Chapter 19: Human Nature

The people of Jiangzhou are truly prosperous.

The four of them went to their usual spot, set down their cart, and arranged bags of spiced peanuts atop the crates. Before they even began calling out to attract customers, a young servant hurried over.

“Master, you’ve arrived!” he greeted eagerly.

“And what business do you have, young sir?” Lin Feng asked.

“I’m from the Pear Fragrance Garden. Yesterday, I bought twenty jin of spiced peanuts from you while accompanying Madam Feng,” the servant explained.

“Oh, it’s you. May I ask what you need today?” Lin Feng replied.

“I’d like to buy another twenty jin today!” The servant smiled. “We served the peanuts to our guests last night, and they were very popular. We used more than half the batch in just one evening.”

Brothels really were places of high consumption!

They bought the peanuts at three hundred wen per jin, but sold them to clients for at least one tael of silver per jin.

Having frequented such places, Lin Feng was naturally aware of the price differences inside.

Of course, this varied by region.

In the capital city of Chu, even the lowest-tier brothels or pleasure boats cost far more than the Pear Fragrance Garden in this small town. A small plate of peanuts or sunflower seeds could easily fetch one tael of silver.

Not to mention the most famous pleasure houses in Chu city.

The young servant handed Lin Feng five taels of silver. “Madam Feng said that starting tomorrow, you should deliver five jin every morning. Pay three hundred wen per jin. Pay upon delivery, and if we don’t need any, we’ll inform you in advance.”

“Very well, no problem.”

“I’ll take these twenty jin back first.”

Six Happiness swiftly packed twenty bags of the spiced peanuts into the servant’s bundle.

After the young man left with his load, Lin Feng began calling out: “Fragrant spiced peanuts! Free samples to taste!”

Passersby immediately gathered at the mention of free tasting.

The peanuts were truly delicious, but the price was daunting. Upon learning the cost, many were shocked.

Three hundred wen was almost enough to buy five or six jin of meat.

Lin Feng naturally would not lower the price, at least not for now.

Only when others began to figure out how to make spiced peanuts might he consider lowering it.

But that would likely be soon; Lin Feng had always trusted the replica and creative abilities of the Chinese people.

What he needed now was to introduce new products, preferably affordable ones for the common folk.

Especially here, in the mountain village and small town where he lived, high-end goods were unsuitable for the locals.

Although he planned to set up a food stall by the river from village to town, he couldn’t have both Six Happiness and Little Butterfly always helping there, especially now that Tian Xier had joined them.

So while he ran the food stall, Six Happiness and the others still needed to sell goods in town.

He told Six Happiness and the others to continue hawking spiced peanuts while he wandered the town, eventually stopping at a hawthorn stall.

“Old sir, how much for your hawthorns?” he asked.

“Hawthorns?” The old man gestured toward the basket. “You call these hawthorns? Are you from out of town? We call them monkey hawthorns or ‘mountain reds’ here.”

Perhaps the term “hawthorn” was not yet common.

“How much for your mountain reds, then?”

“These are from last autumn and winter—somewhat old. I can sell to you cheaply, five wen per jin.”

So cheap? Could this area be abundant in hawthorns?

Lin Feng recalled that when climbing the mountain earlier today, he saw many wild hawthorn trees.

Indeed, living off the mountain meant relying on the mountain’s resources; living by the water, relying on the water’s bounty.

“How much does this whole basket weigh?”

“Six or seven jin, maybe.”

Lin Feng grabbed a handful, examining the fruit. They were well preserved, their skins smooth and bright red, plump and juicy. He wiped one with his handkerchief and tasted it—sweet and sour, quite pleasant.

“I won’t be picky. I’ll give you thirty wen for the whole lot!”

Since the old man had sold little of last year’s mountain reds, having one buyer take all was welcome indeed.

“Old sir, do you cultivate these mountain reds specifically?”

“There are plenty of these monkey hawthorn trees on the mountain. No need to cultivate,” the old man chuckled.

“Do you know if others gather them too?”

“Of course.”

“Alright then, old sir. Help me buy ten jin from them. Come back to town and sell them to me in two days, but…” Lin Feng picked up a large, plump hawthorn. “Make sure they’re about this size.”

“No problem. But what if I gather them and you don’t buy?”

“I can give you a deposit of ten wen.”

“That’s acceptable.” The old man relaxed.

“You can also deliver them to Kaoshan Village. Just find Tian Zhenggen’s house. We’re neighbors.”

“Tian Zhenggen?”

“Yes, he’s quite well-known in Kaoshan Village. Just ask around.”

Lin Feng placed the hawthorns back into the basket. “Old sir, come with me to get your payment.”

The old man promptly packed up his stall and followed Lin Feng back to their stand.

“小 Butterfly, give this old sir forty wen,” Lin Feng instructed.

Little Butterfly handed the money to the old man, puzzled.

After the hawthorns were happily taken away, Little Butterfly asked, “Big brother, what do you want so many of these for? They don’t taste good.”

Tian Xier said, “Pregnant women in the village like to eat them. My father said they can be used medicinally too.”

Lin Feng thought that in the past, hawthorns were indeed unpopular in ancient times, mainly because of their sourness. People regarded them as wild fruit, fit only for the poor; the wealthy would not eat them.

It was only after the invention of candied hawthorn skewers that hawthorns gradually gained popularity.

That likely explained why hawthorns were so cheap.

Yet Lin Feng saw a business opportunity.

“Have you ever tried candied hawthorn skewers?”

All shook their heads.

“I’ll teach you how to make candied hawthorn skewers when we get back.” Lin Feng smiled, then looked at the crate where the peanuts were displayed. “You’re amazing—you sold out already!”

“That officer Zhang Yuan from the patrol office came just now,” said Little Butterfly, “He said a teahouse and a restaurant in town liked our spiced peanuts very much and wanted a large amount, so he bought all of them. One bag was given by me…”

“Not bad! You’ve learned quickly,” Lin Feng laughed. “Remember, to do good business, you need connections. Often, connections are built through mutual benefit. If you can bring benefits to each other, that’s the foundation of relationships.”

The three looked somewhat puzzled.

Lin Feng smiled. “This Zhang Yuan is one of our connections. Through him, we secured our interests, and he benefited as well. He’ll definitely continue helping us in the future.”

This explanation helped them understand much.

“Big Brother Lin, are relatives and friends also considered connections?” Tian Xier asked seriously.

“Of course,” Lin Feng replied. “But even relatives and friends must be based on mutual benefit. There’s a saying: ‘Rich in the deep mountains still have distant relatives; poor in the bustling city, no one asks.’ When you’re wealthy, relatives from far away will seek you out because they see you as a connection from whom they can gain something. But if you’re destitute, don’t expect relatives—or even close family—to care much, since they receive no benefits from you.”