Signing the Bill of Sale

Mrs. Gold couldn't hide the smile on her face as she listened. Taking advantage of the chaos at home, she quietly slipped out to find May Parker.

"Girl, Lily Evans is so frightened, she's crying at home! Oh, you should've seen her—usually so arrogant, but now? She can't put on airs anymore!"

"Godmother, let's go! We need to hurry to Tenmile Hill!" said May Parker.

The two of them carried mushrooms on their backs and headed for Tenmile Hill. Afraid of being discovered, they didn't dare take the village ox cart, so they walked all the way. Their feet were rubbed raw with blisters, but the thought of not only ruining Lily Evans but also making a fortune kept them moving fast. By noon, they finally reached Tenmile Hill and found Zhang's Bistro.

At the entrance of Zhang's Bistro, May Parker overheard a waiter saying, "Oh, what are we going to do? The boss is hosting an important guest for lunch today and promised fresh mushrooms. But the supplier we confirmed with yesterday said the mushrooms are gone! The boss is furious!"

"Exactly! That Mrs. Lily shouldn't have taken on the job if she couldn't handle it. She promised thirty pounds of mushrooms, but she messed it all up and hurt our reputation. Truly shameless!"

"No kidding. I heard the boss is going to sue Mrs. Lily for five thousand taels! Five thousand taels—that's a fortune! She'd have to sell everything she owns and still couldn't pay!"

May Parker covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. With a veiled hat hiding her face, she walked in and said, "Waiter, do you buy mushrooms here? My godmother and I are new foragers and have thirty pounds to sell. Do you need them?"

The waiter's eyes lit up. "Great! We need mushrooms right now! Bring them and come with me—you'll meet our boss directly!"

Delighted, May Parker called Mrs. Gold, and together they carried the mushrooms into the backyard.

Mason Zhang was waiting for them in the backyard. May Parker asked, "You must be Boss Zhang?"

Mason Zhang glanced at the veiled May Parker and then at Mrs. Gold. "You both look unfamiliar—are you new foragers?"

May Parker felt a bit nervous, but the thought of silver spurred her on. "Yes, we're a mother-daughter pair, new in town. Please look after us, Boss Zhang."

Mason Zhang replied, "So you're foragers. But since you're new and selling mushrooms for the first time, you'll need to sign a contract with us. If something goes wrong and people die from the mushrooms, who would we hold responsible?"

Mrs. Gold immediately hesitated at the thought that they'd be responsible if the mushrooms killed someone.

But May Parker wasn't worried. She remembered Helen Parker mentioning that Lily Evans could forage mushrooms and had sold them to Savory House, so she was certain the mushrooms were safe. Boldly, she said, "Fine, we'll sign. Our mushrooms are perfectly safe."

Mason Zhang nodded and had someone bring the contract. It stated that if the mushrooms were poisonous, the sellers would be sent to the County Office and charged with attempted murder.

May Parker could read, and seeing how serious the contract was, she quickly said to Mrs. Gold, "Mother, you're in charge of our family. You should put your handprint on it."

Mrs. Gold had some doubts, but May Parker's respectful tone and insistence that she was in charge made her set those doubts aside. She pressed her handprint onto the contract.

"Won't this young lady sign too?" Mason Zhang asked May Parker to add her handprint.

But May Parker insisted her mother was in charge and refused to sign. Mason Zhang, seeing she wouldn't budge, gave up and had May Parker and Mrs. Gold wait in a side room while the mushrooms were sent to the kitchen for inspection.

"Girl, we're about to strike it rich!" Mrs. Gold said happily, sipping tea as they waited for the mushrooms to be inspected and for their silver to arrive.

May Parker was delighted, but for some reason, an uneasy feeling crept into her heart...