Chapter 184: Chapter 181: Burning Bugs Up Ahead

Xie Huai’an reacted swiftly, grabbing a basin of water from a nearby vendor’s basket and splashing it over.

He then dragged the man, rolling him several times on the ground, tearing off the smoking outer shirt, finally rescuing him.

Terrified, the man knelt on the ground, thanking him, "Thank you, chivalrous man, thank you for your help!"

Ruan Mian followed the direction he had come from and saw thick smoke rising not far away, with many people standing around inspecting.

"What happened up ahead?"

Hearing their foreign accent, the man quickly replied in somewhat halting Da Jing dialect.

"Up ahead they are burning insects. You came from outside, right? You might not know, but right now the town and its outskirts are plagued with these insects. They’re very annoying, can’t eat enough of them."

"The area under the city wall scared away many foreign merchants, so the government officer just came over to burn those insects with fire. I accidentally got caught up in the flames earlier, but thankfully the young master saved me."

Insects? Ruan Mian immediately walked forward.

Once she approached, she indeed saw that an area had already been burned.

Several government officers were preparing to burn another area, and Ruan Mian immediately called out.

"Lord!"

Upon hearing her accent, the others turned to look.

Tunan City is not like the garrison, not close to Wuheng, and belongs to the Liao Lie territory’s major city.

So the common language is Liao Lie’s local dialect.

Even though this local dialect is a modified version of Da Jing language, Ruan Mian had to listen carefully to recognize.

If they spoke quickly, Ruan Mian couldn’t understand at all.

Just as she was about to speak, Xie Huai’an approached and asked, "Mianmian, what do you want to say? I’ll convey it for you."

Ruan Mian exclaimed in surprise, "You know the local dialect here?"

Seeing him nod, Ruan Mian was secretly delighted! What luck, this is perfect.

She conveyed her thoughts to Xie Huai’an, who understood and took the initiative to stop the government officers.

Fluently speaking in Liao Lie dialect, he told them, "My wife wants to collect all the insects here; we can offer a price, calculated by weight."

"If anyone is kind enough to help catch them for us, we’ll pay two hundred wen per jin."

"Two hundred wen?!"

Upon hearing this, the others were shocked and looked at them.

"Is the young master serious? These insects can fetch two hundred wen per jin?"

Xie Huai’an glanced at Ruan Mian and then nodded affirmatively.

Immediately, regardless of whether they were government officers or onlookers, anyone not afraid of these insects rushed into the oak forest.

Ruan Mian was astonished, thinking she should have said a cheaper price.

Blame herself for being so wealthy now, having no real concept of money.

Though her words might provoke envy, it’s true, as she knows there’s a gold mine on Longchang Mountain, and possibly a large tomb underground.

It would take several lifetimes to spend.

Using it to develop here is undoubtedly enough.

It just requires a lot of time.

Before long, people were bringing large and small bags to her.

"Young master, young master, I have a scale here, weigh it, how much can I sell this for?"

Seeing them line up, Xie Huai’an calculated the payments while Ruan Mian bought several large baskets from passersby.

Seeing the line grow longer and longer, she was shocked at the sheer number.

Truly... it’s rampant.

She couldn’t take in so many. Hastily negotiating, they exchanged the people’s insects, filling two baskets and stopping.

Those unable to sell started grumbling.

"What? Not buying anymore? I think this person is stupid, offering a high price for these insects, I wouldn’t eat them even for free!"

"These two outsiders don’t know anything, probably a little crazy."

Ruan Mian was speechless and couldn’t be bothered to argue with them. The two lifted their collected insects to a secluded corner.

The plump green worms filled a basket, making even Xie Huai’an shudder, let alone her as a woman.

Yet, she wasn’t afraid, picking them up one by one to examine.

"Mianmian, aren’t you afraid?"

Ruan Mian smiled, "What is there to fear? If I told the lord that these insects not only can feed but also clothe and save lives, such sacrificing ’spiritual insects’, why would they be scary?"

"Did you come to Tunan City to do business specifically for these insects?"

Ruan Mian returned the oak silkworm to its place and nodded genuinely.

"I just came to see how many there are here, whether they can be useful to me."

"We can’t take them back yet, let’s stash them under that rock for now. Anyway, nobody wants these insects so they’ll just be left there untouched."

"Just... leave them like that?"

Xie Huai’an was puzzled by her business dealings.

But he was willing to trust her. As long as it was something Mianmian did, there must be a reason.

Actually, as he turned away, Ruan Mian secretly took out the Jade Bracelet and stored the oak silkworms inside.

The next step was to explore the city and find Tu Ji, to fulfill an aunt’s wish.

The bustle of Tunan City was comparable to those large cities along the exile route, unlike the small border town of garrison.

The marketplace here was crowded, filled with many foreigners.

Everything was for sale.

She had some pottery, sachets, and Nourishing Cream in her space, thinking of setting up a small stall to test the waters.

But upon reconsidering, rather than fumbling on her own, it would be better to find Tu Ji sooner and gather some insights into the situation here.

Especially the textile business.

With that in mind, she took Xie Huai’an to a small stall and simply ate a bowl of noodles, then grabbed the prepared clothes.

She changed into light men’s clothing, wearing a turban, making it easier to move.

She appeared quite dashing and elegant, akin to a noble young master. Even though Xie Huai’an wore coarse clothing, his innate demeanor was unmistakable, perfectly illustrating one thing.

Good-looking people, even in a burlap sack, still look good.

The two inquired all along the way, finally finding Tuji Mansion in the south of the city.

Just the majestic entrance conveyed his wealth and influence.

Later, when a dozen servants emerged from the entrance, it made Ruan Mian realize that her aunt’s foster son was likely not just a small-time merchant, but a well-known merchant indeed.

Which is wonderful!

Just as Ruan Mian was about to step forward, the steward at the gate asked first, "Are you the ones buying mountain insects outside the city gate this morning?"

Ruan Mian and Xie Huai’an exchanged glances, puzzled, and countered, "You know us?"

"We came today to see the master for some business."

Upon hearing this, the steward promptly replied with a smile, "What a coincidence! Our master was just looking for you two, why not come inside?"

Ruan Mian followed his invitation and walked into the mansion.

Upon entering, it was like stepping into the southern garden scenery of Da Jing.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com