Chapter 10: Finding Intelligence from Rats Gu Chan reached out and patted Zhang Wanshan on the back, "Grandpa, stop crying. I'll go buy some steamed buns first. We can eat them to fill our stomachs first. It's not a good idea to go hungry like this." "Then you go buy it, I'll watch the stall here." Zhang Wanshan stopped crying and handed the two copper coins in his hand to Gu Chan with a sad face. Gu Chan got up and left with the copper coin. Zhang Wanshan was so sad that he had no appetite to eat. Naturally, he didn't pay attention to Gu Chan. He just silently put the knives into the backpack, prepared to eat the steamed buns later, and took her back to the village to apologize to Zhao Erniu. After Gu Chan left, she did not go directly to buy steamed buns, but quietly came to the back of a medicine shop not far ahead. After looking around and making sure no one was around, she reached into her pocket and pulled out two loaches and ordered, "Sneak into the pharmacy and catch a mouse for me." [Yes, Master. 】 Baidu and Sogou responded in unison, then they leaped and rushed in through the window at the back of the drugstore. Gu Chan squatted under the window and waited quietly. After a while, two loaches flew out with a mouse the size of a child's palm and threw it in front of Gu Chan.
The mouse lay on the ground, trembling with fear. Gu Chan stared at it and said, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt your life, I'm just trying to get information from you." [Oh my god! Are you a human or a ghost? And you can speak rat language? ] The mouse was stunned at first, then it raised its head and stared at Gu Chan, shouting in shock. No one saw this scene at the time. If anyone saw it, they would only hear the strange "chirp" sound of the mouse. Gu Chan didn't have time to waste time talking to it, so she said directly, "Don't waste time, let me ask you, what is the price of spiritual herbs in your medicine shop?" [You have a magical herb?] The mouse was very surprised. Gu Chan nodded calmly. The mouse stood up straight. [Spiritual herbs are usually guarded by powerful spirit beasts. People who can take spiritual herbs from spirit beasts are always extraordinary. I never thought you could have such a strong strength at such a young age.] "Oh my! You little rat, you're such a chatterbox! Can you get to the point?" [Brother, humans have their own rules, and we mice naturally have our own rules. If you want to get information from me, at least show some appreciation!] The stinky rat was even picked up. Gu Chan was so angry that she stretched out her hand and pinched it, looking at it and threatening it fiercely, "You stinky rat, you are really smart! You actually played tricks on me, will you tell me? If not, I will crush your damn rat head with one hand." [Brother, please talk it over. Don't use violence! I am just trying to survive.] "I'm really pissed off. If I wasn't afraid that Grandpa wouldn't be bothered to wait, I would have severely punished you... Forget it, just endure it. Don't bother with a stinky rat. Just tell me! How do you want me to respond?" Gu Chan was angry but comforting herself at the same time. She really didn't have time to argue with a stinky rat here. The mouse smirked and said, "Five bowls of rice, I'll tell you." "Five bowls? You're robbing me, aren't you? One bowl, take it or leave it. If not, I'll crush you to death right now and send them in to catch other mice for trade."
[No, no, no, one bowl is enough. I told you that the price of spiritual herbs in this medicine shop is usually one hundred and fifty taels per plant. A good one can be sold for two hundred taels at most. It is impossible to sell for more than that.] Gu Chan frowned, her mind working rapidly. The Bauhinia blood-red grass in her arms was not bad in quality. If they sold it at the lowest price of 150 taels per plant, it would be enough for their head tax of 100 taels, and they would still have 50 taels left to make a living. Of course it would be best if it could be sold for two hundred taels, but that's unlikely, so it's better to set the lowest expectation at one hundred and fifty taels. After figuring this out, Gu Chan put the mouse on the ground and said, "Well, I will go sell the spiritual herbs first. I can buy rice for you when I have money. Next time I come to the market, I will come back here under the back window and give you a bowl of rice." [You're not fooling me, are you? ] "Hey Brother Rat, with your intelligence, how can I scare you? Just relax! I always keep my word when doing business, and I have more than one spiritual herb. Who knows, we may be able to cooperate for a long time in the future!" [That's true. Okay then! I'll trust you for now. I'll go back first. Next time you come under the back window, just let them in and call me.] The mouse felt flattered by Gu Chan's praise. After saying this, it jumped into the window and returned to the pharmacy. Gu Chan laughed, "As expected, no matter how smart animals are, they are much simpler than humans. I should interact with animals more in the future." After saying that, she put the two loaches into her pocket, then stood up and left quietly. She took two copper coins to buy four steamed buns, brought them back to the stall, and started to eat them with Zhang Wanshan. While eating the steamed bun in her hand, Gu Chan finally understood something. That is, the prices in Tiancang Country are indeed not cheap. One copper coin can only buy two steamed buns, and one hundred copper coins is one tael of silver. In other words, one tael of silver can only buy two hundred steamed buns, which is not enough for a family of three to eat for several days, not to mention that the prices of other things are more expensive than steamed buns. As a result, the monthly expenses for her and Zhang Wanshan alone would be around ten taels of silver, and this was calculated based on the minimum living standard. After figuring all this out, Gu Chan had almost finished eating her steamed buns. Zhang Wanshan was about to leave with the basket on his back, but she quickly reached out and held him back, "Grandpa, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Come with me to the medicine store!" "What are you doing?" "I still have some valuable herbs on me. Let's sell them first to solve the urgent problem." "That won't do! This is the life-saving item your family gave you before they died. How can you sell it so cheaply?" Zhang Wanshan refused without even thinking. Gu Chan smiled, "Grandpa, isn't it time for me to save my life? And to me, these are all external things. Right now, the most important thing is for us two to survive." "This……" "Okay, grandpa, stop talking and let's go!" Gu Chan carried her backpack and pulled Zhang Wanshan straight to the pharmacy in front. Zhang Wanshan paused for a moment, his face full of reluctance, but facing Gu Chan's determination, he finally gave in, and the tears in his eyes once again fell. The two of them quickly arrived outside the pharmacy, each put their backpacks at the door of the shop, and walked in together. Coming to the high platform, Gu Chan quickly reached into her arms, took out a redbud blood grass, handed it to Zhang Wanshan, and winked at him. Zhang Wanshan understood and handed the spiritual herb to the shopkeeper standing behind the counter, "Shopkeeper, help me see how much this herb is worth." The shopkeeper was in his forties, dressed in silk, had a big belly, a head as fat as a pig, and a mustache. He looked at the poor with sidelong glances, obviously not treating them as human beings. "What? These days, blacksmiths have started selling medicine?" Glancing at Zhang Wanshan, he had a look of disdain on his face and a very arrogant attitude.
But when he reached out to take the Bauhinia Blood-Red Grass and took a closer look at it, his eyes suddenly became dull and his mouth opened in shock. (End of this chapter)