Meanwhile, Qin Sanniang wasn't idle either. She sent Liu Shi and Wu Chunhua to the village head's house to tell him about the yam purchase, so as to avoid gossip. After all, they were now villagers of Shiligou, and buying yams was a good thing for the village and its people, so they couldn't bypass the villagers first.

The reason for sending Liu was that she was the same age as the village head's wife, so they would have some common topics to talk about.

The village head's wife, Wang, was cracking pumpkin seeds in her own yard.

This is a typical farmhouse courtyard, with walls made of neatly stacked stone bricks. A house with white walls and black tiles sits in the courtyard, and there is even a stone brick path in the yard. There are two small vegetable gardens on the side, showing that the owner knows how to live frugally.

Hearing someone calling from outside, Wang calmly got up and opened the door to find Liu and another woman standing there. She wondered, "Whose old lady is this? She's dressed so neatly!"

The Liu woman before me was no longer the same as she had been on the run. Her cheeks had become fuller, and although she wasn't exactly rosy-cheeked, she looked very healthy. She wasn't as thin as the old women in the countryside these days, but rather resembled an old lady from a wealthy family in the city.

As for Wu Chunhua behind her, she was wearing a new cotton-padded coat made this year. Business had just been booming, so she was in a good mood and her complexion was naturally good too!

Seeing Wang open the door, Liu greeted her with a smile, "Sister-in-law, we are a newly settled family from the south end of the village! We have some free time today, so we came to bother you!"

You can't hit someone who's smiling, especially when they're being so nice! Besides, I just received a generous gift from them a few days ago.

She quickly spat out the melon seed shells from her mouth, put the remaining pumpkin seeds into her sleeve pocket, and then opened the door, leading Liu and the others in.

"Come, come, sit down. It's so cold outside. Come inside and warm up."

Upon hearing what Liu said, Wang immediately thought of the scholar and all those gifts! What more needs to be said? Those gifts had truly touched her heart!

There was a brazier in the main room, but no fire was lit. Wang smiled apologetically, "I saw that the weather was nice today, and the sun was shining, so I didn't ask my daughters-in-law to light the fire. I thought it would be good to save some firewood!" After saying that, she called her daughters-in-law over to light the fire and boil water.

"No need for that, sister-in-law. We should go after a short chat! This house is made of bricks, it's warm in winter and cool in summer, much better than outside!" Liu quickly stopped them. After all, they were only staying for a short while, and besides, chopping firewood takes effort. They didn't want to cause the other party to spend money right away, and it would also take up time for them to go back and make gloves and earmuffs!

The village head's eldest daughter-in-law, hearing her mother-in-law's call, had already arrived at the door, but now she didn't know whether she should light a fire or not.

Seeing her stunned expression, Madam Wang felt a surge of anger. How could she have married such a coward?! However, she still suppressed her displeasure and said, "Then hurry up and boil some water to warm her stomach!"

Perhaps knowing that her mother-in-law disliked her, the woman responded and left in a flash.

Not wanting to pry into other people's private affairs, and not hearing any movement from the village head, Liu figured he might not be home at all. Since this was just a formality anyway, Liu explained the whole story to Wang in detail, including the price they intended to pay for the purchase.

"Young lady, are you serious? You're willing to buy those unwanted sweet potatoes and taro for just one penny a pound?!" Wang Shi, known for her loud voice, raised it even higher! Her eyes practically overflowed with joy! She confirmed it again and again—those were indeed sweet potatoes and taro! Could this be what people in the north call them?! Oh well, what they're called doesn't matter, what matters is that someone's buying them!

How could she not be happy?! Her brother's family had planted a lot of yams! And her own family had also planted a lot this year, originally planning to store them in the cellar so that if the harvest was bad or if bandits caused trouble, they wouldn't go hungry!

Just a few days ago, she was complaining to her husband that there were too many yams in the cellar, taking up too much space! She never expected that someone would come and solve her immediate problem today! It's practically a blessing from heaven!

As the ones who bestowed the grace, Liu and others naturally became the objects of Wang's gratitude.

Thinking to herself, this family is extraordinary. They gave her a big gift as soon as they arrived in the village, and now they're indirectly giving her money! Wang naturally included Liu and the others in her protective circle, planning to whisper in the old man's ear and get them preferential treatment in various ways.

"Yes, my eldest daughter knows a businessman in the county town who wants to buy our products. Since we're from the same village, we thought we'd come and inquire. Third Aunt said that if we're buying, we should prioritize the villagers of Shiligou. Of course, if we have relatives, that's fine too!"

"Then I'll trouble you, sister-in-law, to announce it in the village. If anyone wants to sell, they can just come to the house where we're temporarily staying." After saying this, Liu quickly took her leave and went back.

The village head's wife, Wang, readily agreed. Forget about eating melon seeds or scolding her daughter-in-law; such a wonderful thing needed to be shared with her brother first, and then with other acquaintances in the village. She already had a plan in mind; these women were all big mouths, and she was sure the whole village would know within fifteen minutes.

After putting on her cotton-padded shoes and coat, Wang hurriedly went out the door.

Seeing her mother-in-law's expression, the eldest daughter-in-law pursed her lips, thinking to herself that this mother-in-law's favoritism was absolutely blatant! She didn't care about her own family's affairs, but worried about her own family first! She wondered if her own family even grew those yams; she should go back and ask!

Wu Chunhua and Liao Hongying continued making gloves and earmuffs without stopping. With their previous experience, they were more skilled this time. They even sewed small red beads onto the earmuffs. These beads were picked by Fatty and A-Nan and a few other girls on the back mountain. They didn't know what kind of plant the beads were from, but they were surprisingly hard.

But none of this posed a challenge for Liao Hongying. She possessed a complete set of tools for making contraptions, a birthday gift from her father. It must be said, the old man was quite an interesting one to give such a unique gift to a young girl! Even during their escape, Liao Hongying never considered pawning the tools! Of course, even at a pawnshop, they wouldn't be worth ten taels of silver! But to her, they were like priceless treasures!

Qin San Niang thought so too. The tool was very exquisite, with needles as thin as injection needles. She wondered what it was used for.

If I ever build a big house, I'll definitely ask Liao Hongying to design some traps for me, so I can feel really secure living here! With mountains stretching as far as the eye can see, I'm really worried about bandits running rampant!

The three of them were working too slowly, so Qin San Niang suggested hiring more people. One person could cut the fabric, another stuff it with cotton, two could sew, and another could do repairs and embellishments. This streamlined process would be much better than several women working so slowly. As for wages? They could be calculated by piecework!

Why doesn't she do it?

Because she and Liu will be busy soon! And they'll be busy until very late tonight.