Reborn as an Ugly Wife in the Countryside-Chapter 1288 - 1290: Lock Up the Money When We Get Back

Actually, the reason Xiaoxiao thought there were no locks here is that she didn’t see anyone with locks. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The sauerkraut was drugged at the time, and she had thought about buying a lock, but considered it might not be so easy to make. Such technical work like matching a lock with a key was beyond her, and she didn’t believe she had that capability.

Later, she set up a workshop and brought in two big dogs to prevent theft.

Thinking about it now, the family would get bigger in the future, and they can’t just leave and ask someone to watch the house. It would be more convenient to have a lock. Seeing the blacksmith shop, she thought of coming in to ask, not realizing that this place actually had locks.

But the locks were too expensive. "Uncle, don’t worry, we won’t make you lose money; I’m just saying you’ll earn less profit. No one likes making a losing deal, right? So, how about forty taels, not more?"

"No way, no way, you’re asking way too much." Old Wang furrowed his brow, shocked at the high price.

"Not too much, uncle, you’ll still make money. Just forty taels, I’ll come back to buy locks from you next time." Xiaoxiao continued bargaining with a smile.

"No way, not for forty taels. That’s too much. I’m just making some money for the craftsmanship; it’s not worth it. I’ll cut two taels, but not below forty-three." Old Wang made a concession, especially since locks didn’t sell many a year, and now someone came and asked for so much.

Xiaoxiao pretended to back out and tugged Yang Ming along, "Honey, it’s too expensive. Let’s not buy it, let’s check out other blacksmith shops, or head to the County."

"Alright, let’s look elsewhere," Yang Ming agreed.

Old Wang heard this and panicked as he saw the family of three heading out. He quickly said, "Alright, alright, you’re really good at bargaining. Just forty taels, but promise you’ll come back next time."

"Absolutely," Xiaoxiao agreed cheerfully.

She paid the deposit, took the receipt, and left the blacksmith shop with Yang Ming.

The lock cost forty taels, and Xiaoxiao felt the pain. She lamented, "Honey, locks here are so expensive."

"Yeah, that’s why no one buys them, only people in the city use them; villagers don’t."

Xiaoxiao thought about it and agreed. A lock costs two taels of Silver, and villagers really can’t afford it. No wonder she hadn’t seen anyone use locks. "I thought you guys didn’t have locks like these, needing me to get two big dogs to guard the house."

"In the countryside, dogs are more useful than locks. Rural houses have windows that break when pulled and doors that break with a hit, so locks are useless."

"..." Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. That was painfully true, but at least a lock could delay a thief from stealing anything.

"Also, as the uncle said earlier, each lock is different, paired with one key, a technical operation that’s too expensive. Villagers can’t afford it, so there are no specialized lock shops around; just blacksmiths that forge them on demand."

That explained why she hadn’t seen lock shops before. Thinking it over, she understood; ordinary folks rarely leave their homes, manage their own security, and don’t find locks necessary.

But she needed them, to be safe rather than sorry. "Once home, I’ll lock all the money."

Yang Ming chuckled, "Hehe, the place where you hide money really takes some effort to find."

Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "Quick, drive the cart faster. Let’s get to my mother’s place sooner."

ps: Price of locks set for plot purposes. Whether locks were expensive historically, I don’t know. This is a fictional story for the sake of plot. Please don’t nitpick, haha. Thanks for understanding!