"The one opened by Steward Li, the only salt merchant in Nanming City approved by the authorities."
Ah Jiu repeated.
Cai Lihua pondered, lowering her head and murmuring to herself:
"Oh dear, this scoundrel might not even sell to us, after that incident with the yamen last time, we've already fallen out. No, daughter, wait a moment…"
Cai Lihua suddenly looked up, leaving Ah Jiu in the middle of the street, and ran back to Hualan Medical Hall.
When she emerged, she had two boning knives tucked into the sides of her chest.
"Mother, what are you doing?" Ah Jiu was startled.
"We must buy salt today, or you won't grow strong," she said, pulling her daughter and striding through the streets.
"Is this it?"
Mother and daughter looked up at the signboard emblazoned with the words "Zhao Family Salt Merchant."
Ah Jiu nodded, "But Mother, let's see his attitude first… Mother!"
Before she could stop her, Cai Lihua had already stepped into the salt merchant's shop.
Indeed, those who could enter the salt merchant's shop to buy salt were clearly from wealthy families or held influence, judging by their attire.
Steward Li greeted the arriving customers with clasped fists or obsequious bows:
"Thank you for patronizing my business, Lord Li."
"Oh, Mr. Zhang the Wealthy, your presence alone brings good fortune to my shop. Please visit often, and let me bask in your auspicious aura."
"By the way, has Lord Wang's estate run out of salt recently? If you're out and too busy to come, just send a servant to inform me, and I'll deliver it."
"Farewell, farewell." Steward Li had just escorted someone to the door when he bumped into a woman with her hands on her hips. He straightened up and looked:
"You… what are you doing here?"
"Buying salt, we've come to buy salt," Ah Jiu quickly spoke up first.
"Yes, tell us if you'll sell or not," Cai Lihua said, her voice full of aggression, clutching a cudgel.
Steward Li sized up Ah Jiu. "Oh, your whole family has entered the city? Has the sun really risen in the west? But I'm sorry, I don't sell my salt to you shrew."
He directed the latter half of his sentence at Cai Lihua.
He remembered clearly how she had tied him up all the way and dragged him behind the carriage like a dog.
"What right do you have not to sell? We have money," Cai Lihua said, reaching into her chest.
Ah Jiu heard this and thought it was good. Let's pay first, and then discuss other matters. Don't start fighting right away.
Before Ah Jiu's thoughts had fully formed, her mother suddenly pulled out a boning knife from her chest.
Steward Li flinched and took two steps back.
"My apologies, I grabbed the wrong thing, the wrong thing. This is the money pouch." Cai Lihua raised an eyebrow, her face beaming, and tucked the boning knife back into her chest, replacing it with a money pouch.
Ah Jiu watched from the side, her forehead covered in black lines. She absolutely believed her mother had done that deliberately.
"I won't sell it. I just won't sell it to you." Steward Li was already scared. Such a shrew dared to cause trouble in his merchant shop. With a wave of his hand, he stiffened his neck. Who was afraid of whom?
"Hey, you old scoundrel, why are you refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit?"
Cai Lihua did not back down at all. If it weren't for this old scoundrel reporting them, how could they have ended up in prison?
Ah Jiu tugged at her mother's sleeve. What she really wanted to say was that the past was the past, and she had let it go. Besides, they were here to buy salt.
At this moment, a crowd had gathered on the street outside.
"Steward Li has a change of heart and is actually not selling salt."
"Exactly. He usually sells it so expensively. What happened today?"
Everyone was eager to dig out their eyeballs and throw them into the merchant shop to see clearly.
"What are you looking at? Disperse, all of you."
A few people on horseback arrived from outside the crowd. The one speaking, still on his horse, leaned over and whispered a few words to the person next to him:
"Boss, that young lady is the person our general wants to protect."
Ah Jiu immediately recognized Zhao Kun speaking to Zhang Liang'ai.
Soon, several people dismounted and dispersed the crowd, stepping into the Zhao Family Salt Merchant's shop.
Cai Lihua was startled. Had she alerted the authorities? She was just a commoner. She immediately pulled Ah Jiu over and shielded her behind her.