The thin, dark-skinned uncle disdainfully glanced at the woman, interjecting in a sardonic tone, "What's trending in the capital, you can go to the capital to see if you have the guts. What's the use of going to the prefecture city!"
The woman scoffed and immediately retorted, "You country bumpkins don't understand anything, yet you like to pretend you do."
"Who are you calling a country bumpkin!" The thin, dark-skinned uncle flared up again.
Bai Sheng also felt the thin, dark-skinned uncle was rather ill-mannered. Why would he butt into other people's conversation? If he couldn't handle being retorted, he shouldn't have been so glib.
However, she didn't show obvious displeasure. She just smiled and gently explained, "Many high-ranking officials and nobles live in the prefecture city. They often travel to the capital and naturally bring back whatever is popular in the capital."
The woman nodded approvingly at Bai Sheng, "Little girl, you're right, that's exactly what I mean."
The thin, dark-skinned uncle wanted to say more, but he was pulled back by a stout young boy next to him. "Father, stop talking. We are... we are quite provincial."
The dark-skinned uncle awkwardly nudged his elbow and fell silent.
Bai Sheng moved closer to the middle-aged woman and smiled innocently, "Sister-in-law, since you're so familiar with the county town, do you know of any reliable jewelry shops?"
"What? You want to buy jewelry?" The woman glanced at Bai Sheng, not seeing her as someone who could afford jewelry.
Bai Sheng immediately waved her hands and shook her head, "How could I afford it? I'm just looking for some cleaning work, and incidentally, to learn some jewelry appraisal skills."
The woman hummed, her brow furrowed, "There are quite a few jewelry shops in the county town, but the most famous ones are two: 'Ming Bao Zhai' and 'Yuan Bao'.
Ming Bao Zhai has a greater background, said to be related to some influential figure in the capital; Yuan Bao only appeared in recent years, its strength not matching Ming Bao Zhai. I heard the owner is a young man, very good at business, and often comes up with new gimmicks, and seems to be deliberately going against Ming Bao Zhai."
"Oh," Bai Sheng nodded slightly. "Then, sister-in-law, there should be many distinguished guests in the county town, right?" Actually, Bai Sheng wanted to ask if there were many rich people.
The woman exclaimed, "Indeed! Although our Ta Sha Commandery is far from the capital, the subordinate towns are rich in mineral resources. Plus, the county town has many hot springs, and many important figures from the capital come here to build villas. Those grand residences are not inhabited by ordinary families!"
The thin, dark-skinned uncle beside her could no longer hold back. "It's not just that," he interjected, putting aside their previous spat. "Our Ta Sha Commandery borders the Northern Qiang Kingdom. Besides being an important hub for transportation and trade between the two countries, it's also a place heavily guarded by the imperial army. There are quite a few wealthy people."
The woman saw that the thin, dark-skinned uncle wasn't contradicting her anymore and didn't respond, only wearing a stiff, half-smiling expression.
"Uncle knows so much," Bai Sheng praised insincerely.
The thin, dark-skinned uncle finally felt he had gained some face in front of his son and smiled with some pride.
Seeing that Bai Sheng only praised the uncle and not her, the woman felt a little displeased. However, Bai Sheng immediately caught her subtle expression and raised her voice, smiling, "Sister-in-law, you are truly knowledgeable. After your introduction, I'll have a better idea when I go to the county town. By the way, sister-in-law, what's the current price of grain in the county town?"
The woman suddenly let out a long sigh. "Now... with the drought and natural disasters, grain is selling very expensively. Ordinary coarse grains are 600 wen per jin, and the better quality ones are selling for 800 wen per jin. I estimate it will go up further."
"Indeed. People can barely survive!" The thin, dark-skinned uncle also looked weary, deep despair in his eyes.
When this topic came up, everyone's casual chat mood immediately evaporated.
The carriage had traveled for more than half a day. As they neared the county town, the driver suddenly pulled on the reins with a "Whoa!" and stopped the carriage.
The people in the carriage stood up and looked forward. They saw a team in bright red for a wedding procession and a team in white for a funeral procession blocking each other head-on. Both teams had quite a few travelers stuck behind them.
Because the road was too narrow, one side had to yield for the other to pass.
But neither side was willing to give way, and each had their own reasons, arguing incessantly.
The wedding procession said they were celebrating a joyous occasion and had to reach the auspicious time for the ceremony. The funeral procession said they were mourning the deceased and also had to reach the auspicious time for burial.
The wedding procession further argued that their celebration concerned the lifelong happiness of two newlyweds, and the deceased could certainly not be as important as the living. The funeral procession retorted that their funeral concerned the elder's peaceful burial, and the young should respect and love the elderly.
The wedding procession also claimed that joyous occasions valued auspiciousness, and encountering a funeral was already unlucky. If they yielded to the funeral procession, it would be even more unlucky, and they wouldn't court such bad luck. The funeral procession, however, said that the elder's passing was already a time of grief and sorrow, yet someone was making noise and laughing right before their eyes, which was truly disheartening to witness.
Both sides remained deadlocked. When the travelers blocked at both ends tried to reason with them, the red and white teams united against outsiders. Seeing the opposing side's superior numbers, the travelers dared not confront them directly and could only wait, filled with resentment.
This was truly a stalemate! Everyone was anxious to the point of tearing their hair out, wishing they could smash their heads against the ground and slap themselves to death to unsee it.
Suddenly, a plain girl with large black spots on both cheeks emerged from the front line where the two teams confronted each other.
The ugly girl found the leaders of both sides and loudly declared she had a way to resolve the situation.
Upon seeing a plain and poor little girl approaching, everyone impatiently waved her away and shouted, "Where did this little girl come from? Go cool off somewhere!"
"Hmph, you're not even as good as a little girl!" Bai Sheng retorted loudly. "Today, if you don't let me handle this, you'll be stuck here! The groom will miss the auspicious time! The deceased will not rest in peace! It will be a lose-lose situation, you die, I live!
I only need the time it takes to brew a cup of tea to resolve this. It all depends on whether you have the magnanimity and whether you give me this opportunity!"
The leaders of both sides, seeing that this plain girl, despite her bold tone, spoke with substance and considerable bearing, immediately recalled the ancient proverb of the Great Xia Dynasty: "Since ancient times, unusual appearances often signify remarkable individuals." Could this plain girl truly possess such ability?
Thinking this, everyone's expression softened. Moreover, both sides were starting to lose momentum in their argument, only unwilling to back down due to face. With this plain girl appearing at the opportune moment, providing an excuse for both sides to retreat, it would be considered saving face.
The red and white teams exchanged glances and agreed to let Bai Sheng resolve the problem.
At this moment, a young attendant in blue immediately pushed through the blocking crowd and approached an elaborately decorated carriage. He whispered close to the carriage curtain, "Master, a passing little girl claims she can resolve this matter."
"Oh? A little girl?" A low male voice, tinged with a hint of surprise, emerged from behind the curtain. Beneath the lazy tone, a commanding presence emanated from someone of high status.
"Yes, it's a little girl, very young looking, but with peculiar black spots on her face, making her look a bit—ugly," the young attendant's tone was quite disdainful. He had to warn his master beforehand, lest the sight cause his master discomfort and lead to vomiting.
"A Qiu, I've told you many times, don't judge people solely by their appearance. You, you just never listen," before he finished speaking, a slender hand, like a jade bamboo, lifted the curtain. The person inside had fair skin and handsome features. Even looking from the side, it was difficult to ignore the aristocratic bearing radiating from him.