Dragon, Truly Shameless (Yuri Futa, Farming) - Chapter 25

Shen Qingming suddenly understood. That’s right, why hadn’t she thought of it?

Couldn’t a dozen years of living as a dependant bring clarity? The Taoist priest said she was destined for hardship, born to live a bitter life. Her father didn’t love her, her mother didn’t care for her, and no family in the entire village was willing to take her in. Even her grandparents, who had raised her for over a decade, fell into decline because of her.

Looking back at the days since Long Qing took her in, she had lived well, but what about Long Qing?

Long Qing not only had to go hunting every day, but despite hunting so much game, she couldn’t save any money, and now she even had to worry about making a living. Long Qing was undoubtedly a very beautiful girl; she was elegant and ethereal, with delicate fingers, suggesting she was unaccustomed to manual labor. Yet now she was shouldering heavy responsibilities, carrying a heavy bamboo basket on mountain paths, so tired her back couldn’t straighten. No matter how she looked at it, she was a burden to Long Qing.

Shen Qingming searched her heart. She had never intended to harm Long Qing, or perhaps it was just a momentary attachment, or the weakness formed from years of being without reliance. She clung tightly to Long Qing as a lifeline, touching that beauty, yet she had forgotten that beauty was precisely what she shouldn’t crave. With Long Qing’s reminder, Shen Qingming was severely struck, wilting from head to toe.

After saying that, Long Qing turned and continued pushing the cart. After a few steps, she noticed the little shadow behind her hadn’t followed. Turning back, she saw the young girl standing far away, head bowed, shoulders hunched.

Wilting again! These three words popped into Long Qing’s mind.

It had to be said, this bean sprout was actually quite difficult to raise. Her health was poor, she easily got sick, and her mind was overly sensitive, prone to overthinking. The result of overthinking was just like this: she wilted. The fragile bean sprout needed more careful nurturing from her. Thinking about her recent words, she feared they had been misunderstood.

Although the little girl was much more cheerful now and very dependent on her, the notions and habits formed since childhood were difficult to change. For instance, believing in the Dragon God, thinking she was a disaster star, inherently lowly, and undeserving of good things—this was generally evident from her daily life. She was extremely frugal, unwilling to use anything good, and even when subjected to malicious bullying, she would find fault with herself.

Long Qing didn’t understand human notions of hierarchy, but she didn’t like it. Especially now that she had picked up and taken in the little girl, she was hers, and her belongings couldn’t be looked down upon.

She could reprimand the villagers without reservation, but she couldn’t bear to scold the little girl. So she had said those words, intending to provoke her, to make her understand on her own, but it ended up backfiring.

She put down the cart, walked over, and took the girl’s small hand.

It was now November, early winter. Although it was far from the coldest time, the temperature wasn’t high. The little girl suffered from perennial coldness; her hands were always cool even in the scorching heat of summer, and now they felt like ice pops. Long Qing, feeling tender, rubbed them together, then blew warm air into her palm.

“A-Qing,” the little girl called out softly, her eyes red, not daring to look at her, behaving like a child who had done something wrong. Long Qing felt the hand she was holding shrink back, yet not dare to pull away. The girl’s face was full of struggle, finally scrunching up into a bun. Seeing this, Long Qing suddenly felt mischievous and wanted to tease her. “Do you know what I see right now?”

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingming looked up blankly, a slight mist of tears still clinging to her curled eyelashes, making her look both dazed and pitiful.

Long Qing lightly flicked the girl’s delicate, upturned nose, her fingertip slowly moving upwards, then tapping on that fair, full forehead, teasingly, “I see the words ‘I’m a dummy’ carved here.”

Shen Qingming tilted her head. When she realized what Long Qing was referring to, her pale little face flushed red at a visible rate, until it was completely scarlet. She lowered her head, looking at the corner of her clothes, embarrassed, “No way, you’re just making things up.”

“I’m not making things up,” Long Qing became unusually serious. She took the girl’s hand, led her to the cart, handed her a bamboo tube filled with hot water, and then said earnestly, “Don’t overthink things. My words just now weren’t meant to despise you. I just wanted you to understand that you haven’t burdened me, nor will you burden anyone.”

“But they…” They had called her a disaster star since she was little, and even the many misfortunes she encountered in real life seemed to corroborate this fact.

“They bully you because they are bad, not because you brought them any misfortune. That’s just their excuse to bully you. In other words, even without you, they would pick someone else to bully. As for being a disaster star, that’s nonsense. Heaven and Earth are unkind, treating all beings as straw dogs. No matter how many sacrifices you offer, or how many so-called disaster stars you find to punish, the suffering that is meant to continue will still continue.”

Shen Qingming pursed her lips, her lips moving, but not a single word escaped. Long Qing turned to her, her elegant voice slowly enunciating, “So, since it’s already bitter enough, why add to the suffering? Taking others’ mistakes upon yourself won’t solve problems; it will only make you sadder. Besides, I’m the one who decided to take you in. Without you, where would I get such a big cart full of dried persimmons? Let alone velvet antlers; I might have starved to death before winter even arrived.”

She said this half-jokingly, but Shen Qingming took it seriously. Upon hearing her words, Shen Qingming quickly grabbed Long Qing’s hand and shook her head resolutely, “You won’t starve to death.”

Long Qing paused, looking at the rough little hand tightly gripping hers, and smiled slightly, “Yes, with Qingming here, how could I starve to death?”

She spoke gently, and for the first time, she used Shen Qingming’s name privately. Her voice was a little low, but the ending rose, sounding as if she were smiling, and indeed she was. Shen Qingming had never known her name sounded so good. Her face immediately flushed red, yet the mischievous person, whose heart was still naughty, was still adding insult to injury with a feigned solemnity.

“Right? Since Qingming has promised, pounding her chest, then in the spirit of reciprocity, I’m entrusting my life and fortune to you.”

Shen Qingming’s head was almost buried in her chest. Her ten fingers intertwined, wishing she could dig a hole to disappear into, muttering to herself: entrusting one’s life and fortune, it sounds just like… getting married.

After this incident, Long Qing was overjoyed, in an even better mood than Shen Qingming. She grabbed the cart’s handle, and with brisk steps, moved quickly.

With the cart providing leverage, their traveling speed greatly increased. Approximately half an hour later, they successfully arrived at Black Dragon Town. By then, the sun was high in the sky, and it was the peak of the morning market. The town was bustling with people, and enthusiastic shouts filled the streets and alleys, making it incredibly lively.

Walking on the unfamiliar and crowded street, Shen Qingming kept close to Long Qing, her small hand constantly gripping Long Qing’s sleeve, her posture a little constrained. Her eyes, however, kept darting around, her happiness overflowing.

Village families often lived self-sufficiently and rarely traveled far. Following the principle of men working outside and women managing the household, women’s social circles were even smaller. Just as the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues described, “A woman follows others. As a child, she follows her father and brothers; as a wife, she follows her husband; as a widow, she follows her son.” It was clear that regardless of age, a woman’s life remained consistent, revolving around her family.

In the Old Shen family, Shen Qingming was responsible for all household chores, as well as cooking and raising pigs. Having never left Taohua Village in her life, her knowledge of Black Dragon Town mostly came from her heartless father and her mother, with whom she had only a few years of connection. Her mother was a town girl, the cherished daughter of Shopkeeper Hua of the apothecary, from a well-off family. It was because of this that Shen Qingming had the opportunity to encounter many things that village girls could not, including medicinal herbs.

Speaking of medicinal herbs, Shen Qingming didn’t plan to inquire at her maternal grandparents’ house. Firstly, her parents had already divorced, and her father had been ungrateful first, leading to her being disliked by her maternal grandparents as well. Going there rashly would only invite cold stares. Secondly, she had Long Qing now, and she believed that without relying on others, she could still give Long Qing a good life on her own.

Shen Qingming looked around, searching for an apothecary, planning to sell the velvet antlers first and then slowly sell the dried persimmons. The village chief had suggested they sell at Miaochun Hall. Miaochun Hall was the largest apothecary in Black Dragon Town, with a long history and fair prices, recognized as a good apothecary throughout the ten-mile radius. Without much thought, Shen Qingming decided to go to Miaochun Hall.

When they arrived at Miaochun Hall, only a young man was tending the door. The young man was originally writing something at the counter. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his gaze meeting Long Qing’s, and he instantly froze.

“You, are you here for medicine?” The young man’s eyes kept darting towards Long Qing, and his words stammered a little. Long Qing’s appearance was too exceptional for a small town. Tall and handsome, with waist-length ink-black hair and skin as white as snow, even pushing a cart of dried persimmons through the bustling market, this incongruity only made her seem more otherworldly, as if she didn’t belong to the mundane world. Just standing there made her unforgettable.

“No, we’re here to sell medicinal ingredients. We were wondering if your apothecary buys them?” Shen Qingming was immediately displeased when she saw the young man staring intently at Long Qing. She moved a step towards Long Qing, subtly blocking the young man’s view.

The young man also realized his impropriety and awkwardly retracted his gaze. Shen Qingming took out the bamboo basket, uncovered the burlap, and beneath it lay two pairs of velvet antlers. The young man’s eyes lit up. He said to Shen Qingming, “Young lady, you’re here to sell velvet antlers, aren’t you? Our apothecary buys them, but I can’t make the decision. Please wait a moment, I’ll go and fetch the shopkeeper.”

Shen Qingming nodded.

A moment later, the apothecary’s shopkeeper arrived. He was a sturdy man, big-boned and broad-shouldered, yet he walked with no hesitation. Hearing that someone was selling velvet antlers, he rushed over.

“The lad said you want to sell velvet antlers?”

“Yes, we have two pairs. We just don’t know what price the shopkeeper can offer,” Shen Qingming stepped aside and took out the velvet antlers for the shopkeeper to examine.

The shopkeeper, having dealt with medicinal ingredients for years, could tell the difference between the two pairs of velvet antlers with just a glance. One pair was reddish-brown, cylindrical, with only one fork, and a blunt, rounded tip—commonly known as “two-pronged.” This type of velvet antler was of the best quality. The other pair was much darker in color, with thinner branches and two forks, and some signs of ossification visible on the cross-section. This velvet antler was of lesser quality. However, what he was more concerned about at the moment was not the quality.

“Excellent, and the very best two-pronged sika deer velvet antlers. The processing and drying haven’t damaged the branches. I suppose, young lady, you are also skilled in pharmacology?” The shopkeeper was speaking, his gaze wandering between Shen Qingming and Long Qing.

Although the two young ladies wore similarly styled brocade clothes, their temperaments were vastly different. The shorter girl was frail and timid, likely from a mountain family. The taller girl appeared gentle and polite, yet her demeanor was cold; standing there, she looked like a celestial being. Truly a strange combination.

“I merely had the good fortune to hear about it,” Shen Qingming said softly.

The shopkeeper stroked his beard, smiling without a word. “Young lady, you are too modest. This is not something one learns just by listening casually. How about this: for this pair, I’ll give fifty taels, but for this pair, this one is already ossified. You must know that ossified velvet antlers are not valuable, but they were handled well, so I’ll give three taels. What do you think, young lady?”

Hearing the shopkeeper’s offer, Shen Qingming was a bit conflicted. Her goal was to sell them for at least seventy taels. In this era, an acre of good farmland cost upward of a dozen taels. She and Long Qing, currently, not to mention land, didn’t even have a place to live. Living in a cave was not a long-term solution, and they also needed a stable, continuous income. Buying land seemed the most cost-effective solution, at least it would solve the food problem. But even if all fifty taels were used to buy land, they could only buy three acres, let alone their lack of clothes and food, it simply wasn’t enough.

Long Qing sensed the little girl’s struggle. She stepped forward and said to the shopkeeper with a smile, “That’s not quite right. Since the shopkeeper also says this is the very best velvet antler, ‘best’ surely refers to more than just its efficacy, doesn’t it?”

The shopkeeper hadn’t expected this “celestial being,” who had been silent all this time, to suddenly speak like this. Although he understood her meaning, he pretended ignorance. “What do you mean, young lady?”

“We are all clever people, so why ask knowingly? Deer are already difficult to raise, and stags are combative; velvet antlers often get scrapes. This pair of velvet antlers not only has no blemishes, its shape is remarkably intricate, and it’s from a wild sika deer. Not to mention Black Dragon Town, it’s probably one of the few in the entire country. Such a rare find, the shopkeeper wouldn’t truly intend to slice it and sell it as medicine, would he?”

Long Qing smiled naturally, her tone relaxed and at ease, but in the shopkeeper’s eyes, she was like a cunning fox, slyly mocking him. The shopkeeper thought to himself that this young lady looked proper, but she had so many tricks up her sleeve. He had intended to cheat the two girls since they seemed ignorant of the value, but now he had outsmarted himself. He said helplessly, “This young lady is truly keeping her talents hidden. Indeed, this pair of velvet antlers is a rare find. What price do you have in mind, young lady?”

“The shopkeeper flatters me. This pair of velvet antlers was merely an unexpected gain. At present, my sister and I urgently need to acquire things for winter, so we shouldn’t trouble the shopkeeper. So, this amount.” Long Qing slowly raised one finger, saying in a deep voice, “One hundred taels.”

Shen Qingming was greatly astonished. Just now, the shopkeeper had offered only fifty taels; how dared Long Qing directly double the price? She cautiously looked at the shopkeeper, but saw that he merely hesitated for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter, “Hahaha, good, young lady, you are bold. Since that’s the case, if I were to be petty, it would seem stingy. One hundred taels it is.”

••••

Shen Qingming stared blankly as Long Qing and the shopkeeper seemed to reach some agreement, chatting and laughing. In the end, not only did they sell the good pair of velvet antlers for a high price of one hundred taels, but the lesser pair also sold for five taels. She felt her values had been thoroughly challenged.

The shopkeeper was extremely pleased. He seemed afraid that the velvet antlers would be sold elsewhere, so he exchanged money for goods on the spot. After sending off the two young ladies, he had the young man bring out a brocade box from a hidden compartment.

It was a dark golden brocade box, made of zitan wood, with intricately carved patterns. Such an exquisite brocade box surely contained something equally valuable. The shopkeeper opened the box, and inside lay a ginseng root. It seemed quite old, and surprisingly, its shape resembled a human figure. In a superstitious society, such a ginseng would surely be considered an essence spirit at least. Yet, the shopkeeper took out the ginseng and placed the velvet antlers inside.

“Master, this?” The young man looked at his master’s actions in surprise.

“Get another box for this,” the shopkeeper handed him the ginseng.

The young man didn’t quite understand but dutifully brought another brocade box and put the ginseng in it. Seeing his master treat that pair of velvet antlers with such reverence, he was puzzled. “Master, no matter how precious velvet antlers are, they can’t compare to ginseng, can they? Spending one hundred taels could buy a very good ginseng.”

Hearing his words, the shopkeeper shook his head. He gently stroked the surface of the velvet antlers, tracing the curve of the antlers. The movement was as if he were stroking something else through the velvet antlers. The young man was even more bewildered, but then he saw his master take out the velvet antlers and place them upright on the table. Velvet antlers naturally grew on a deer’s head, but perhaps it was the angle of placement, he suddenly felt that this pair of velvet antlers was exceptionally sharp and striking.

“Do you understand now?” The shopkeeper asked, smiling, seeing his stunned expression.

The young man shook his head, pointing at the velvet antlers, “It has a strange feeling.”

The shopkeeper’s smile was meaningful; strange was right. He looked at the antlers on the table, his gaze profound. Having dealt with medicinal ingredients for many years, he had seen countless antlers, but no pair of antlers had given him this feeling.

Generally, antlers were regular in shape, thick and simple, and even if occasionally rugged in appearance, they still looked well-behaved overall. But this pair of antlers, although only having one fork, had a flamboyant branching angle and subtle curves. Despite being thoroughly dried, they still exuded a hint of spirituality, sharp and striking, just like a pair of… dragon horns.