Chapter 8, I will speak a word of fairness

One should not speak while eating, nor while sleeping. After the elder finished his meal, Li Dandao immediately sought to please him by preparing hot water from the embers in the stove to soak the elder's feet.

Li Fucheng came over to call Li Dandao for dinner and, upon seeing the shaman, respectfully asked: "I have met with the field shaman."

His father turned out to be a wizard, indeed, dressed in a wizard's robe, wearing a feathered crown, with a small snake hanging from his ear

Li Fude found himself in a dilemma and could only say: "Father, elder brother, sister-in-law, I am going into the room to study"

Impressive! Li Dandao knows that this must be someone with real skills

Li Fucheng chuckled and said, "With the blessings from the field shaman, I feel much happier inside."

"What is this kid so eager for?" Li Fucheng felt uncomfortable and did not prepare hot water for himself

The market sells meat, with fatty meat being more expensive than lean meat, and all the pigs are hairy. Although pork is cheap, its flavor is quite strong; however, it is still meat, cheaper than lamb but more expensive than fish.

Li Dandao was led to believe that he was looking for a son-in-law for his daughter, and he was pondering how to refuse him

"Do you still have any shame?" Li Qishi scolded, "You want all the money the child earns! Do you have the ability to earn these seven coins? You can't even see seven big coins in half a year, and you still have the nerve to say that."

I did not expect that his daughter is a snake catcher

However, she also makes a profit from selling snakes, and she possesses a keen business acumen. She sells each snake multiple times, including the snake skin, snake meat, and snake gall, only keeping the snake venom, claiming that the venom can be used to produce snake medicine, which can cure all ailments.

The accounts regarding Poria are indeed a complete mess, and I have been swindled out of quite a bit of money. I have suffered losses due to a lack of knowledge.

Let me speak fairly. The old man spoke up: "It's not easy for the daughter-in-law to manage the household. If you, as a grown man, need money, you can just tell me! How can you secretly hide your own stash of money!"

Understood, Father

What is being brought?

The old man spat out some phlegm and said: "You see my condition, my health cannot last much longer. If the pharmacy is really not viable, I could rent it out; it would still provide an annual income. Honestly tending to those fields could also allow for a decent living."

Grandfather! Are you comfortable

"This money belongs to the child, how could I have any money?" Li Fucheng sighed

The old man said: "Alright, harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all matters, no need to say more. Li Fucheng, come to my room, I have something to discuss with you, cough..."

By the time he clarified the accounts, it was already dark.

Li Dandao was reluctant to hand over the broken silver, at least there were seven or eight coins, several hundred wen! Now there are only thirty wen given by Fu Ling

Upon arriving in the inner room, the old man said to Li Fucheng: "You, as a man, are currently unable to support the family, and it is normal to feel frustrated when you have no money to use."

Tomorrow morning, the pharmacy will open its doors, and we will go in to purchase some medicinal materials. The merchants and farmers are accustomed to deceiving, presenting the bad as good. At that time, you should only observe and listen, and speak and act as little as possible

Tian Wu smiled at Li Fucheng and said, "You have a good son; he is very intelligent and will surely achieve great things in the future"

A piece of snake skin can sell for several to dozens of wen or more

The boots made of snake skin are quite beautiful, shimmering with a radiant glow. There are also some small items made from snake skin, such as quivers and a layer of snake skin applied to the wrist guards

Your pharmacy has not shown any improvement yet, so I cannot give you all the money. Moreover, your second brother is still unmarried. If your pharmacy can support your family, I will separate your household. As it stands, we have not divided the family, and I am still taking care of you because I am concerned about you.

Li Fucheng was at a loss for words regarding this money

This wizard is a local shaman from Jingyang County, passed down through many generations. He generally does not come out of the temple, only being consulted during formal rituals, such as when offering sacrifices to the Jing River or to the agricultural deity. Therefore, he is a white shaman, not a black shaman or a wild shaman

Silver! I will help you save it to find a wife

Indeed, Jingyang County is located by the river, naturally supporting fishermen who rely on fishing for their livelihood, thus making fish and meat relatively inexpensive; however, if the fish is not handled properly, it can have a strong fishy odor

You have seen it, but at that time you were still young. Tian Wu hardly works now; it is mostly his apprentices who do the work. He and his wife serve the deities together in the temple

After a while, his father also arrived, bringing a large ledger, asking Li Dandao for assistance in sorting out the accounts

If you don't manage the household, you won't know how expensive rice, oil, and salt are. Yet you still hide your private savings! Is this life worth living?

Li Dandao inquired: "This field sorcerer, why have I never seen him before?"

Hmm. Li Fucheng felt somewhat dejected

At that moment, Li Qishi let out a cold snort: "Li Fucheng! Bring it here!"

The snake gall is sold to large pharmacies, with a single poisonous snake gall fetching one qian of silver, equivalent to one hundred wen. The snake meat is sold to high-end restaurants, as snake soup is known for its nourishing properties and is highly favored by the nobility and wealthy individuals, selling for thirty wen per jin.

Take it out! said Li Fucheng

Alas! This money must be known to my mother; it cannot be hidden by my father as private savings, or else I will end up with a stepmother!

Regardless of all this, even if her accounts were a complete mess, she could still be considered a little wealthy woman. After organizing her accounts, she even returned thirty wen to Li Dan.

Mother! You should also take a soak, a soak before bed will prevent your limbs from feeling cold while sleeping. I will go wash the dishes

The accounts of Tian Wu were also tampered with, so when Tian Wu gave a piece of broken silver to Li Dan Dao upon his departure, it seemed that Li Dan Dao saw the shadow of a snake swimming out from his own shadow, which quickly swam away

Let me put it this way: originally, there were no pharmacies in Jingyang County. It was only after he became less visible to people that pharmacies started to appear. In the past, when someone fell ill, they would seek the help of a shaman.

comfortable

The eyes were slightly sunken, resembling the pupils of a snake, and upon seeing Li Dan, he kept nodding and saying: "Good, good!"

Li Dandao spoke up: "I just wanted to tell my mother that I earned a little money, and it was with you, father. I didn't expect such a big misunderstanding. It is only right that this money is used to support the household; I don't need any money for myself."

Well, that money was earned by the child, which shows that he has his own abilities. This child is smart and has more independence than you. Do not hold him back. Since his ambition lies in the field of healing and saving lives, it is time for him to find a teacher and become an apprentice.

So, is it true that the snake-catching woman said that there are flood dragons in the Jing River that mate with snakes during the rainy season? No wonder there have been so many snake bites recently

It is precisely because he is short of money that Li Dandao would embezzle funds and steal eggs, and has been thinking about those two sheep and several chickens for a long time

After returning, I had a meal consisting of flatbread with bran and pickled vegetables, along with boiled wild vegetables and steamed egg custard. There is not much to say; the people of the Tang Dynasty did not have much in terms of gourmet food, as it was during the Song Dynasty that stir-frying became popular, primarily due to the high cost of oil

Li Dandao nodded: "Understood"

"Is he impressive?" Li Dan asked.

Li Fucheng handed over the silver and thought to himself: "No wonder that scoundrel went to wash the dishes, it turns out he was setting me up."

The child reconciled accounts with the field witch and received seven coins of silver. I haven't had the chance to mention it today, but the child is afraid that I will take his money, so he informed you. I believe he is going to get beaten

What are you taking out?" Li Dan pretended to be foolish

Hehe. The Qi Li family wears a smile on their face but not in their heart