Chapter (8) "A Trip to the Port City to Sell the Boars" (Part 3)
After the boars left the village, the busy farmers headed back to their work, but a few curious souls lingered around Bai Li's house—mostly women and ge'ers.
The elders, Tu Xi and Mo Hua, glanced at those who hadn't left yet before sitting down at the outdoor table. There were only five chairs. Between the two of them and the pregnant daughters-in-law, Zhou Xi and Su Xi, there was only one seat left. That last spot was claimed by Lei Xi, Xiao Han's stepmother, who had arrived late.
Xiao Han, terrified of his stepmother, stood silently behind his mother-in-law with his head bowed. The twins, Xiao Fu and Xiao Wu, were cuddled in the laps of Mo Xi and Tu Xi. These little ge'ers were so adorable that the grandmothers couldn't resist them—especially Tu Xi, who didn't have any ge'ers in her own home.
Lei Shi hadn't believed the rumors at first. Only after hearing it from multiple people did she rush over, but she was disappointed to find the boars were already gone. She wanted those boars. If she could, she would have chased them all the way to the port. But then it occurred to her that the Village Elder would also be there, so she decided to drop the idea.
Instead, she sat there plotting ways to squeeze money out of Bai Li the moment he returned.
Mo Hua couldn't stand Lei Shi. And why would she? After all, Lei Shi had once demanded 100 silver ingots for Xiao Han. She had threatened to report Bai Li to the authorities for rape if they didn't pay. That 100 silver was the money the Bai family had scraped together for their youngest son Bai Wu's education. Because of that, the brilliant Bai Wu had to drop out of school.
Sure, it was Bai Li's fault originally. But for farmers like them, even a well-off family usually only paid 1 or 5 silver ingots as a dowry. Even if Xiao Han had been sold to a rich man, he wouldn't have fetched more than 30 silver. It was obvious Lei Xi was just extorting them.
But since a court case would have ruined Bai Li's life, the Bai family had paid through their teeth, and Mo Hua had loathed the money-hungry Lei Xi ever since.
Lei Xi showing up today couldn't possibly mean anything good.
Just as expected, Lei Xi spoke up with utter shamelessness.
"Oh, Sister Tu Xi, you're here too! I've come to speak with my in-law, Mo Hua. Since it's a family matter, feel free to listen in if you want."
Lei Xi's point was that while it wouldn't be right to kick Tu Xi out since she was the Village Elder's wife, it was still a family matter that she had no business being part of.
Although Lei Shi was a village woman, she was somewhat educated, and since the Xiao family didn't do farm work, she didn't have a rugged appearance. Compared to Tu Xi and Mo Hua, who were around the same age, she appeared much younger. In truth, all three of them were women who had been fortunate enough to marry good husbands.
Bai Jiang was wealthy, and Jiang Yan was the Village Elder. Xiao Liu (Xiao Han's father) also had a job that brought in steady money without the back-breaking labor of the fields.
Tu Xi snorted. She hated this "fake-refined" fox of a woman but stayed quiet for now.
Lei Xi continued, "I heard son-in-law Bai Li got two wild boars today, yet he didn't even invite his in-laws over. Mo Hua, do you think that's right?"
It was clear as day—she wanted a cut. Xiao Han's feverish face turned even redder with shame. He knew he wasn't worth 100 silver, and he felt eternally guilty toward the Bai family. This guilt was why he never fought back, no matter how much the old Bai Li mistreated him.
Mo Hua's expression hardened. This woman was obsessed with money. It was because of her greed that she had been so desperate to become the concubine of Xiao Liu, who earned a daily income. Starting as a concubine, she eventually became the new legal wife after the original wife passed away.
( AN// Lei Xi was the father's concubine. Xiao Han was the child of the first legal wife, who has since passed away.)
Back then, Mo Hua had paid the money out of fear of the court. But now that Bai Li and Xiao Han were married and even had children, if Lei Shi came back trying to extort more money, Mo Hua would do nothing more than spit at her.
"Lei Xi, what are you talking about? Didn't you say back then that once you got the 100 silver, all ties between Xiao Han, Bai Li, and your family were cut? The whole village heard you! You haven't checked on Xiao Han or the twins once in three years, and now you expect my son to come calling? He has a father and three brothers; that's more than enough for him!"
Lei Xi looked flustered after hearing those words, but she didn't back down.
The other villagers standing around were all curious gossips as well. They remained silent, watching the drama unfold quietly.
Lei Xi shouted back: "I only said that because I was angry! Your son raped our Xiao Han! Shouldn't we be angry? And yet, for three years, your son hasn't shown an ounce of respect and hasn't visited his in-laws once. Now he gets boars and still doesn't invite us? What a trashy son-in-law!".
Mo Hua was fuming so much her eyes bulged. How could Bai Li dare to set foot in their house when Xiao Liu was ready to hack him with a cleaver the moment they met? It was only after paying the hundred silver ingots that the cleaver finally disappeared. If they had invited the Xiao family this time, wouldn't that be the same as agreeing to give the boars to them?
Lei Xi was using flowery words, but even a three-year-old could understand that she was only causing trouble because she wasn't given a share of such good fortune.
On the way to sell the boars, Bai Li had no idea about the drama his mother-in-law was causing at home. He was sitting at the back of the cart, lost in thought. After a while, he spoke up to the others on the cart, "Father, Elder, let's pass through the small town first".
The cart was being driven by Bai Li's eldest brother, and the rest of the men couldn't stop smiling as they kept glancing at the massive boars. Bai Li's father looked confused by his son's suggestion.
"Passing through the small town will take longer. Why do you want to go in there?" he asked.
Since the original Bai Li had a reputation for being a troublemaker in that town, they couldn't help but feel suspicious of his motives.
However, Bai Li explained, "A little delay doesn't matter. We have to stay overnight in the port city anyway. Even though the town is small, there might be people there who want to buy wild boar meat. If we pass through, it's like free advertising, and they might even follow us to the port city to buy it".
This explanation was so logical that their suspicions vanished, and they agreed to pass through the town. Bai Li was secretly overjoyed. Since he arrived in this world, he hadn't held a single coin in his hand. Once these boars were sold, he would finally have some money.
Even though he hadn't handled the local currency yet, he understood how it worked through his memories: 1,000 copper coins is equal to 1 silver ingot and 1,000 silver ingots is equal to 1 gold ingot.
Based on his estimates, these boars should fetch over a thousand silver ingots.
(An// Since this story is a fictional creation, the currency values may not be accurate to the outside world.)
With those happy thoughts, their cart, overflowing with boars, entered the small town. Immediately, every eye in town was glued to the cart.
The townspeople were buzzing with excitement at the sight of the massive boars. Bai Jiang asked if they should stop the cart, but Bai Li told him to keep driving at the same fast pace.
Bai Li didn't believe for a second that no one would chase after them.
Just as he expected, a few people soon came running behind the cart, shouting, "Hey!! Wait a minute! Are those boars for sale? I want to buy some!".
But since the cart didn't stop, they had to keep running to keep up.
Bai Li shouted back from the rear of the cart, "We're going to sell them at the port city! If you want to buy, follow us!!".
The people chasing them slowed down for a moment but then shouted back again: "I'll go grab my money and follow you! Save some for me!!".
"Save some for me too! I'm coming fast!!"
"We're coming too!"
"Save some for us!"
"Make sure you save plenty! I'm buying a lot!"
The cart sped away, leaving only the echo of Bai Li's loud "Alright!" ringing through the small town.
Soon, news that wild boar meat would be available at the port city spread throughout the town, and everyone who wanted meat began preparing to head there.
You could buy regular pork at the market anytime, but how could it ever compare to wild boar meat? Wild boars didn't appear even once a year, so they were determined to get some.
According to Bai Li's estimation, the cart reached the port city around 3:00 or 4:00 PM. Even then, they had been traveling at full speed; any slower and they would have been worried about it getting dark.
The reaction of the people in the port city was no different from the small town. As a result, a crowd followed the cart, and by the time they parked in a wide open space, a massive group had already gathered.
As soon as the cart stopped, people began asking, "Hey uncles and brothers, are these boars for sale? If you're selling them whole, I'll buy one for 300 silver ingots right now".
Bai Li's lips curled into a smirk at that offer. 300 silver? That wasn't even half of what he expected; there was no way he was selling at that price.
So, Bai Li replied, "Brother, these boars are for sale, but not as a whole. You can buy as many jin as you need".
Hearing this, the crowd felt relieved. Most people couldn't afford to buy an entire boar; they just wanted to buy by the jin, and they were worried someone would buy the whole thing before they got a chance.
Someone in the crowd saw Bai Li and his group starting a fire to boil water and asked, "Young brother, you're going to boil water to remove the bristles, right? In that case, we'll go home and grab our money first. How much are you selling it for per jin?".
Bai Li answered calmly, "We won't sell by the single jin. The minimum purchase is three jin. Three jin for five silver ingots. While you're grabbing your money, please spread the word to anyone else in the city who might not know yet!".
The crowd didn't even hear his last words. They were so shocked by the price of "five silver for three jin" that they practically jumped.
It wasn't just the crowd; Bai Li's father and the Elder were also terrified by the price. The Village Elder, standing near Bai Li, even took a step back in shock, thinking to himself, "One silver per jin is already a fair market price, but you want five silver for three jin? Aren't you afraid people will call you a highway robber?".
Bai Li's father was also worried that his son was overcharging and secretly tugged at his sleeve, but Bai Li simply pretended not to notice.
A well-dressed man in the crowd then asked, "Young brother, isn't five silver for three jin a bit too expensive?".