Jiang Tangtang already admired Li Jun after hearing Liu Chengfeng's words, and after seeing the iron plow he made, she was even more impressed.

She had initially thought that ancient industry was inferior to modern industry, and that the ironware she wanted might not be able to be made. However, she was surprised to find that the handcrafted ironware was perfect.

Jiang Tangtang almost wanted to take this family to the valley.

If we want to develop the valley vigorously, we will need to produce a lot of ironware in the future. If such talents stay in the valley, they will definitely help the valley and accelerate its development.

However, since the valley is only just beginning to develop, she temporarily suppressed her thoughts and asked about the wages.

Liu Chengfeng said, "We haven't paid yet. Li the blacksmith knows we work for the government, so he said we'll settle the bill after the ironwork is finished. We can pay with money or grain, but the money will be more expensive than usual."

After inquiring about the price, Jiang Tangtang discovered that paying wages would cost several dozen taels of silver. Without hesitation, she decided to pay with grain.

Anyway, she doesn't have much else these days, but she has plenty of food.

After confirming the quality of the ironware, Jiang Tangtang ordered several sets of farm tools from a blacksmith.

The newly ordered farm tools can be used by the Jiang family or rented to villagers; having more tools is always beneficial.

Another point is that the Great Zhou Dynasty had strict control over iron.

Although unlike the previous dynasty, ironware was not sold under a government monopoly and people were allowed to manufacture ironware themselves, iron could only be purchased from the government, and the quantity of iron that could be purchased was strictly limited. In addition, a certain amount of tax had to be paid.

This has led to the extremely high price of ironware, and many farm families have to pass down their ironware from generation to generation.

For example, if an iron pot breaks, they'll try to repair it and continue using it. Only when some ironware is completely unusable will they take the old ironware to the blacksmith to melt it down and make new ones.

As for the farm tools that Jiang Tangtang makes, they use a lot of iron and there's no way to exchange them for scrap iron. Not only are they expensive, but most blacksmith shops can't take on such jobs.

It was only because Lu Shiyan was now a captain that he was able to get things done through Zhang Kui, which removed the restrictions on the use of iron.

Jiang Tangtang felt it wasn't right to keep troubling Lord Zhang with Lu Shiyan's affairs. So she decided to take this opportunity to make several sets of various new farm tools.

Thinking about how even the use of iron is now restricted, Jiang Tangtang couldn't help but think of the large mine in the mountains.

She'll take care of things in the valley first, and when the time is right, she'll definitely start mining that mountain.

Thinking about developing the valley and then opening a mine, Jiang Tangtang was filled with hope and full of energy.

She had only been out for two days, but she already missed the valley a little.

Unbeknownst to her, she had already come to regard the valley as her home.

When she wasn't in the valley, she couldn't help but worry, wondering if the valley was alright. She wondered if anything had gone wrong while she was away.

Before leaving the valley, she had made arrangements for various matters within the valley, and in addition, Lu Shiyan had left behind...

Nothing much happened in the valley, but quite a few people were talking about Jiang Tangtang.

Most people used to think that Jiang Tangtang was a troublemaker, always acting coquettishly and tormenting Lu Shiyan. Lu Shiyan married such a wife, but he treated her like a goddess, which was really bad luck.

But these past two days, while Jiang Tangtang wasn't in the valley, people suddenly discovered how wonderful she was.

In the past, you could get answers to many questions by simply asking Jiang Tangtang, but now that Jiang Tangtang is gone, no one understands anymore.

Even Luo Taohua and Zhou Qiongniang, the two sisters-in-law, missed Jiang Tangtang very much.

Luo Taohua looked at the intersection again and sighed, "I wonder when my third sister-in-law will be back."

Although she had to do many more things every day when Jiang Tangtang was in the valley, she still loved those times.

Jiang Tangtang always seems to find plenty of good food when she's in the valley. It seems like finding food is incredibly easy for her.

Whether it's wild duck eggs, wild ducks, or wild vegetables, they all seem to be rolling into our homes.

But now that Jiang Tangtang is not in the valley, it takes them a lot of time to find her every day.

She spent several times more time searching, but the things she found weren't as good as what Jiang Tangtang found. How could she not miss Jiang Tangtang?

Now, she's willing to do anything to serve Jiang Tangtang as long as there's food.

Zhou Qiongniang couldn't help but look at the intersection, "I wonder what my third sister-in-law and third brother went to do. It's so dangerous outside. I wonder how she is now."

Luo Taohua said, "With your third brother by your side and your sister-in-law protected by the gods, what are you worried about?"

Zhou Qiongniang nodded, "That's right, Third Sister-in-law is definitely safe and sound."

Besides Zhou Qiongniang, Guo Xuantong was also speculating about what Jiang Tangtang had gone out of the valley to do.

Guo Xinyi felt annoyed when her sister kept talking about Jiang Tangtang. "Big sister, don't worry about what Madam Jiang is doing when she leaves the valley. Anyway, whatever she does has nothing to do with us."

"I was just saying it because I had nothing better to do." Guo Xuantong now knew the situation outside and knew that even if someone sent them back to Jiangzhou, they might not be able to find her uncle's family. She felt lost and didn't know what to do next.

Guo Xinyi glanced at her older sister, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I think Xiong Zhuang is actually a pretty good person. He's tall and strong, and he even saved you, didn't he?"

Last night, Xiong Zhuang returned with his men. Lu Shiyan and Jiang Tangtang weren't in the valley, but he told Village Chief Song about their mission to escort Wang Qiuju's family out of the valley.

I heard that he originally intended to properly send Wang Qiuju's family out of the mountains, but halfway there, Fang Zhi discovered that his genitals were no longer functioning, so he started making a fuss.

Then he blamed Wang Qiuju, saying it was all Wang Qiuju's fault for teaching him that method. If Wang Qiuju hadn't taught him to force himself on Guo Xuantong, he wouldn't have had his manhood destroyed.

She even revealed that she and another person had been hiding behind a large rock and engaging in inappropriate behavior.

It turns out that Wang Zhicai initially didn't realize who was behind the big rock, but after calming down and thinking about it, he began to have doubts.

Although she couldn't be sure yet, she voiced her suspicions because she felt guilty towards her mother.

Upon hearing this, Fang Qingmu immediately grabbed Wang Qiuju and started beating her up.

Wang Qiuju, however, was determined to return to the valley to cause trouble for Lu Shiyan and make him take responsibility for his son.

When Xiong Zhuang saw that none of his family recognized their mistakes and instead wanted to go back to the valley to cause trouble for Lu Shiyan, his eyes turned cold.

He let the group cause trouble in the mountains, and even when they disturbed wild beasts, he didn't care. He simply led them away, leaving them to fend for themselves in the mountains.

As for Fang Qingmu, that lazybones, and Wang Qiuju, a woman with no ability to protect herself, with no one to protect them, their fate if they encountered wild animals in the mountains and forests is predictable.

After learning of Fang Zhicai's fate, Guo's mother and daughter felt a sense of relief.

Guo Xinyi admired Xiong Zhuang's way of handling things, which is why she brought it up again.

Guo Xuantong said, "What's so good about his character? He clearly promised me not to tell anyone, but he turned around and told Brother Lu."