Jiang Zhi's debts were not only due to the delayed payment of the handwritten letter, but also because she genuinely didn't have much money!

She was extremely busy that year, selling tender corn, mosquito coils and repellent, and grain. In reality, she only had one hundred taels of silver, which was not enough to buy land and set up a medicine shop.

To outsiders, the fact that every family in Xujia Village has built a house and has enough food to eat is because the villagers are united.

Little did anyone know that Jiang Zhi had spent a considerable amount of money behind all of this.

All the money from selling mosquito coils and young corn was spent in Xujia Village.

Repairing houses and hiring people to make mosquito coils, while paying villagers high wages, are actually poverty alleviation projects.

Jiang Zhi did these things for a reason; others did it for profit, preferring to make a fortune quietly.

She needed fame, she wanted to make her Xu family, the Jiang clan, famous.

In just one year, Xujia Village has become a prominent village in Lihua Town and even Pingchuan County.

With work points and the yellow sticks, and encouraged by the carrot and stick policy, the villagers of Xujia Village respected and admired themselves even more (for their effective discipline).

The bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish. Now that everyone is watching, anyone who wants to attack or harm me will have to stand in the sunlight and use their dirty tricks openly and honestly.

Moreover, once the pharmacy is built, Magistrate Zhang will definitely be reluctant to give up this cash cow, and he will also have the leverage to negotiate terms.

As soon as Magistrate Zhang left, the seemingly peaceful Xu Family Village suddenly became noisy.

Xu Gensheng followed Jiang Zhi around, asking, "Aunt Jiang, what did Magistrate Gao say? Did he praise our village's new houses?"

Jiang Zhi said helplessly, "That's Magistrate Zhang. Magistrate Zhang praised our village, saying that Xu Family Village is a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, not only united and friendly but also hospitable. He wants to invite him to dinner!"

Xu Gensheng chuckled: "My wife didn't know he was the county magistrate back then, she was just talking nonsense. When I told her he was the county magistrate, she was so scared that she hid in the pigsty and wouldn't come out."

At first, Pi did not know that the "high-ranking official" dressed in ordinary clothes was the county magistrate, and he even dared to invite him to dinner.

When Xu Gensheng told her that the magistrate with purple smoke coming from his head had arrived, the usually bold Pi was immediately frightened. She pretended to be shoveling pig manure and plunged into the pigpen, refusing to come out.

He added, "Magistrate, what I said was just a polite remark. Please don't come, or I'm afraid you'll actually eat!"

Xia Xiucai's house is a bit messy too!

Seeing her son, who had been restless and pacing around the room ever since returning from the post station, Xia's mother was very worried: "Shuyan, did the magistrate say something to you? Don't take it to heart. We're doing fine now, so don't worry about anything."

Xia Xiucai said excitedly, "Mother, the county magistrate praised me! The county magistrate praised me! The county magistrate is right. I am not strong enough. I should not have cared about gains and losses, and I should not have listened to other people's opinions. I should not have been so focused on becoming an official."

Xia's mother touched his forehead: "Son, you don't have a fever, do you?"

My son has studied hard for more than ten years, hoping to one day pass the imperial examination with flying colors and become a high-ranking official. Why is he now saying he doesn't want to be an official?

Xia Xiucai pulled his wife Huilan aside and muttered, "The county magistrate said I am good at educating people, so I will teach and educate them from now on!"

Living in Xujia Village, a place known for its praise, Xia Xiucai's mood has become much more stable. He can have daily conversations with people and even play chess with the county magistrate.

However, these farmers' praises were superficial and weak. Although sincere and enthusiastic, they were like scratching an itch through a boot, far less impactful than the county magistrate's words, which struck like a hammer blow to the bone.

Having shed that false shell, put down the stone that had been weighing on his heart, and found his purpose in life, Xia Xiucai felt as if he had drunk sweet dew in the sweltering heat of summer or enjoyed a bowl of hot ginger soup in the dead of winter. He was already in a good mood and didn't need Jiang Zhi to comfort him anymore.

He talked on and on at home to his wife and mother, finally getting to say what he had been holding back.

Jiang Zhi didn't waste any time. She first found Tian Gui and a few others, saying that she had already received the documents from the county government and Qingquan Bay. She arranged to go and take a look together on the eighth day of the month, and they also wanted to discuss how to build the medicine shop.

It's still the Lunar New Year, so we need to give advance notice before we can do anything.

When Tian Gui and Xu Gen heard the name Qingquan Bay, they hesitated for a moment, but still agreed.

After a busy day, Jiang Zhi returned to the mountain and told him that she hadn't spent any money to buy Qingquan Bay.

Xiaoman was very familiar with the place. When he heard that a medicine workshop was to be built there and that the medicine brewing and preparation would be moved there, he thought for a moment and nodded: "That place is not bad. Although it is small and there is little land to grow, there is a dragon cave there. Spring water comes out in the summer. You should make good use of it."

Longdongzi is what the locals call the natural karst cave.

There are very few natural caves in Xujia Village, and even if there are, they are not very big, at most ten or twenty meters deep.

Moreover, where there is a cave, there is a spring. In summer, the water volume is large, and the water gushing out is called "dragon spitting water," hence the name Dragon Cave.

Upon hearing about the Dragon Cave, Jiang Zhi became excited and immediately asked Xiao Man Ye what else he knew.

Xiaoman said, "That cave never dries up. Even in the worst water shortage, there is enough water for several families to eat, use, and irrigate their fields. It's a pity that the bay is small and the land is limited, so it can't support a large number of people."

"That place is called Qingquan Bay. Just go around the mountain peak behind it, and there's another mountain range. You have to cross three more gullies before you can get to the main road. Don't go in there carelessly."

The mountains in Ba County are all interconnected, and following a mountain valley leads to numerous branching paths, allowing one to travel for over a hundred miles without leaving the mountains.

Although there may be a few families living in each mountain valley and ridge, it is easy for someone unfamiliar with the terrain to get lost and not be able to get out.

Errui and Xiaoman were very excited when they learned that a pharmacy was going to be built there. They had already signed a contract with the Huo family pharmacy for a year and had long dreamed of having a large pharmacy of their own.

Xiaoman said, "Auntie, how do we set up the stove and drying rack for the pharmacy? I'll go to the city and ask Brother Xiang and the others for help."

Qiaoyun and Chunfeng kept asking questions. In the past, they made powdered medicine and mosquito repellent liquid on the mountain. There was no special pharmacy, so it was naturally rare.

The two families gathered together, chatting and laughing, and Jiang Zhi explained her arrangements.

The medicine shop was built in Qingquan Bay, while Xiaoman's house was still built in the village.

When Zhang Juntou's patrol battalion leaves, the location occupied by the medical shed will naturally be returned to Xujia Village.

Currently, only Jiang Zhi and Xiao Man's families in the village haven't had their houses repaired yet, but they'll be able to build them more easily in the future.

They lived in the same house on the mountain. Chunfeng and Dazhu didn't want to go back to the village; this was their home.

Moreover, the technology behind mosquito repellent products must be kept secret, and distillation in the mountains is the safest method.

The two families were excited to hear this, but after thinking about it carefully, they felt a headache coming on.

Errui counted on his fingers and said, "Mother, we suddenly have three houses. Can we manage them all?"

Ordinary families do nothing but farm and raise pigs; they've never heard of so many jobs before. They only wish they had eight hands.

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Magistrate Zhang is in charge of a county, but he doesn't do everything himself."

From now on, we'll need to hire people to do the work. You, Xiaoman, and Qiaoyun will each be responsible for a section.

Land on the mountain is limited, and with grain being transported up from the village, there's no longer any worry about going hungry; farming has become the second priority.

Xiaomanye usually manages the farm by himself, but everyone works together during the busy farming season.

Qiaoyun, Chunfeng, and Dazhu were in charge of the mosquito repellent on the mountain, as well as the planted herbs, pigs, chickens, and wood ear mushrooms.

From now on, Xiaoman and Errui will need to stay at the foot of the mountain for an extended period of time.