"Mother, are they talking about eldest brother?" Jiang Suihe asked softly, pulling on Jiang Ling's arm.

Jiang Ling nodded and said, "I think so. I didn't hear Magistrate Duan mention any other people."

Jiang Ling said it casually, but she didn't see the light that lit up in Jiang Suihe's eyes. At that moment, she felt that her older brother was really outstanding, and she must also study hard and learn to read and write to catch up with her older brother.

The cloth shop owner sized Jiang Ling up and down, then clicked his tongue and tentatively asked, "Is this lady here to buy cloth?"

Jiang Ling glanced at the boss, not surprised that he would say that.

The proverb "Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse" remains unchanged throughout the ages.

Jiang Ling smiled and politely asked the shop owner, "Yes, boss, where can I choose coarse cloth?"

The shop owner didn't answer, but pointed to the corner next to him and sat back down behind the counter.

Jiang Ling led her three children toward a corner. In fact, Jiang Ling had enough money to buy a few bolts of silk, but her previous entrepreneurial experience told her that "keeping your wealth hidden" was the safest approach.

Moreover, it's not a bumper year, and with many refugees turning to banditry, the world is in chaos.

"Suihe, how about I make you a new dress with this batch of fabric?" Jiang Ling looked around and chose a piece of light pink coarse cloth before asking.

"Mom, this color should be worn by my little sister. I'd be so embarrassed if I wore it out. Never mind!" Jiang Suihe said shyly, her face slightly flushed.

"Hmm? Suihe is only ten years old, what's so embarrassing about that? Sigh, I suddenly miss the modern world, where you can wear anything. I even want to wear this pink dress!" Jiang Ling sighed helplessly.

In the end, she chose one piece of khaki, two pieces of gray, and one piece of light pink coarse cloth to pay for.

After leaving the cloth shop, Jiang bought three boxes of pastries for the three children, and then pretended to go to the general store to buy five ounces of white sugar. She stuffed all these things into her basket and led the children toward Uncle Lu's oxcart.

"Oh my, Jiang, it seems you've made quite a bit of money from your little business!" Uncle Lu said, craning his neck to examine the contents of Jiang Ling's basket.

"Uncle Lu, you're joking. Small businesses are all hard-earned money. Unlike you, I don't at least have a few plots of land. After my divorce from Lu Youren, I have nothing but three children. If I don't find some small business to make a living, how am I supposed to support these children? I can't just cut off my own flesh and blood for them, can I?" Jiang Ling said calmly.

Lu Bo was also taken aback after hearing this; what Jiang Ling said did make a lot of sense. He was just about to say a few words to comfort Jiang Ling.

Jiang Ling continued, "Uncle Lu, I need to come to Pingxi County at least once a day for the next ten days. Can I reserve your oxcart for the next ten days?"

Uncle Lu's mouth gaped slightly in surprise. His oxcart business hadn't been doing very well before there was a water source.

Although the crops were saved, everyone was busy tending to the fields and had no time to go to town to buy things, so the oxcart business plummeted.

Lu Bo was somewhat incredulous that someone had suddenly booked his oxcart for ten days.

He poked his ear with his little finger and asked again, "Jiang, what... what did you say? You want to reserve for ten days?"

“Yes, starting tomorrow, I will be coming to Pingxi County every day for at least ten days. I may also have to go to Changning Town. How much will the transportation cost?” Jiang Ling repeated.

"Well... how about I charge you 10 copper coins a day?" Uncle Lu asked Jiang Ling.

Jiang Ling added to Uncle Lu, "Uncle Lu, then it's agreed that your car can only be used by us for these ten days. Don't worry, we won't take up too much of your time."

After Jiang Ling finished speaking, she took out 50 copper coins from the money bag in her bosom and placed them in Lu Bo's hand, saying, "Uncle Lu, I'll give you 50 copper coins first, and I'll give you the rest on the fifth day."

"Oh, Jiang, look at you...you..." Although Lu Bo said this, his hands unconsciously stuffed all the copper coins into his pockets.

As soon as she returned to Lujia Village, all the village women at the entrance gathered around her, especially after seeing the four pieces of cloth in Jiang Ling's basket, they chattered incessantly.

"Ms. Jiang, you must have made a lot of money."

“Mrs. Jiang, your little business is doing well, isn’t it? Tell me about it, I’d like to start a small business too.”

"The Jiang family..."

Jiang Ling was getting a headache from the noise of these women, so she quickly took off her basket and placed it in front of Jiang Suihe, saying, "Suihe, take your younger brother and sister home!"

After watching the three children disappear, Jiang Ling said with a straight face, "Hey, sisters-in-law, as you all know, food and drink depend entirely on the recipe. This recipe of mine was passed down from my grandmother's generation. Although it's not exactly an ancestral heirloom, it's not allowed to be passed on to outsiders."

"Moreover, all of you ladies are really exhausted and busy running this kind of small business. I didn't fall asleep until almost midnight last night!"

Jiang Ling's explanation failed to convince the village women; instead, everyone except Zhao Erleng's wife showed disdain.

“However, sisters-in-law, you don’t need to worry. I’m buying a basket of ‘spicy grass’ from the back mountain for two coins each, but I only charge one basket per person per day. You can take your children to the back mountain and help me pick some ‘spicy grass’,” Jiang Ling continued.

Jiang Ling's words immediately changed the expressions on the faces of the village women. Everyone's lips curled up and their eyes were filled with smiles.

"Sister-in-law Jiang, are you telling the truth?"

"Sister-in-law Jiang, you're not lying to us, are you?"

"Sister-in-law Jiang, are you really going to accept the 'spicy grass' from the back mountain?"

Everyone kept calling her "Sister-in-law Jiang," which left Jiang Ling speechless. These people changed their tune so quickly. But Jiang Ling still smiled and said, "Yes, two coins for a basket!"

As soon as Jiang Ling finished speaking, the village women surrounding her scattered, and then Jiang Ling heard the sounds of people calling their children's names one after another.

Jiang Ling looked at the group of village women, smiled helplessly, and pushed her wheelbarrow toward her home.

After getting home and putting the things off the wheelbarrow, Jiang Ling stared blankly at the basin not far away.

"It's not very convenient to carry mint water around like this. It's easy to spill it if you're not careful. It would be great if we had a concentrated syrup like modern ones. That would make it much easier to carry. We could just sell them mint syrup and let them dilute it with water themselves!"

"Although this peppermint water sells well, it targets too few people; some women and children simply can't afford it..."

Jiang Ling recalled the situation she encountered while selling mint water over the past two days. It seemed that she sold to mostly men who were working, and she didn't seem to sell much to women and children.

This era is different from modern times. In the past, most men were the breadwinners, and women in ordinary families, even if they had money, would not seem to be willing to buy these things.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling suddenly recalled the rouge and powder shop she had passed by in Pingxi Town before, and another thought emerged in her mind.