Chapter 343 Senior Brother's Tactics

"Oh my goodness."

"This courtyard is quite new, it must have been built not too many years ago, and it has four rooms."

"This is a barn, there's so much wheat here."

"There's plenty of water in this cistern, enough for us."

Upon entering the courtyard, Jiang Hongying, like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, exclaimed repeatedly, praising everything about the courtyard.

She ran around looking here and there, and before long she had explored every corner of the yard.

Song Chunxue felt both amused and heartbroken.

Seeing how much she liked it, she, as a mother, felt much more at ease.

He Chuan held Xiao Long in his arms, a smile on his face.

“Mother, this yard is very clean and beautiful, and it’s not small either. It’s spacious enough for our family of five. But it looks like you’re using this yard as a granary. Should we move the grain to your yard?”

He Chuan had never seen so much wheat before, in bags and in three-meter-wide cylinders made of thick ropes woven from wheat straw, all filled with wheat.

“No need, that’s wheat from a few years ago. You can eat it. The Taoist priest and I previously took out some grain from here to help those who had no food. Wealth should not be flaunted. Grain is more important than wealth, so you should take good care of it and not let outsiders know that there is a lot of grain here.”

He Chuan nodded vigorously, "We will take good care of them."

“Once this year’s wheat is harvested, I will take it to the yard over there, where it’s safer than here. If you’re worried, you can also take half of the wheat to the fort.”

If I remember correctly, this year is a drought year and the harvest is poor. The neighbors must know about this, so I'm afraid they might have ulterior motives.

"That's what I was thinking too. After we've finished cleaning up, we'll take some time to move the wheat to Mother's barn."

Several children were playing on the ground. Song Chunxue told Hongying and the others to clean up themselves, and she went home first.

She had promised her senior brother she would make fermented noodle soup, so she had to go back and prepare.

As she stepped out of the courtyard, Song Chunxue heard the cheerful, unrestrained voices of children behind her and smiled silently.

Not long after she went out, she saw Mei Yang and Black Rabbit talking to each other from afar.

Song Chunxue greeted them politely, "Where are you headed?"

Mei Yang laughed, "I thought you would pretend not to know me."

“There’s no need. I’m not the kind of person who holds grudges. Besides, you didn’t offend me. Maybe I’m the one who offended you.” Song Chunxue changed the subject. “By the way, do you know where to buy land? I want to buy a few plots for my daughter and son-in-law, otherwise we won’t have enough to eat.”

Mei Yang raised an eyebrow, "Buying land again? Where did Sister Song get her money from this time?"

"Even if we don't get rich, we still want to buy more land, no matter how hard it is. After all, we are all farmers, and farming is still the most reassuring thing." She looked at Mei Yang openly and frankly, without the slightest discomfort.

"If you really want to buy them, I do have connections. Asking for two wealth-attracting talismans isn't too much to ask, is it?"

"It's not excessive. When can Black Rabbit take me? Don't go. It wouldn't be good if your wife found out."

Mei Yang laughed, "You're worried my wife will overthink things? How considerate! But I'm going to take you there myself."

“Then I can ask around; maybe some gambler will pawn his land.”

Mei Yang stared at her. "Alright, my wife is still breastfeeding. She'll definitely be uncomfortable if she finds out. Let Black Rabbit take you there."

The black rabbit beside him kept its head down and remained silent.

Song Chunxue looked at the black rabbit, "Then I'll trouble you to take me there tomorrow and give you a lucky charm, okay?"

“Good, good, of course it is good,” Black Rabbit said with a smile. “I heard that Sister Song’s lucky charms cost one hundred coins each.”

"Then let's meet at this local temple tomorrow."

"Okay, okay, Sister Song, you go ahead and get busy. I'll come over at 7 AM tomorrow."

Song Chunxue nodded, "Thank you for your trouble."

If Mei Yang hadn't known best about the location of Zhuanglang County, she wouldn't have spoken to him.

But since they weren't already married, what was she afraid of?

Even after walking a long distance, she could still feel that gaze upon her.

Back home, she went to the wall of the fortress and saw that the pumpkin seedlings had already sprouted vines, and the flower buds were tender and ready to bloom.

The chives and scallions are growing well, it seems Ren Haitang has been watering them quite a bit these past few days.

She cut some chives and found some wild peppers she had picked last year in the cupboard, then made a sauce for them.

After kneading the dough, she cooked two more dishes.

The broth of the fermented vegetable noodle soup is bland and tasteless; it only becomes flavorful when paired with pickled vegetables and stir-fried meat.

However, it was already noon, and my senior brother still hadn't returned.

She added hay to the horses and donkeys in the donkey pen and filled two buckets with water to dry in the yard so that the livestock wouldn't get upset and have bloated stomachs after drinking it.

Just as she was wondering whether she should go to the clinic to find her senior brother, two dogs that were sunbathing in the yard suddenly jumped up and ran towards the door.

"Knock knock knock".

It seems my senior brother has returned.

"I've kept you waiting, junior brother," the Taoist priest said with a smile, waving his sleeves. "It smells delicious. It seems I'm in for a treat today."

"I'll go downstairs."

Song Chunxue thought to herself, "My senior brother is acting strangely today."

But she didn't ask any more questions. Soon, the long noodles were taken out of the pot, and the stir-fried sauce was poured over them, making each noodle distinct.

The unique aroma of ground pepper perfectly enhances the flavors of fermented vegetable juice and chives.

She placed the noodles in front of her senior brother and noticed that he was staring intently at the stir-fried pork on the table.

"Senior brother, have you gone mad? Could it be that you've run into some extraordinary old friend today?"

"It's quite something, but not exactly an old acquaintance." The senior brother put the pickled vegetables in the bowl and stirred them. "I ran into Yao Man on the way here. She asked me to look after something for her family, which delayed me."

Yao Man?

Upon hearing this name, Song Chunxue couldn't help but chuckle mischievously.

"What, she's still up to no good and drugged you again?"

"If you don't dislike her..."

The Taoist priest snorted coldly, "If she dares to drug me, I will show no mercy."

"What is it?" Song Chunxue asked curiously. "When did Senior Brother start keeping things a secret?"

“This is a bit tricky. Her child has gotten involved with something unclean, and she herself is also…” At this point, the Taoist priest frowned slightly, “In short, lust is a dangerous thing. I still have to deal with it tonight.”

"How confident are you, senior brother?"

"Does that even need asking? It's just a bit troublesome." The senior brother slurped down his noodles, quickly finishing the bowl.

Song Chunxue pushed the bowl next to her in front of him, and the Taoist priest picked it up and poured it into his own bowl.

"By the way, your daughter and son-in-law moved in so quickly?" The Taoist priest took out a cloth bag from his bosom.

“No one lives in that courtyard year-round. When people cook for the Kitchen God, they use some grains and place this on both sides of the gate to ensure a peaceful and secure home.”

Song Chunxue accepted it with both hands, saying, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Don't be so polite with me. By the way, I'm going to visit the countryside in a few days, and I might stop by to see A-Lai. Is there anything you're bringing?"

"when?"

“Sanwa is getting married, and his uncle’s family will personally go to invite him. No matter how far away they are, they will bring wine with them. My sisters’ families don’t need to go in person; they can just pass on a message.” Song Chunxue ate a bowl of soup, which was now empty.

“In that case, let’s go together. I have something that I might need my junior brother’s help to complete.” The Taoist priest looked at her helplessly and explained, “Don’t worry, we won’t dig up graves anymore, we’ll dig up something else.”

"..." So, all that buildup from my senior brother was for this purpose.

P.S.: I couldn't escape the recent excruciating flu, my bones are aching all over. Everyone, please wear masks.