Yichen stood on the side of the street at the morning market in Town. He had the basket of rabbits and one in his hand raised up high above his head. He shouted loud and enthusiastically for the attention of those walking by.
"Rabbits! Quails! Delicious! Fresh meat. It doesn't get any fresher than living breathing meat!" He shouted.
With his lively tone and handsome face it wasn't long before several people stopped. Yichen worked quick. Within ten minutes he sold nine out of the fifteen rabbits for 18 large copper. The quails on the other hand were proving to be a challenge.
"These things are too small to attract buyers." He thought then he had an idea. He raised the little bird and began to promote the little quails.
"Eat like the rich! Why share one chicken when you can each have your own personal quail? Buy one for everyone in the family!" He shouted.
His shouts got him a few glances, but no takers. So he had to try something else.
"Quails! Live quails. They may be small now but fatten them up a few weeks and they will double in size!" Yichen shouted.
This time he caught the attention of a man. The man looked poor compared to the others. Most likely a farmer who had come to sell some vegetables and his excess rice left over from the winter months at the morning market.
"How much for one quail?" The man asked.
"5 small copper." Yichen said.
The man grimaced as though the price was too high.
Then Yichen had another idea when he saw the man's bamboo basket full or bags of rice.
"I'm willing to trade. One 5kg sack of rice, for three quails?" Yichen said.
"This is rice harvested from my own fields it is delicious and worth more than a few little birds." The man scoffed.
"I will trade you five quails for two 5kg bags of rice."
"I said no to trading 5kg for 3 birds so now you want 10kg for five? Do you not know what it means to negotiate?!" The man shouted.
"I also have some rabbits? I can make a deal with the five quails and a rabbit." Yichen said.
The man however felt insulted and walked away. Luckily it wasn't a total waste. Another man overheard that Yichen was willing to trade and decided to make his own offer.
"Give me the five quails and two rabbits. In exchange I'll give you 10kg of rice and this basket of fresh vegetables taken directly from my garden early this morning.
Mochou didn't ask for vegetables, but Yichen didn't dismiss the offer.
"Right now he's eating wild plants gathered from the forest. Burdock root and onions can be tasty but he needs a more balanced and varied diet. Plus Mochou mentioned wanting seeds to start a garden. He can collect the seeds from these vegetables after he eats them." Yichen concluded.
"5 quails and 1 rabbit." Yichen counter offered.
The man seemed to be thinking it over. So Yichen pushed a little more.
"These quails may be small now but they are like chickens. Easy to fatten up. Give them one week and they'll be the size of a small chicken. Two and you could easily resell them for 7 small copper each." Yichen said.
The man seemed to agree with Yichen's reasoning.
"Okay you have a deal young man." He said.
Yichen was glad. Getting 10kg of rice meant Mochou wouldn't have to worry about buying rice for at least two months. Plus it was a good deal for him. The rice would normally have cost him 6 large copper plus the vegetables for another 5 small copper. While the quails and rabbit only had a value of 4 large copper and 5 small copper.
"I saved Mochou 2 large copper. Hehe." Yichen smugly calculated for himself.
The other five rabbits were sold in a similar fashion. Yichen exchanged 2 rabbits worth 4 large copper for 5 kg of flour, one large wooden bucket, and 1kg of salt worth 4 large copper and 5 small copper. Mochou had made it clear he wanted salt. Yichen agreed that salt was important and got him a large bag of it.
For the final three rabbits Yichen had an idea about getting Mochou some garden supplies. He took the two rabbits and walked over to the hardware store.
"Welcome!" The man shouted.
"Hello. Are you the shop owner?" Yichen asked.
"I am, how may I help you?" He asked.
"I have these three rabbits. I'm hoping to exchange them for some farming tools." He said.
The man looked at the rabbits. The last three were rather small and not as appealing as some of the earlier rabbits Yichen sold.
"I know they don't look like much, but I am willing to trade for some older or previously used tools, like a shovel or a hoe. I can also add some copper to the exchange." Yichen said.
The man didn't say anything and only walked to the back of the shop. When he returned he had an old shovel and hoe. They were used and looked in need of repair, but Yichen was confident he could repair them with some rope.
"Three rabbits and 2 large copper." The man said.
"Three rabbits and 5 small copper." Yichen countered.
"Two rabbits and 1 large copper. Final offer." The man said looking impatient.
"Two rabbits, 1 large copper and you add in that bundle of rope." Yichen said.
The man mulled it over for a short time before he held his hand out. Yichen placed the cage with the remaining three rabbits on the table and one large copper in the man's hand. He then took the shovel, hoe, and the bundle or rope from the corner of the shop.
"Pleasure doing business with you." Yichen said with a smile before leaving the shop feeling a sense of accomplishment.
"I wonder if Mochou will praise me? He didn't say anything but looking at the yard this morning and his intention to make a garden he definitely needs farming tools." Yichen thought as he strolled to the next shop.
Yichen didn't have as much money as he would have liked. In cash he only managed to get 18 large copper from selling rabbits. Even so he intended on getting as many items from Mochou's list as possible.
His next stop was the general grocery store. This shop was a cheap everything shop. If Yichen was smart he could buy everything Mochou wanted in one place.
Yichen grabbed a variety of seeds everything from the fast growing onions, to the slow growing squash. He got them all.
"If Mochou is going to eat a healthier and more balanced diet variety is key." He reasoned as he continued adding more seeds to his shopping basket.
He then grabbed a jar of oil from the shelf. It was on the larger size. For his family of 8 it would only last a week if they were careful, but for Mochou it would hopefully last a couple months.
"If I help him fill his kitchen now next time I can focus on buying him clothes and blankets." Yichen thought as he placed it in the basket.
Another item he picked up was a large bag of soap nuts. It was another item Mochou forgot to mention but Yichen had obviously noticed the lack of soap nuts when Mochou did his laundry.
He also saw some teacups, bowls, and utensils. He grabbed two of each and added them to the basket. He even splurged for the more expensive teacups. They were made of wood but they also had a delicate carving on the side in the image of a tree. He also added a couple pots Mochou could use for storing things.
Before he could leave he needed to check out what he already placed in his basket. The man took each item out and calculated the pricing. When he was finished adding it all together on his abacus he looked up.
"That will be 22 large copper and 4 small copper." The shopkeeper said.
Yichen didn't even blink. He simply handed the man 2 small silver, and 3 large copper.
"Your change 6 small copper." The shopkeeper stated.
"Thank you." Yichen said before walking out of the shop with his purchases.
"What's next? Let's see I have rice, flour, salt, seeds, oil, soap nuts, some vegetables, kitchen supplies, farming tools... he wanted a pot and needs a knife. Let's go to the blacksmith's to see what's available."
Yichen had already spent all of Mochou's money but he didn't plan to leave until he at least found out the price for a new knife, pot, clothes, and bedding for Mochou.
"He also needs to get new shoes." Yichen mused as he continued wandering town. He was in a hurry but unwilling to go back until he had a better idea of how much Mochou needed to spend to finally live comfortably.
...
"He finally left." Mochou thought as he sat down at the little table. Yichen's father had stayed with Mochou much longer than he would have liked. It wasn't that Yi Peng wasn't a good man but he was basically going to become his father-in-law. Mochou couldn't help but feel nervous around him.
"It also didn't help that Yichen's father was asking him questions here and there about the type of future he and Yichen would have. None of the questions were malicious but they did give Mochou some perspective.
"His father had a point when he mentioned what the villagers might think about our relationship. I'm clearly unwanted goods in this world and I have no one who would be willing to support our decision." Mochou recalled feeling his mood darken.
"I also don't know what my family will think let alone do. My only memories so far are those of them shouting and hitting me. I don't even know how I came to live in this little hut alone. Yichen's father did mention the house used to belonged to my grandfather and now my father, but not why I'm living in it."
Mochou had so many questions. Questions he felt might be better left unanswered. The only positive part of the whole conversation was that Yichen's father never once told him to give up on his son. To Mochou's surprise he even sounded supportive.
"I hope I didn't say anything that would make him want dissuade Yichen from going through with the marriage." Mochou mused while anxiously preparing to leave the hut. His plan was to go to the river to fish and do laundry.
Mochou would have liked to wash and change clothes at least twice a day. But currently doing so every two days was the best he could manage.
"Maybe I should consider buying new clothes a priority for next time Yichen goes to town?" He thought as he left the house and headed for the river.
Last time Mochou went to the river he headed for the spot where it was easy to see other villagers. This time he decided to head further away to where he previously set the fish trap.
When he reached the location. He found the fish trap he had made using reeds left on the side of the river. Mochou put the basket full of laundry down and picked up the trap.
"Last time I set the trap for less than an hour and caught three fat fish. If I set it while I do laundry I should he able to get more." Mochou snickered at the prospect of getting more fat fish.
"Mochou did exactly as he did last time. He placed the funnel shaped reed basket into the water. With some fish bait he made from leftovers at the base to attract the fish inside.
Once that was set Mochou turned his attention to his laundry.
"Sh*t. I forgot to ask Yichen for soap." Mochou cursed as he began to wash his clothing.
...
Once he finished Mochou hopped over to where he had set the fish trap.
"How many fish will I find!" He sang.
The fish trap had been set for over an hour while he washed his clothing and linen. After which he set them to dry in the sun.
"Eh?! Where are my fish?" Mochou shouted.
He jumped into the water and moved closer hoping the fish were hiding inside. And he was right except it was only one fish and it was the length of a hand. Even roasted it would be worth at best two mouthfuls.
"I don't get it. Last time I caught three fat fish in less time. Why isn't it working today?"
Mochou added some extra bait and threw the little fish away. When he was done he headed over to pick more berries and gather edible plants. As he walked he grumbled about not having any fish.
"I must have done something different last time. Maybe it's the bait? Last time I added a little quail meat." Mochou tried to cheer himself up by gathering a wealth of edible plants.
It was a successful walk. He gathered a lot more oleaster berries he could use in his traps or for tea. Already knowing the area and too depressed to go check on the fish trap again Mochou continued to walk.
The walk was successful because he found a bamboo forest. At the sight Mochou's eyes brightened considerably. His mood quickly changed for the better as he rushed over to the bamboo forest.
The forest was small but Mochou didn't care. No matter how small it was he Mochou only cared about the bamboo shoots hidden beneath the soil. He knelt down and began looking.
After thirty minutes he managed to get over twenty bamboo shoots. The harvest was amazing and he couldn't be happier.
"With the salt Yichen will bring me later I can pickle the bamboo in salt water. Wait, I don't have a pot with a lid or clean linen I can use to preserve it." Mochou realized. His mood went from happy to depressed within seconds.
Mochou's basket was full so he decided to turn back. When he reached the river again he checked the fish trap hoping to see at least one fish.
"Stupid thing! Why didn't you work?!" Mochou shouted as he stomped on the empty fish trap. Afterwards he grabbed his laundry and returned to his little hut feeling depressed.
...