Chapter 59: Brother-in-law's Plan

From then on, whenever Liang Mingxuan felt tired while studying hard, or whenever he encountered difficulties and bottlenecks, he would just think of the vows he had made, regroup his mood, and become energetic and full of motivation again.

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "Just rest and recuperate. When you're well, we'll look for a good school. We must find a good one this time."

As he was speaking, his wife came and called someone in the yard. Xu Zhichun hurried out to greet her.

"aunt!"

"Hey, let me see Mingxuan, how's he doing?"

"Thank you, I feel much better now."

"That's good, that's good." Aunt Liang had ten eggs, two fresh cucumbers and a handful of green beans in her basket.

"These cucumbers are the first crop to grow, and the beans are fresh too. Take some and try them. These eggs are not worth much, so keep them for later."

"You're spending money." Xu Zhichun declined. Aunt Liang smiled and said, "You helped my family's third and fourth elders. I don't know how to thank you. Don't be polite."

Xu Zhichun had no choice but to accept it with a smile.

Aunt Liang went to see Liang Mingxuan, said a few words and left.

Xu Zhichun cooked dinner.

Fresh cucumbers can only be eaten after about ten days. This is indeed the first batch, and it looks delicious. I will save it for the children to eat raw as fruit tomorrow.

The child still didn't seem to have much of an appetite, so Xu Zhichun decided to make noodle soup. He cut the beans into small pieces and blanched them for the seasoning. He also sautéed some meat sauce for flavor and boiled the bones for the broth.

I wanted to add a few fresh lettuce leaves and a handful of green onions, but I was busy today and didn’t go to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables, so there was no fresh one at home.

It doesn’t matter, having it in the vegetable garden is the same as having it at home.

Xu Zhichun casually took a fresh lettuce and a bunch of chives from the warehouse space at the harbor.

The next morning, not long after Xu Zhichun got up, Liang Mingxuan also got up.

Just as she was about to speak, Liang Mingxuan smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm really fine now. Look, am I the same as usual?"

Xu Zhichun saw that his eyes were bright and he looked energetic. He was obviously well, so he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that modern medicine, when used on people of this era, required less dosage and was more effective.

"Then you should rest more and don't get too tired. Well, you can help my sister-in-law light the fire."

"good."

After busying themselves for a while, the two of them had breakfast.

Boiled eggs and dumpling soup.

"Sister-in-law, don't help me find a school yet. I can study at home by myself. I want to wait until I finish the children's exam before seeing how things go."

Xu Zhichun was stunned and hesitated, "That Tongshi exam shouldn't be that easy to pass, right? If we don't find a good school, is it really possible? If others have review manuals or exam secrets that we don't have, won't we be at a disadvantage?"

"ah?"

"Ahem, it's nothing, nothing. What I meant is, wouldn't it be better to have a teacher to help you review for exams? After all, teachers are experienced and have been through it all."

Liang Mingxuan smiled and looked at her: "Sister-in-law, believe me, I can really pass the exam."

Xu Zhichun couldn't bear to discourage the child, and her child's confident look made people feel at ease for no reason.

"Okay, my sister-in-law doesn't understand this either. Since you have confidence, I'll listen to you."

"Well, I won't let my sister-in-law down."

Xu Zhichun nodded in relief at first, but then felt that he shouldn't put so much pressure on the child, so he quickly said, "You're still young, still a teenager. We still have plenty of time to take the Tongsheng exam, so there's no need to rush. Just treat this as a test and see what it's like. If you pass, that would be great, but if you don't, that's okay too. Don't put too much pressure on yourself and don't get too nervous."

Liang Mingxuan felt warm in his heart and nodded: "I understand, sister-in-law."

Xu Zhichun smiled again and said, "Sister-in-law, I have something to tell you. I think it's better to plant more konjac and sweet potatoes. Sister-in-law still has a lot of money and wants to buy more land."

She couldn't do anything big with other things, but she could process sweet potatoes and potatoes further. Aren't sweet potato flour and potato flour delicious? Even konjac flour is fragrant.

The potatoes have all been planted, so there is no way to continue taking seeds from the harbor warehouse space, but the sweet potatoes can be grown using vines, which is very convenient.

Konjac is readily available, making it easier to plant.

Liang Mingxuan was a little stunned. He knew that his sister-in-law must have made a lot of money, but he didn't expect that his sister-in-law was so rich.

More than two hundred and forty taels of silver is a huge sum of money.

"I always listen to my sister-in-law."

When going into the city today, Zeng Xiaoyan, Aunt Zhuer and others insisted on not letting Xu Zhichun go.

"Zhichun, you can rest at home for two more days. There's no need to rush these two days."

"Yes, we are all familiar with what to do. Sister Zhichun should stay at home to look after the little prodigy, otherwise my father will be worried."

How can a child recover from a fever so easily? Even after the fever subsides, the child is still weak, and having an adult at home is reassuring.

Xu Zhichun was a little worried, fearing that the child's illness might relapse, so he smiled, thanked him, and agreed.

"Please buy me some things when you come back today. If you have any, please buy me two pig heads and ask the butcher to chop them into large pieces weighing about half a pound. I'll also take pig trotters, six or seven, or five or six. If you have any, buy me some pig tails, too."

The three of them opened their eyes wide. Xu Zhichun didn't wait for them to ask before explaining with a smile, "Didn't I buy some spices a while ago? I tried stewing meat with them twice and they tasted pretty good. Selling only konjac tofu and konjac noodles is a bit insufficient, so why not sell braised meat as well? Last time I tried it with pig's trotters, and Mingxuan and I both loved it. Pig's head meat is cheap, so I'll try that first. If it sells well, we can share the business."

It doesn't matter whether you drive one sheep or two sheep, you have to set up a stall anyway, so it's better to sell one more.

The three of them suddenly understood and expressed their anticipation.

"Sister Zhichun and the little prodigy both said it was delicious, so it must be delicious!"

"It's hard for you, Zhichun, to think of us in everything."

"Sister Zhichun, can pork belly be used to make braised pork? I'll buy three or four pounds, and you can help me make it and try it."

"Can you do it? I want to do it too."

Xu Zhichun nodded and smiled, "Of course you can. Pork belly, pork elbow, or spare ribs are all fine. If you don't have any of those, ordinary meat will do."

In fact, braised large intestines, braised pig stomach and pig heart are also delicious, but they are too troublesome to prepare. Xu Zhichun really doesn't want to make them, so he will do it when he is hungry and has free time in the future.

"Okay, okay! We get it!"

The three of them happily entered the city, deciding that once they had set up their stall, Liang Mingliang would go buy the meat first. Going early would ensure they could get the best meat. Otherwise, by the time they had sold all their konjac tofu and konjac noodles, the good meat would have been snatched up by others.

As soon as they left, Liang Chunfen also filled her water tank. Xu Zhichun hurriedly called her over and told her that she had cooked more dumpling soup in the morning and there was still a big bowl left, just enough for her to eat.

"Please help me look after the house for a while. Mingxuan and I are going to the village headman's house."

"You just don't allow anyone else into the house, right?"

Xu Zhichun smiled: "Yes, no one else is allowed to enter the house."

"Okay! I promise not to, hehe."

Liang Chunfen sat at the door, slurping food from a large bowl.

Liang Mingxuan is not looking for a school for the time being. The village head cares about him so much, so he has to tell him.

(End of this chapter)