Chapter 293 Gaining Insights

Yushan County is not very big. Their village is on the edge of the county town. The houses are dilapidated. Every autumn and winter, after the farming season, some temporary workers would come here to rent houses.

So there is a rental business in this area.

Xiaoqi and his friends are very familiar with this area. They know exactly which family will rent a house and which will not. Moreover, they are all fellow villagers, so there is no need to go through a real estate agency and can make a reservation directly.

It would take a longer time to build a mud-brick house, so Pan Yun decided to rent one for a month.

Grandma Yu said, "We don't need to rent for that long. My son will be able to bring back the wood the day after tomorrow at the latest. Once the wood arrives, the house can be built in half a month at most."

Pan Yun said, "A mud house is different from a wooden shed. After it's built, you have to remove moisture and leave it for two days to get rid of the odor. Since you've rented it, then you'll rent it for a full month."

"Give you more time, and you'll have time to prepare for the winter."

The next day when Pan Yun came again, she bought a lot of cloth and cotton for them and asked Grandma Yu to make cotton-padded clothes for them to wear during the winter.

Wang Cong also took them to a pawn shop, where they bought super cheap second-hand quilts and...pots.

Pan Yun was stunned. It was the first time she knew that second-hand quilts were so popular in pawn shops.

Wang Cong said, "I brought my junior uncle here to buy a few small beds for them, but there are currently no suitable ones in the pawnshop, so it seems that we can only make them now."

Beds are hot sellers.

Nowadays, a bed can not only be used for a lifetime, but can also be passed down for three generations.

Therefore, most people don’t sell beds, and there are very few second-hand ones. Most of them are newly made.

However, beds are indeed very expensive at the current price level, but their quality and lifespan are worthy of their price.

Xiao Qi was afraid that Pan Yun would really buy them a bed, so he quickly said, "Sister Taoist, we don't need a bed. We can just put a layer of wood on the ground and a layer of straw. It's very comfortable, really!"

Pan Yun said: "Don't worry, I won't buy you an expensive bed."

She pondered and said, "Isn't Xiaojing's uncle a carpenter? Let him beat him."

Wang Cong: "...He has only been there for a little over a year, how much skills can he have learned?"

The minimum apprenticeship period is five years, and there is no upper limit. It is not certain whether Wang Xiaojing’s uncle can touch a saw now.

Pan Jun glanced at him and said, "That's why it's so cheap. Besides, he must have some senior brothers to practice with, right? We don't ask for much. We just want a bed that's stable."

Moreover, they are single beds, each bed is about 1.2 meters long, and can be placed in two rows on the left and right sides of the room, with an aisle of about three meters in the middle. A room can hold about twelve beds, making it spacious!
Because Grandma Yu's land was large enough, Pan Yun built bigger rooms and even built a toilet for each of them behind the house.

Eating, drinking, defecating and urinating are important things in life and none of them can be ignored.

Wang Cong was very familiar with the county town. Not only did he help Pan Yun buy very cheap quilts, he also helped her buy cheap wooden barrels, various kitchen utensils, and... medicinal herbs.

Pan Yun squatted on the ground and watched the medicinal herbs dug out by the herbalist. He couldn't help but look back at Wang Cong and gave him a thumbs up.

Wang Cong smiled and said, "Master Junior, we need to use a small amount of money to accomplish great things. Increasing income is one thing, but reducing expenditure is also very important."

"If we save a little bit at a time, it will add up to a lot." Wang Cong was in charge of the financial power of Sanqing Mountain. He had lived a hard life and was very good at budgeting.

Pan Yun is just the opposite. Since making money is relatively easy and smooth for her, she rarely bargains and spends money lavishly, whether in her previous life or this life.

Today, Wang Cong took her to learn the art of bargaining. Even Xiao Qi and the other poor people who often hang out in the market were stunned and felt they could not compare to him.

After all, they have seen a lot, but have no practical experience.

Wang Cong was different. He could bargain with everyone, from shop owners to peddlers.

He also said to Pan Yun: "Little Master Uncle, don't think that the peddlers have a hard time and don't bargain with them. If they are willing to make a deal, there must be some profit. We bargain to help more people. Money should be in our own hands so that we can do more of what we want to do."

"So feel free to bargain boldly, don't feel guilty, and don't be afraid."

Then Wang Cong took Pan Yun to sweep through this dark alley.

The vendor said, "Eighty cents."

Wang Cong said, "Fifty coins is not enough."

The vendor said: "The same thing is sold for 90 wen in other shops. I'm already selling it for 10 wen cheaper."

Wang Cong: "You also said it's a shop. Not to mention that other shops have to pay rent and labor, your workmanship is not as good as theirs. Only the wood is acceptable. Look at this..."

Wang Cong reviewed the items and successfully sold them for fifty cents.

The peddler kept muttering to himself, but his face was happy, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised. It was obvious that he was not losing money in this business.

Pan Yun was silent.

Wang Cong and Pan Yun bought almost all the medicinal herbs sold by the farmers, and cut the price by basically one-third.

Although the herbal farmers said they had lost money after closing their stalls because Wang Cong was too good at bargaining, they couldn't hide the smiles on their faces and agreed to go home together.

"While it's not too cold, we can go into the mountains twice."

"It's a pity that we only know how to dig herbs and not how to prepare them. Otherwise, we could sell them at a higher price and even sell them to pharmacies."

Wang Cong, who had already turned around to leave, turned back and said, "You want to prepare the herbs yourself? I have some methods for preparing some commonly used herbs."

Several herbal farmers looked at each other in bewilderment, and remained silent for a while. Wang Cong said, "I'll teach you for free, no charge."

The herbal farmers immediately became happy and surrounded them, "Master, you are a good man. Which Taoist temple are you from? We will go to burn incense later."

Wang Cong: "People from Sanqing Temple, you should learn how to prepare medicinal herbs. When we from Sanqing Temple come to buy herbs from you in the future, you just need to be more economical."

Wang Cong said: "They are not good at bargaining."

Pan Yun, Miao Zhen and Miao He behind him nodded vigorously. Yes, yes, they were not good at talking.

The herbal farmers agreed immediately.

Wang Cong took out the medicinal materials they had brought and told them how to prepare them.

He talked about the most common processing methods: sun drying, drying by oven, steam drying, adding wine to dry...

They just can't control the heat, and sometimes they need to add something when steaming or baking.

Wang Cong told them one by one, and waited until they could recite it, and then answered their questions for half an hour, only then he finished teaching.

But whether or not qualified medicine can be prepared still requires practice.

Xiao Qi and the others beside him were so excited that they couldn't help asking as they walked out of the dark alley with their things in their arms, "Master, can we use these concoctions?"

Wang Cong looked at them in surprise, "Of course you can, have you written it down?"

Xiao Qi and Xiao Liu nodded together, "We've made a note of it."

The others hesitated for a moment and then nodded. They didn’t remember it completely, but they could ask Xiaoqi and Xiaoliu when they returned.

Wang Cong seemed to be thinking about something. While helping them transport the things they bought back to the rental house, he took the time to say to Pan Yun, "I finally understand why Junior Master Uncle wanted to send them to school for two years. Some of these children are really smart."

Pan Yun: "Can you find a school that is willing to accept them? I have seen their talents. Most of them only study for two years, learn a few words and arithmetic, and become more familiar with the world before looking for a way out."

They have always been beggars, wandering the streets. They seem to have always been in this world, but in fact they are out of touch with normal society.

Since they cannot have normal interpersonal relationships, it is difficult for them to find a suitable way out. School is the most suitable and fastest stage.

Here they will get to know their teachers, classmates, and their classmates' parents, and then the interpersonal relationships will radiate out.

They will return to normal interpersonal relationships, no longer begging relationships.

If they know basic characters and can do basic arithmetic, landlords would be more willing to hire them even to harvest rice.

This is all Pan Yun can do at the moment.

Wang Cong thought for a moment and said, "I have to go ask, but Junior Master, don't hold out too much hope."

These children were born into beggar families, and even if the teachers were willing to teach them, their former students might not be willing to study with them.

Pan Yun knew it and nodded, "Don't force it. If it doesn't work, I'll find another way."

Wang Cong agreed, put down his things and went to find a school.

Pan Jun was also thinking of a solution, and while thinking about it, she walked to the Yushan County Government Office.

When he looked up, Wang Cong was also standing in front of the county government office with his hands clasped.

The master and his nephew looked at each other. Akihito got off the sedan chair and saw his master and his nephew looking at each other from a distance. He couldn't help but cover his mouth with a handkerchief and started coughing.

The two apprentices and nephews came back to their senses in an instant, turned their heads and looked at him, and said in unison: "County Magistrate Ming, are you sick?"

Mingren coughed several times before stopping and said, "I just caught a cold, it's nothing serious. You two are the kind of people who don't come to visit us for no reason. Are you here to talk to me about something?"

Wang Cong quickly glanced at Pan Yun and took the initiative to say, "There are three small things."

Akihito smiled, "Let's talk inside."

The two disciples followed him inside.

Wang Cong walked beside Pan Yun and asked quietly, "Master Junior, where are Miaozhen and the others?"

"I went to the pharmacy to buy herbs. We need herbs for our temple fair, and we also need herbs to prevent Xiaoqi and the others from catching cold."

Akihito turned back sharply.

The two disciples stopped in their tracks and almost bumped into him. They both frowned at the same time. Wang Cong said directly, "Are you sick? I almost bumped into you."

Mingren's eyes swept back and forth between the two of them, and he said, "Although you didn't say anything, I always felt that you were very noisy. Tell me, are you whispering behind my back? I know that you Jianghu people have deep internal strength and can transmit sounds secretly."

Pan Yun was surprised, he was so sharp.

"Yes," Wang Cong said without hesitation. He went up to him, grabbed his hand and pulled him into the lobby. "We were saying that you have become sick after not seeing you for a while. Let me check your pulse."

Mingren did not refuse. He followed Wang Cong to the lobby and said, "I have been ill for ten days. This is good now. I had difficulty getting out of bed a few days ago. I was afraid something might happen in the county that night when it thundered, so I got up and accidentally got caught in the rain. I thought it would get worse, but I felt better the next day. Now I can go to work."

Wang Cong pulled him to sit on a chair, carefully felt his pulse, looked at his complexion and tongue coating, asked him what medicine he was taking, and said, "Let me change the prescription for you. I'll go back tonight and ask my third uncle to prescribe a prescription for you. If you delay this disease for too long, it will be difficult to cure it."

Mingren agreed with a smile, took back his hand and said, "I wanted to ask Taoist Master Tao, but I didn't ask him when I heard he was not in Sanqing Mountain. I didn't expect him to come back so suddenly. Tell me, what do you two want from me?"

(End of this chapter)