I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 13 This guy has absolutely no concept of money.

Sitting on the oxcart, Dongfang Jin was not only being jolted about by the bumpy road, but she was also feeling dizzy and disoriented. Just when she couldn't take it anymore, the oxcart stopped. Had they arrived in the county town?

"Have you heard? Old Tang's son has been promoted, and his whole family is going to Huzhou to take up his post," a man carrying a load on a shoulder pole said to several men carrying baskets on their backs.

One of the men carrying a basket asked in surprise, "Really? Huzhou isn't close to us at all. It's near the Southern Qiang Kingdom. I heard it's hot there all year round."

“Our whole family works on their land, how could we possibly be on leave?”

I'm worried because if they leave, we'll have to sell all our belongings. We don't even know what kind of people we'll end up with.

Another man carrying a basket on his back spoke up, jokingly saying, "What if all the land in Xiaowan Village is sold after they leave? If that happens, your family will have to change owners again."

The man carrying the load on a shoulder pole looked even more worried and said, "That's right, we might not even be able to cultivate the land."

"Does he also need to buy all those other houses and land in his family's other areas?"

"Definitely, sigh, there are huge areas like that everywhere, who can come up with that much money?"

I heard that no one has bought the orchards and land in Lingwu Village yet; not even a single person has inquired about them.

"Hehe, nobody's buying land in Xiaowan Village, and nobody's buying land in Lingwu Village either. I heard there's a big mansion in Lingwu Village, is that true?"

"Who says otherwise? I heard that Old Tang plans to retire there, and he built the house there for peace and quiet."

"Now look what's happened. If no one lives there for even a day, we have to sell. Who would go to that remote place if they could afford it?"

"Hehe, maybe someone will actually buy it?"

"Now, those with money are moving to the county seat and the prefectural city. In the county, those with money are buying land and houses in Xiaowan Village instead of Lingwu Village."

"You don't know, of all the surrounding villages, Lingwu Village is the poorest and most chaotic."

"makes sense."

……

The two chatted back and forth, one saying something unintentionally while the other took it to heart.

And sure enough, Dongfang Jin took it to heart.

She leaned closer to Gu Chenglin and whispered, "Do you know where they're talking about?"

If that's the case, wouldn't she be getting a great deal? Haha, what a stroke of luck!

Gu Chenglin looked at the person who was blowing air into his ear, his eyes flashed for a moment, and he nodded: "It's not far from where we are living now, at the foot of the mountain to the south."

Fourth Aunt's land is all over there. Not far from Old Master Tang's orchard is Sun Xing's family's; they raise pigs there.

That house was indeed nice, and it was one he had considered before, but even if he wanted to buy it, he wouldn't buy it so quickly.

Otherwise, the Gu family would keep nagging him endlessly.

Having received the answer, Dongfang Jin jumped off the oxcart before Gu Chenglin could react and approached the two men who were talking.

Looking at the man carrying a shoulder pole, both baskets were filled with large, attractive-looking cabbages.

"Hello, elder brother," Dongfang Jin interrupted the two brothers.

“Hello,” the man carrying the load on a shoulder pole replied.

The other men looked at her curiously, wondering why this woman was taking the initiative to strike up a conversation with a stranger; it was quite unusual.

Her action startled Gu Chenglin. What was she trying to do? Didn't she understand?

Dongfang Jin didn't care about any of that, and politely asked the man carrying the shoulder pole, "What is your surname, brother?"

Seeing her like this, the man carrying the cabbages seemed a little nervous and took two steps back while carrying his load: "I...I'm surnamed Zhang, from...Xiaowan Village next door."

Seeing his reaction, Dongfang Jin didn't approach him further. Instead, she smiled and said, "Brother Zhang, I overheard your conversation. Do you know how much this Master Tang's land and house in Lingwu Village are selling for?"

When Zhang Liang heard that she had come after hearing these words, he lowered his guard, but he was terrified.

He has a family, so what if he were to encounter someone with ill intentions?

Fortunately, it was about Master Tang's house, and then she started talking: "Hehe, little sister, you've come to the right person."

My uncle works as a doorman for Master Tang in Lingwu Village. Yesterday, when my uncle came home, he said that Master Tang had lowered the price.

Eighty acres of fertile land, one hundred acres of orchard, and a newly built two-courtyard house by Master Tang—he only wants eighteen thousand taels of silver.

My uncle told me that these originally sold for 2,800 taels of silver.

Those lands were all large tracts of fertile farmland, costing eight taels of silver per mu.

My uncle told me that the orchard was planted with fruit trees bought from the Western Regions, some kind of grapes or peaches.

They said they were fruit trees, but they all grow by crawling on the ground. I think he was just fooled.

Those fruit trees have been neglected since they were planted, and now, three years later, they still haven't borne any fruit.

Dongfang Jin became more and more excited as he listened, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he became more sincere: "Brother Zhang, do you know how to contact this Mr. Tang?"

Grapes? Haha, then what about trellises for grapes? Just put them on the ground? Then all you'd be doing is letting the vines grow.

Why did she feel that the furnishings in this Mr. Tang's house were prepared specifically for her?

Ah! I miss the days when small advertisements were plastered all over the streets. It was really inconvenient to do anything in ancient times.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang hesitated: "This...?"

Seeing his expression, Dongfang Jin understood what he meant. She turned to look at the cabbages in his basket and asked, "Brother Zhang, your cabbages are really lovely. How much are they?"

When Zhang Liang heard her say that, he perked up: "Haha, you have good taste, sister. My family's cabbages are second to none in our village, if not the best."

My cabbages cost ten coins each at the market. Don't think they're expensive. See this pattern? That's called a small walnut pattern. This cabbage is not only delicious, but also tender.

How many are there in total?

"I picked out thirty in total today."

"Brother Zhang, how about this? I'll take all thirty cabbages, no haggling. How about you give me these two baskets too?"

Zhang Liang looked at her incredulously, then overjoyed: "Really?"

Dongfang Jin pointed to the long line of oxcarts not far away and said, "Hey, help me carry the cart up here. My brother has trouble walking."

Seeing this, Zhang Liang chuckled and said, "Alright!"

Gu Chenglin: "..." Speechless. If they weren't in a queue, he would have stopped her long ago. Is it really okay to make decisions on her own? Headache.

Seeing that he was not moving for a long time and was looking her up and down, Dongfang Jin immediately understood and took out three strings of copper coins from her sleeve and handed them to him.

Seeing this, Zhang Liang immediately waved his hand, quickly moved the vegetables to the car, neatly placed them, jumped out of the car, took the money, and smiled: "Hehe, you're a straightforward girl."

After saying that, she leaned closer to Dongfang Jin and whispered, "Old Master Tang's house is on the street behind Xuanbao Pavilion in the county. The plaque on the door says 'Tang Mansion.' Little sister, is your family going to buy that land?"

When Dongfang Jin saw him asking so mysteriously, she shook her head: "No, it's a distant relative of mine. The elderly person in the family is getting old and likes cleanliness, so they want to find a quiet place."

Zhang Liang weighed the money in his hand. Seeing how readily Dongfang Jin paid, he looked at her with newfound respect. He tied the rope on the carrying pole and said, "Sister, to be honest, if your relative really wants to buy it, just have him mention that orchard. I guarantee the price will come down."

Dongfang Jin smiled upon seeing this, realizing that this kind of incentive worked in any world: "Okay, I'll come to you again next time I buy groceries."

"That's easy to say. My family planted five acres of land this year," the man said, rummaging through the money in his hand before walking away with a grin.

Dongfang Jin also got into the car with a smile: "Gu Chenglin..."

Gu Chenglin said in a low voice, "Call me brother."

Dongfang Jin didn't care about any of this, nor did she realize that if her actions were seen by someone with ulterior motives in ancient times, it would be considered an act of immorality for a woman.

"Oh, brother, buy a few jars later. Put one in the kitchen and one by the well. I'll use one to make kimchi and one to make sauerkraut."

These vegetables are really good, they look so fresh and delicious. I'll make some pickled vegetables and sauerkraut when I get home, perfect for winter.

"Ah."

Gu Chenglin looked at the two baskets of cabbages with a pang of sadness. Ten coins a head? These two people, one dared to sell and the other dared to buy.

This person has no concept of money. At the market, you can buy three or four of these cabbages for ten coins, but this basket is worth at most fifteen coins.

If she hadn't glared at him fiercely, he would have actually gone over to stop her; if he had, she would definitely have exploded.