Chapter 18: Auction Formula Liu Yeshu innocently added fuel to the fire: ...

The morning mist had not yet dissipated when Liu Yeshu and Liu Di walked east. They walked along the winding dirt road, passed through several sparse woods, and finally arrived at Huangtu Village.

At the entrance to the village, a few crooked old trees stood listlessly, their sparse branches and leaves unable to block the scorching sun. Most of the houses in the village were low and dilapidated, with patches of thatch exposed where the dirt had peeled off the walls.

"Chu Yurou? She's the exiled daughter of an official family. Her home is just west of the village. Do you see that shabby thatched cottage?"

Pushing open the rickety wooden fence gate, the yard was overgrown with weeds, a half-collapsed earthen well stood alone in the corner, and a few skinny chickens were lazily foraging for food in the yard.

"Sister Yu Rou, are you at home?" Liu Ye Ling called softly.

After a while, Chu Yurou came out of the house. Seeing that it was the Liu siblings, she showed a look of surprise on her face: "Miss Liu, are you okay? Please come in."

Liu Yeshu looked at Chu Yurou and saw that although she was wearing simple coarse cloth clothes, her every move and gesture showed her good upbringing.

Entering the house, Liu Yeshu couldn't help but frown. The room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a musty smell. A few simple pieces of furniture were placed here and there, and there were obvious signs of leaks in the corners. It seemed that Chu Yurou's life was not easy.

Mr. Chu was sitting on a worn rattan chair, holding a tattered book in his hand. When he saw the guests coming, he immediately stood up and recognized them at a glance. They were the brother and sister who had saved people a few days ago. He looked at them for only a moment and then stretched his neck to look out.

"These are the Liu siblings who saved me on the mountain that day." Chu Yurou walked over with the two of them and explained to Chu's father with an expressionless face without looking at him.

Seeing that there was no one else outside the door, Father Chu sat down with a little disappointment and said, "Okay, you will entertain me well." He lowered his head and continued reading.

Chu Yurou smiled apologetically at Liu Yeshu and said, "My mother hasn't been feeling well these past two days and can't get out of bed."

Liu Yeshu nodded, and then got straight to the point: "Sister Yurou, thanks to your help yesterday, we came here specially to thank you."

Chu Yurou quickly waved her hands: "You saved me before, so it's only natural that I help. I'm glad you're okay now."

Liu Yeshu was curious and couldn't help asking, "I wonder how Sister Yurou did it?"

Chu Yurou smiled: "It's a coincidence."

"Yesterday, my father asked me to go to Master Qi's residence to express my gratitude. I was reluctant to do so. With our current status, it would be rude to disturb him."

Her expression darkened, and Liu Yeshu understood almost everything. This Chu father had gone to great lengths to get his daughter married into the general's mansion.

"But my father was pressing me hard. I had already declined many times before, so he had no choice but to bring my mother over. My mother isn't feeling well, and she caught a cold after she came back last time. This time, I really couldn't refuse, so I decided to go and give an explanation."

"That day, I was hesitating and dawdling on the road. Who knew I would run into Master Liu running in a panic? He even knocked me down."

Liu Yeling scratched her head embarrassedly.

Chu Yurou smiled and continued, "I saw that he looked unhappy, so I asked what happened. When I heard that Miss Liu had been taken away by the government, I was horrified. After thinking for a moment, I decided to take the liberty of going to the General's Mansion to ask for mercy."

After hearing this, Liu Yeshu covered her mouth in surprise: "The person at the clinic that day was actually the general of Ning'an County?"

Chu Yurou nodded: "That's right, my father also found out through someone else."

As if she didn't want to say more on this topic, Chu Yurou continued, "When we arrived at the general's mansion, Butler Zhao said that General Qi was not in the mansion. But when I saw Butler Zhao's perfunctory expression, I knew he was trying to bluff me." After all, she was a daughter of an official family, and she was particularly knowledgeable about the ways of the world.

"After much effort, I finally met General Qi, and I begged him to save me. He pondered for a moment, then wrote a few words and had Butler Zhao deliver them."

Chu Yurou sighed, a hint of shyness flashing in her eyes: "It's strange, every time I see General Qi, I seem to be begging him to save people."

Liu Yeshu noticed Chu Yurou's childish demeanor and pretended not to know: "What did the general write?"

Liu Yeling also widened his eyes at the side. This was also what he was most curious about.

Chu Yurou shook her head: "I don't know about that. He wrote it very quickly and I didn't have time to read it clearly."

At this moment, a weak female voice came from inside the house: "Yu Rou, Yu Rou, where are you?"

Chu Yurou hurriedly stood up. "My mother is calling me, Miss Liu, Mr. Liu, please sit down for a moment. I'll go take a look." After saying that, she quickly walked into the house.

When she returned, a look of worry crossed her face. "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. My mother hasn't been in good health. It's a condition she contracted during her exile last year."

Liu Yeshu only had memories of her time on the road to exile, she had no personal experience of it, but the cold wind in her memory alone made her feel a lingering fear.

"Sister Yurou, do you know what kind of cold your mother is suffering from?"

Chu Yurou shook her head and smiled bitterly, "The doctor said it was tuberculosis, but our family is poor and we can't afford a good doctor, so we can only treat it as a cold for now. My Japanese husband wanted to go up the mountain to pick some herbs to make medicine for mother at home, but he didn't expect to be bitten by a snake."

"Tuberculosis!" Liu Yeshu frowned slightly. She silently called out to the system in her mind, "Bai Ke, are there any herbal prescriptions for treating tuberculosis?"

The system's voice sounded: [Host, tuberculosis is a serious lung disease. Treatment requires several precious herbs, such as Bletilla striata, Polygonatum odoratum, and Borneol. These herbs have certain effects in removing phlegm and relieving coughs, and nourishing yin and moistening the lungs. However...]

"But what?" Liu Yeshu asked.

However, these herbs are not common, especially in this remote frontier, and they are probably difficult to find. Moreover, tuberculosis is a serious disease, and it is probably difficult to cure it with just a few herbs.

Liu Yeshu's heart sank. She looked up at Chu Yurou, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Chu Yurou saw her dilemma and forced a smile, saying, "Miss Liu, you don't have to worry about us. We'll find a way to treat Mother's illness. By the way, I heard the county government fined your family fifty taels of silver. Have you raised all the money?"

"Don't worry, sister. I think I have already thought of a solution." Liu Yeshu said with a smile.

*

Liu Yeshu and Liu Yeling pushed open the door and stepped into the yard when they heard their parents talking next door. They looked at each other and walked quickly into the house, only to see Manager Li sitting in the main hall.

"Manager Li, why are you here?" Liu Yeshu bowed respectfully.

Steward Li stood up and said with a smile, "Miss Liu, I heard you're in some trouble. I'm here to help."

Liu Yeshu's heart stirred, and she vaguely guessed the purpose of Manager Li's visit. She said calmly, "Thank you for your concern, Manager Li. I wonder if you have any advice?"

Manager Li coughed lightly and said, "Then I'll be frank. How about selling me your kimchi and sesame egg recipes?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yeshu couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Manager Li, you came at an inopportune time. Yesterday, Aunt Sun also came to buy a house, offering ten taels. I was in a dilemma."

Manager Li's face changed. Just as he was about to speak, the courtyard door was pushed open again and Aunt Sun rushed in hurriedly.

"Oh, Manager Li is here too!" Aunt Sun greeted with a smile, but her eyes kept scanning between Manager Li and Liu Yeshu.

Liu Yeshu pretended to be embarrassed: "Aunt Sun, Manager Li also wants to buy the house and offers fifteen taels. What do you think..."

Aunt Sun was anxious. Once she got the recipe, it would be a constant source of income.

Liu Yeshu added fuel to the fire with an innocent look on her face: "How about you two make an offer, and the highest bidder wins."

Manager Li frowned and turned to look at Liu Yeshu: "Twenty taels, I bought the recipe."

When Aunt Sun heard this, she immediately became anxious: "Shu girl, I was the one who said that first!"

Liu Yeshu spread her hands helplessly: "Aunt Sun, you also know my family's situation. If I didn't need money urgently, I wouldn't sell this ancestral recipe."

Aunt Sun gritted her teeth and followed Manager Li in raising the price. The two of them went back and forth, and the price kept rising. Father and Mother Liu watched on in amazement, not daring to interrupt.

Finally, Manager Li gritted his teeth and said, "Thirty taels!"

Aunt Sun's face turned pale and she said unwillingly, "I...I won't buy it!"

"But..." Liu Yeshu seemed to suddenly remember something. "There's something I need to clarify first. I can give you the steps, but the seasoning in the recipe is something only I can make. From now on, if you want to make kimchi and sesame sauce eggs, you'll have to buy the seasoning from me. The kimchi seasoning is one cent per pound, and the sesame sauce and egg seasoning is two cents per pound. I'll only charge the cost price, not a cent more."

Manager Li frowned, as if he was thinking about something. Aunt Sun sneered, "I knew this girl was smart. She's hiding things and won't tell you everything."

Liu Yeshu ignored Aunt Sun's ridicule and looked directly at Manager Li: "I promise that as long as I am here, there will be no shortage of seasonings. What do you think?"

Manager Li pondered for a moment, then finally nodded, "Okay, I'll do as you say." A hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes, and he smiled, "I don't think you'd dare to lie to me."

Aunt Sun saw that her financial resources were gone, and she lost interest. She really couldn't bear to part with the thirty taels, and she was afraid she couldn't even afford the coffin. Hearing this, she could only snort and was about to leave in disgrace.

Liu Yeshu added, "By the way, if Manager Li needs any ingredients, you might want to go to Aunt Sun's vegetable garden. Her vegetables grow really well. My chickens lay a lot of eggs, too. You can come buy them from me if you want."

When Aunt Sun heard this, her expression softened a little. She changed her sarcasm and put on a smile with wrinkles all over her face. She wanted to take Manager Li to see her vegetable garden.

Manager Li wasn't surprised to see Old Lady Sun's expression change. Before leaving, he turned around and said, "I'll go get the money now. I understand your life as a slave is not easy. Come to my wife's shop tomorrow and I'll explain the production steps clearly." With that, he strode away.

Father Liu followed behind, thanking them repeatedly. The government fines had been largely resolved, and the family felt relieved.

As soon as Aunt Sun left, the gate was gently pushed open again.

Who again?

The Liu family looked in the direction of the voice and saw Old Man Wang hunched over and squeezed in with a smile: "I heard that something happened in your family, so I, an old man, wanted to come and see you." His eyes swept over Liu Yeshu's face and saw that she looked okay, so he thought nothing was wrong.

Father Liu hurriedly asked Old Man Wang to sit down, while Mother Liu turned around to pour tea. Old Man Wang waved his hand and said, "Don't bother, I just came to see you."

He turned to Liu Yeshu and asked with concern: "Liu girl, are you okay?"

Liu Yeshu nodded and said gratefully, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Wang. I'm fine now."

Old Man Wang smiled with relief and asked, "Has the fine issue been resolved?"

Liu Yeshu briefly recounted what had just happened. After listening, Old Man Wang exclaimed, "Good girl, you've done a great job. How much more do you need now?"

Father Liu sighed: "There are about ten taels of silver left."

"I'll go to the Jinxiufang this afternoon and see if Manager Mo can give us an advance on our wages." Mother Liu handed the tea to Old Man Wang. "A little more is better. There's no other way right now."

"I still have five taels of silver. I don't need it right away. You can use it to pay the fine first."

Father Liu asked gratefully, "How can this be possible?"

"Why not? I'm an old man, I only eat relief food and have enough clothes to wear, so how can I spend money? You helped me a lot during the spring plowing a while ago. Now that your family is in trouble, how can I just stand by and watch?"

Liu Yeshu rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the kitchen: "Uncle Wang, I'll cook for lunch today. Please eat before you leave!"

"Okay! Let me taste your cooking too!"

During the meal, Old Man Wang suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, I'm in the military settlement, and I heard there's a problem in the army recently."

Liu Yeshu asked curiously, "What's the problem?"

Old Man Wang lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I heard that the general is going to change his cook again!"

"Uncle Wang, how much is the monthly salary of this cook?" Liu Yeshu asked casually.

Old Man Wang thought for a moment and said, "I don't know the exact amount, but I heard it's quite a bit. After all, I'm serving the general, so the treatment is certainly not bad."

Liu Yeshu's eyes lit up, and he suddenly asked, "Uncle Wang, do you think I can do this?"