Chapter 363: What a Good Person

Chapter 363: Chapter 363: What a Good Person

In ancient times, buying a horse was much like buying a car in the modern era—in fact, buying a car today is probably even easier.

An ordinary horse cost dozens of taels of Silver, which was equivalent to several years’ income for an average family. Few could afford one, especially in the countryside.

So, when Ji Huan and Guan Shan returned to the village in their newly purchased horse-drawn carriage, they inevitably caused a sensation.

The villagers were first amazed at their extravagance, marveling that they had actually bought two horses.

But after Ji Huan explained that the horse pulling the cart was borrowed and that the scrawny, bony one was theirs, they were all dumbfounded.

They asked her why she would buy a horse like that.

What else could Ji Huan say? Only that it was cheap.

When pressed about the price, Ji Huan was evasive, saying only that the carriage cost four taels. She didn’t mention the price of the horse by itself.

As expected, the crowd got the wrong idea, thinking the horse and carriage together cost four taels.

Four taels wasn’t even enough to buy an ox. They were a little envious, but it wasn’t enough to make them green with jealousy.

They just thought it was a pretty good deal... provided the horse could be nursed back to health.

A sick horse wasn’t much of a spectacle, so the curious crowd soon dispersed.

Widow Xie first asked about Ji Huan’s injury.

When she learned it was caused by an incident with a young master from a wealthy family, her face filled with resignation.

"Not all rich families are good people. Otherwise, how could they raise such a twisted child!"

Ji Xuelan empathized deeply. "No matter how twisted they are, they have nothing to fear. They’re the only ones who get to bully people. If someone gets bullied by them, they have no choice but to swallow their misfortune."

This was something Ji Huan knew from personal experience, and it served as a significant wake-up call.

’All this time, I’ve made a leisurely, carefree life my main goal.’

’Even though there are plenty of gossips in the village, there are no real tyrants. As long as I earn a little money within my means, I can live a life of blissful content.’

’But that’s only possible if I never leave Juyong Town or Dafeng Village, and never interact with the rich and powerful. Only then could my safety and dignity be guaranteed—though that feels a bit like burying my head in the sand.’

’But Dabao will grow up eventually. And when he does, whether he pursues the imperial examinations or some other path, he’ll inevitably have to interact with the outside world. He might even venture out to make a name for himself. He can’t stay cooped up with me in Dafeng Village his whole life.’

’What if, in the future, he runs into a situation like today’s again? What if the child of a powerful family uses their influence to bully him, to force him to his knees, and I’m not there to protect him...’

’A boy from a peasant family, with no power, influence, or wealth, would have no choice but to endure the beatings, curses, and humiliation.’

’If this had happened to someone else’s child, I might have been able to stay calm. But with my own son, the pain is heart-wrenching.’

’I don’t want Dabao to bow his head to anyone, and I certainly never want to see him kneel before another person.’

’So, the whole way back, I’ve been thinking about it. Money and power... they really are important.’

’Power is one thing; that’s not something you can get just by working hard. But money... I have to have money. There are too many moments in life when you need money to buy your dignity.’

’Since I’ve already decided to go into business, I need to treat it with my full and undivided attention. Whether it’s the pharmaceutical workshop, the Equipment Workshop, or my own Baiwei Square, only by making them bigger and stronger will Dabao and I have a foundation to stand on and a shield to protect us.’

A Peach Blossom Spring wasn’t impossible, but to live in one, you first needed the power to protect it.

Guan Shan looked at the pensive Ji Huan, his expression equally grave.

"What’s with the horse and carriage?" Ji Xuelan’s voice broke the silence.

Widow Xie and the others hadn’t known about her plans to buy a carriage, so Ji Huan explained everything, including her intention to open a shop in Yeyang.

After she finished, they were speechless for a good while. They all thought she was dreaming.

"Yeyang? Open a shop? How much would that cost? ...We can’t come up with that kind of money."

Widow Xie knew Ji Huan still had fifty taels of franchise fees she hadn’t touched, but Ji Huan also hadn’t hidden the fact that the horse and carriage had cost a total of twenty-four taels. That meant Ji Huan only had twenty-plus taels of Silver left.

How could she possibly rent a shop with that little money?

"You can’t get fat from one bite. Why don’t we play it safe? We could set up a stall in town for a year first and see how it goes."

Ji Huan shook her head and briefly explained to them the relationship between her spices and the target market.

As for the money, she couldn’t very well explain the origin of the 300 taels, so she had no choice but to use Xin Ziqi as a scapegoat again.

"As for the shop, Doctor Xin will help us figure it out. You don’t need to worry."

She didn’t specify how he would "figure it out," so Widow Xie and the others naturally assumed he was going to lend them the money.

"Doctor Xin really is a good man..."

’At first, I thought Xin Ziqi was interested in Ji Huan,’ Widow Xie mused. ’Why else would he treat her injuries for free and help her buy spice seeds? What was he after?’

’But on the day of Ji Huan’s wedding, I watched him closely and realized I might have been wrong.’

’Xin Ziqi seemed to respect Ji Huan a great deal, but there really weren’t any romantic feelings between them. His congratulations to her were especially sincere.’

’In that case, his repeated assistance could only be because he had the heart of a Bodhisattva. He was just a purely good man.’

Ji Huan went along with it, sighing as well. "Yes, a good man..."

The group’s attention shifted back to the horse.

Hu Ximei circled the horse a few times, still unable to figure it out. "Sister Wan, what on earth did you see in him?"

’You’ll have to ask the man standing next to me,’ Ji Huan thought.

Guan Shan, of course, wasn’t about to explain. He unhitched the carriage in the front yard and led the two horses through the back, heading for the area behind the house.

Widow Xie’s train of thought was different. "A sick horse is fine, too. If you’d come back with a fine steed, the Ji Family would surely be targeting you again."

’I really wanted to tell her that my original plan was to drive the new carriage right past the Ji Family’s front gate,’ Ji Huan thought. ’For no other reason than to see if Ji Xiu’e had left yet, and to needle her a little. Otherwise, with that cowardly personality of hers, she’d stick her head out once and then hide in her shell for half a year. How am I supposed to reel in my fish then? But there was a huge gap between the ideal and the reality. Now that I’ve come back with a horse like this, if I paraded it past the Ji Family’s gate, wouldn’t I just be making a fool of myself? Even though the good horse hitched to the carriage is Xin Ziqi’s, and I could use it to put on a brave front, I have to return it eventually. The ruse would be exposed too easily.’

Ji Xuelan gave Ji Huan an update on the day’s training, saying they were pretty much ready. After another half-day tomorrow, they could officially begin production.

Hu Liang and Ji Mingfang were still busy harvesting vegetables and didn’t have time to come over.

Ji Huan divided up the pastries she had bought and then sent them on their way.

She turned and rubbed Dabao’s head. "Are you tired?"

Dabao shook his head, reaching out to touch her gauze-wrapped right hand without a word.

"I’ve put medicine on it, so it really doesn’t hurt anymore. Take these packets of pastries inside. After you wash your hands and face, you can have a couple to tide you over, but don’t eat too many. I’ll make dinner in a little while."

Watching Dabao carry the pastries into the main hall, Ji Huan headed for the backyard.

Guan Shan wasn’t in the backyard, and there was no one behind the house either.

Xin Ziqi’s horse was there, but the sick horse was gone.

"Where did he go?"

Ji Huan went out and looked around but couldn’t find him. Just as she got back home, Guan Shan returned.

He was holding a brush, and trailing behind him was the sick horse, looking completely transformed.

"You went to the stream to brush the horse?"

Guan Shan nodded. "You thought he was dirty."

Ji Huan: "..."

’The horse had been filthy, that was true. But I wasn’t planning on getting close to him, so what did it matter if he was a little dirty? The weather is so cold, and the poor thing is so weak. How could he possibly endure being scrubbed down like that?’

"Will he get sick?"

"He’s not that delicate."

Ji Huan sized up the supposedly "not-so-delicate" horse. She had to admit, now that he was clean, he was much easier on the eyes.

Then, Ji Huan suddenly noticed something. The horse was pure black without a single spot of another color, except for the fur on his four hooves, which was white. It looked as if he were wearing four perfectly uniform white boots.

’A horse like this was rare, but she felt like she’d seen one somewhere before... But where?’

She just couldn’t recall.

She had seen so many horses at the Horse Market today that her head was spinning; her brain couldn’t retrieve any useful information.

’Perhaps I just glanced at it in passing.’

"What’s his name?" Ji Huan asked, trying to sound casual.

Guan Shan either didn’t notice, or he simply had no intention of hiding it.

"Jifeng," he said.