she knew that. She wasn’t here to shop; she was here to check prices.

She had studied history. In the Song Dynasty, one wen was roughly equal to 0.7 yuan in modern money. She asked about the price of pork: around 20 wen for fatty meat and 15 for lean. That made it cheaper than in her previous life. Understanding the monetary system here was the first step toward making money.

Xu Dehai dragged her out of the shop, whispering, “Little sis, we really can’t afford meat. How about I get you a snack instead?”

“Snack? Are snacks cheaper than meat?”

“Of course not, snacks need sugar, and sugar is a luxury!”

“Then how are you planning to pay for it?”

“I have my ways!”

She raised an eyebrow at that. But since he walked off so confidently, she followed.

Along the way, she took in more details: a salt shop, a blacksmith, a grain store, and a cloth shop. The salt shop had a sign posted:

“Salt Price Today: 40 wen.”

Yikes, salt was more expensive than pork!

Then again, salt was a government monopoly. No surprise.

As she observed, Xu Dehai led the way to a snack shop. The owner was a young woman, probably in her late twenties. When she saw Xu Dehai, she immediately looked annoyed.

“Nannan, wait here.”

Xu Dehai grinned and went inside. Xu Guoguo had already read the situation.

That woman may have rolled her eyes, but her expression was unmistakably familiar, with a touch of scolding and exasperation.

… Could this be Xu Dehai’s ……..?

She looked away. She didn’t want to know.

Whatever he said in there, it worked. He came back out with two paper-wrapped packets.

“Here!” He handed her one, keeping the other for himself, clearly meant for his kids.

She gave him a sarcastic look. “So this was your ‘way’?”

“Huh?”

She didn’t bother explaining. She just walked off.

He scrambled after her. “Hey, wait! If I lose you, Mother will kill me!”

Xu Guoguo had pretty much finished looking through the market.

The whole town had just two breakfast stalls, one selling flatbreads and the other buns. There was only one restaurant, and its sign had a giant character for “lamb” on it, probably a lamb hotpot or stew shop. That was it. Most people in this town still cooked at home. Dining out was clearly a luxury.

She kept exploring. Fewer shops weren’t necessarily bad, but if the population was too small, there’d be no customers. Luckily, she finally spotted something promising: a small dock.

By mid-morning, more laborers had gathered there. Most of them were villagers unloading cargo. This was the key. If she set up a food stall near the docks, she’d have plenty of potential customers. These workers needed lunch!

She started wandering near the dock to get a feel for the area.

Xu Dehai caught up. “Sister, what are you even looking for? If you’re not buying anything, let’s go home!”

“I’m not buying anything. We don’t have money.”

“Didn’t Mother give you a coin pouch when we left? She didn’t give me anything, so it must’ve been given to you.”

She looked at him. “Do you want it?”

Xu Dehai blinked and quickly waved his hands. “No way! I’m not that bold. I just meant… If you’re done shopping, we should head back. I’m starving!”

She pointed toward the dock. “Didn’t you say you were looking for work? They’re hiring cargo haulers over there. Why don’t you go apply?”

Xu Dehai glanced over and chuckled. “Oh, sister… those guys all have connections. Not just anyone can get in.”

“…You need connections to move boxes?”

“Of course! These are official contracts. You have to grease a few palms to get in.”

She nodded. “Got it. It’s all about the radishes.”

“…What radishes?”

“One radish, one hole,” she said, walking off.

He blinked for a moment, then laughed. “That’s actually a good metaphor!”

They wandered the town a while longer. She now had a full grasp of things. The town really only got busy after mid-morning, once people from surrounding villages arrived. The population turnover was high, which was exactly what she needed for a business.

“Second Brother!” She grinned. “The restaurant just opened. Let me treat you to lunch.”

Xu Dehai was so hungry that he actually gasped. “Really?!”

The restaurant was next to the pork shop they’d seen earlier. Just as Xu Guoguo approached, a figure flashed past her vision, and she froze.

Her memory, honed from years in the food business, was sharp. She recognized him instantly.

The hunter who had come to their house yesterday.

It was Shan San.

He was carrying a basket of wild boar meat into the butcher’s shop.

Xu Dehai spotted him too and grinned. “Whoa, look at that! Shan San must’ve caught something again. Lucky guy!”

“Why do you all call him Shan San (Third son of Shan)? Doesn’t he have a name?”

“Sure, something… ‘Yuan’ something. I can’t remember. It’s not important. Come on, let’s see what he’s selling!”

Xu Dehai pulled her over. She had the same idea.

In this era, wild game wasn’t illegal. If livestock was too expensive, wild animals were the next best thing. They sold well.

“Twenty. That’s my final offer.”

“That’s young wild boar meat!”

The butcher was trying to lowball. He was offering the same price as domestic pork. Shan San clearly wasn’t happy.

“If you don’t like the price, take it to the county,” the clerk sneered.

Just as Shan San was about to hand over the basket, a pale, slender arm shot out to stop him.

“Only twenty for such fresh wild boar? You’re being way too honest. I just heard those dockworkers complaining they haven’t seen wild game in ages. They said they’d pay forty wen if they could get some!”

Everyone paused.

Shan San looked at the girl in surprise. Xu Guoguo winked at him behind the butcher’s back.

The butcher frowned. “Forty? Please. Those laborers don’t even make that in a day!”

“They don’t, sure,” she smiled, turning to face him. “But they do have stable work. Once in a while, they want to treat themselves. And with winter coming, wild game will be harder to find.”

She tugged at Shan San. “Come on, let’s go sell to them instead.”

Xu Dehai caught on instantly. “Right! Let’s go sell it ourselves!”

The butcher panicked. “W-wait!”

She glanced back calmly.

He gritted his teeth. “Not forty. Thirty!”

“Thirty-five.”

“You!”

She started to leave.

“Fine! Thirty-five it is! Deal!”

Xu Guoguo grinned and shot Shan San another look. He gave her a long, unreadable glance, clearly puzzled, but in the end, he lowered the basket and sold nearly half a boar’s worth of meat.

Author’s Note:
Though the title says Bianjing, this is a semi-fictional setting. I researched the general currency system and background, but there are still fictional elements. Please don’t overanalyze!
Red packets continue!

Cultural Notes:

1. One radish, one hole: A Chinese idiom meaning every position has one person, no more. Meaning every position is already taken, used here to refer to monopolized job slots.

2. Wen: The basic unit of currency in many dynasties. Author’s estimate: 1 wen ≈ 0.7 modern RMB (~$0.10 USD).