BDSMST -Chapter 13 An Unexpected Discovery at the Market

Qingshi Town held its market on every third, sixth, and ninth day of the month.

That morning, before dawn had even broken, Jiang Suisui was already awake. She had Li Si harness the estate’s only repaired ox cart, then went to wake Gu Xuan, who was still deep in sleep.

“Today, I’m taking you somewhere fun.”

At the words “somewhere fun,” all of Gu Xuan’s drowsiness vanished. He scrambled into his clothes and asked excitedly, “Where are we going? To the back mountain to catch rabbits?”

“More fun than the back mountain,” Jiang Suisui replied with a mysterious smile. “You’ll know when we get there.”

From the freshly harvested cabbages, she selected more than a dozen of the largest and most tender-looking ones. Tied neatly with straw rope, they were stacked carefully onto the ox cart. Each cabbage looked as if it had been carved from green jade—tight hearts, thick leaves, glowing with a dewy sheen in the morning light.

Chunxing clicked her tongue in admiration. “Madam, our vegetables truly grow beautifully! They’re a hundred times better than the ones in the Marquis residence’s garden, even with all their expensive fertilizers!”

Jiang Suisui only smiled. Of course they were—these were nourished by spiritual spring water.

The three climbed onto the ox cart, and under Li Si’s steady guidance, it creaked along toward Qingshi Town.

It was Gu Xuan’s first time riding in an ox cart, and he found it fascinating. Unlike his past tantrums in horse carriages, he was brimming with excitement, crawling about on the wooden boards and staring curiously at the fields and trees rushing by.

The countryside morning air was especially fresh. Dew still clung to wildflowers along the road, and birds chirped from the branches. To Gu Xuan, who had grown up behind the high walls of the capital, everything felt wonderfully new.

After more than an hour, the ox cart rolled into Qingshi Town.

Though the town’s streets were nowhere near as wide or grand as the capital’s, they were bustling with life.

Peddlers carrying shoulder poles, farmers pushing wheelbarrows, street vendors hawking their wares—crowds brushed past one another. Shouts, bargaining voices, and children’s laughter blended into a lively symphony of everyday life.

Leaning over the side of the cart, Gu Xuan’s bright black eyes darted everywhere.

He saw an old man shaping sugar figurines—within moments, a lump of syrup turned into a lifelike little tiger. He saw a monkey performer; the small monkey in a red vest flipped and bowed, sending the crowd into peals of laughter. He saw stalls selling rattles, pinwheels, and cloth tigers—colorful and dazzling.

None of this had he ever seen in the Marquis residence. Though life there was wealthy, it had been like a delicate cage, shielding him from the most vivid and authentic colors of the world.

“Do you want one?” Jiang Suisui asked with a smile when she noticed him staring longingly at a candied hawthorn stall.

Gu Xuan blushed and replied stubbornly, “Wh-who wants that? That’s for little kids!”

Jiang Suisui didn’t expose him. She had Li Si stop the cart in a section near the market entrance reserved for farmers selling vegetables. Then she took out a few copper coins and handed them to Chunxing. “Go buy three skewers of candied hawthorn.”

Chunxing returned quickly with three skewers of bright red hawthorn berries coated in glistening sugar.

Gu Xuan hesitated when one was handed to him, but he accepted it. Copying Jiang Suisui, he took a small bite.

“Hiss—!” He grimaced at the sourness, but the sweetness of the sugar soon melted across his tongue, creating a delightful balance of sweet and tart.

Nibbling bit by bit, his expression slowly shifted from reluctance to enjoyment.

Jiang Suisui did not rush to sell the vegetables. Instead, she wandered the market with Chunxing and Gu Xuan. Her main purpose was market research.

She first visited a grain shop to ask about the prices of rice, flour, oil, and salt. As expected, goods in Qingshi Town were cheaper than in the capital. A dou of premium white rice cost around 150 wen in the capital, but just over 100 wen here.

Next, she stopped at a cloth shop. Ordinary cotton fabric was about 300 wen per bolt, and even better-quality cloth was only around 500 wen. She made a mental note—once the estate’s cotton harvest came in, selling cotton cloth alone would bring significant profit.

Finally, she headed to the vegetable-selling area.

After making a round, she noticed there were few varieties—mostly radishes and common greens. Due to drought, many looked wilted and of poor quality. Prices were low as well, only three to five wen per large bundle.

An elderly farmer selling vegetables noticed the lush cabbages on Jiang Suisui’s ox cart and approached in astonishment.

“Oh my! Miss, how did you grow these cabbages? In weather like this, you can still produce such fine vegetables?”

His shout immediately drew attention.

People gathered around, marveling at the cabbages that looked more like works of art than ordinary produce.

“These leaves are so green they look like they could drip water!”

“Yes, just look at the stalk—so white and thick!”

“Miss, how much are you selling these cabbages for?” someone asked.

Jiang Suisui smiled faintly and raised one finger.

“One… ten wen per cabbage?” someone guessed cautiously. That was already double the usual price.

Jiang Suisui shook her head.

“Not ten wen,” she said clearly and confidently, her voice carrying above the market’s noise. “One hundred wen.”

“What?!”

“One hundred wen for a single cabbage?! Are you robbing us?”

“Even if it were made of gold, it wouldn’t cost that much!”

The crowd instantly erupted. Everyone looked at Jiang Suisui as if she were crazy.

Even Chunxing and Li Si stood there in shock, mouths agape. One hundred wen could buy a whole dou of rice! Had Madam lost her mind?

Facing the doubt, Jiang Suisui remained calm. She picked up a cabbage from the cart, took out a small knife from her sleeve, and made a gentle slice at the root.

Crack!

The sound was crisp—almost like cutting into a watermelon.

Clear, sweet juice seeped from the cut, carrying a rich, vibrant fragrance that instantly overpowered all the other smells in the marketplace.

The crowd fell silent, staring at the sliced cabbage in disbelief.

Jiang Suisui shaved off a thin slice of the tender core and handed it to the elderly farmer who had spoken first. “Sir, have a taste.”

The old farmer accepted the paper-thin slice skeptically and placed it in his mouth.

He had barely chewed once before his eyes flew wide open.

An indescribable sweetness and crunch exploded across his taste buds! This wasn’t cabbage—it was like a celestial fruit from the heavens! In all his life, he had never eaten raw cabbage that tasted this good.

“Sweet! Crisp! Delicious! So delicious!” the old farmer stammered excitedly.

“Is that true?” others doubted.

Jiang Suisui sliced a few more pieces and handed them to several servants who looked like they were shopping for wealthy households.

Without exception, each person who tasted it showed the same astonished expression.

“I’ll take one! No—two!” A well-dressed matron was the first to react, pulling out her purse. “My lady is very particular about her food. If she eats this, she’ll be delighted!”

“I want some too! Three for me!”

“Save me five! I’ll take them all!”

The ox cart, ignored just moments ago, was now completely surrounded. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the dozen or so cabbages were sold out.

Jiang Suisui looked at the heavy pouch containing over a thousand copper coins and smiled in satisfaction.

Chunxing and Li Si were utterly stunned.

Gu Xuan, still nibbling on his candied hawthorn, stared wide-eyed at the scene. He knew the “bad woman” grew good vegetables—but he hadn’t imagined they would be worth this much.

So… farming could really make money? And this much money?

Just as Jiang Suisui was preparing to pack up and buy some necessities, a gentle, refined voice called out from behind the crowd.

“Madam, please wait. May I ask… do you have any more of this miraculous cabbage?”