"Wanfeng, I'm going to Yipinzhai first. It may take a while, and I'll be back later." After returning home and having lunch, Cao Xiangnan hurried to take chestnuts to the town. After saying goodbye to his family, he drove away in a horse-drawn carriage.

As soon as he arrived at Yipinzhai, he said hello to the cabinet manager Liu, and then he went into the kitchen. The

cabinet manager Liu followed him into the kitchen and saw the basket of things Cao Xiangnan brought. He picked one up and looked at it. Isn't this a hairy chestnut? He had eaten this kind of thing when he was a child, but he didn't eat it later. The skin of this thing is too hard and hard to bite. He asked, "You want to cook this. Is it delicious?"

"Well, of course, you will know whether it tastes good or not in a while." Cao Xiangnan said.

Based on past experience, the shopkeeper Liu would not doubt that the food that the boy said was delicious would definitely be delicious in the end. He just waited to soak the chestnuts in hot water for a while. Cao Xiangnan took a chestnut that had not been soaked and peeled it. He tried to peel it for a long time but failed. He then took another chestnut that had been soaked in hot water and peeled it. He cut a hole with a knife and the skin came out as soon as he peeled it. He said, "It's easy to peel the skin of the chestnut that has been soaked in hot water like this?"

"Yeah, that makes sense. It's much easier to peel the skin this way." The chef next to him watched and also tried to do it. After experiencing it personally, he expressed his gratitude.

Cao Xiangnan asked the apprentice next to him to peel the chestnuts first, as these chestnuts would be fried in a pot later. He put a baking tray of chestnuts in the oven and roasted them. He said, "This is the simplest way to roast them. They are hot right out of the oven. You can just peel them and eat them. They are also good as a side dish for drinking."

He put the chestnuts in the hot pot and fried them with their shells and skins. The chestnuts opened up one by one, revealing the beige fruit inside. He

cooked several dishes in a row, all of which were related to chestnuts.

Sugar-fried chestnuts, roasted chestnuts, chestnut fried chicken, chestnut braised pork, chestnut stewed chicken soup...

Cao Xiangnan used a series of facts to prove to the storekeeper Liu that the chestnuts were really delicious. It was simple to cook. Just roast them, peel them and eat them. They were good as a side dish for drinking. Besides, the chestnut fried chicken is stewed meat. In addition to the taste of meat, it also has the sweetness of chestnuts.

This wild fruit is everywhere in the mountains and fields. In the past, everyone knew about this thing, but they ignored it. They didn't know that such a thing could be eaten in so many ways and it was so delicious.

After negotiating with the cabinet manager Liu, Cao Xiangnan left a few recipes and returned from the town.

For dinner, Cao Gang and his friends all had dinner at his place. Cao Xiangnan also asked someone to invite Li Zheng and the two deputy village chiefs. He personally cooked several dishes, all made with chestnuts. Li Zheng ate this thing, nodded constantly, and said, "I have lived for most of my life, and I still don't know that this hairy chestnut can be so delicious

." Not only Li Zheng didn't know, but many people here, except Cao Xiangnan, really didn't know that these hairy chestnuts could be so delicious and there were so many ways to eat them.

People here call chestnuts "hairy chestnuts" because these things are covered with hair.

Sugar-fried chestnuts are the children's favorite food. They are fragrant and sweet. A small plate of sugar-fried chestnuts, several children took one by one, and almost finished the plate.

Cao Xiangnan made a chestnut fried chicken and a chestnut stewed with roast meat. The chestnuts baked directly from the oven can be eaten after peeling. "These little things, if you use a little wisdom, there are many ways to eat them. Don't you agree, Seventh Master?" He said with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, you're a smart kid." Li Zheng nodded with a smile, knowing that the kid had asked him to come over to talk about something, presumably it was about food. The dishes on the table tasted so good, he would eat his fill first, the wine tasted good too, he could have another small glass, he ate with relish.

Sun Yanmiao ate the things made with hairy chestnuts, he really didn't know that these things could be so delicious.

When everyone had almost finished eating and the children had finished and left the table to play, Cao Xiangnan told everyone about harvesting hairy chestnuts. The reason why he asked Li Zheng and the two deputy village heads to come together, in addition to harvesting hairy chestnuts this year, Cao Xiangnan also planned to let the villagers grow hairy chestnuts, the economic benefits of these things are still very high.

He had the impression that apart from the chestnuts grown in the north, there were few places in the south that grew these things, so if they could sell these things to the south, it would be a good deal.

"Will there be ships traveling north and south that stop here at the wharf in the town? We will go and talk to the passing merchants tomorrow. They can make money by selling them to the south." Cao Xiangnan said.

Merchants are willing to do any profitable business.

"We will give it a try this year. We will go to the wharf and talk to the merchants. If there are merchants who want to buy them, we will sell them to them. Even if no one wants them, we can keep them for our own consumption." It is also good to use them as reserve food this winter, but everyone has ignored this kind of small thing in the past.

Although Caojia Village is backed by a mountain, except for hunters who often go into the mountain, people here rarely go into the mountain. Too many lives have been lost in the mountain. People would rather dig for food in the fields. Even though they know there are delicious foods in the mountains, they dare not go in, because they know that in addition to food, there are tigers and beasts that eat people.

If the family is not really poor and there is no food to eat during the famine, no one wants to risk their lives to go into the mountains. It is said that the father of Lai Xiangzi and Xingxing went into the mountains and died in the mountains. Later, their mother was forced to leave, leaving the two brothers behind.

"If these merchants do well in business, they will naturally come to us, and then we will plant hairy chestnut trees outside the mountain or on some dry land in the village next year." Cao Xiangnan also considered the safety issue when he thought of planting these trees outside. He said, "In this way, people don't have to go to the mountains to collect hairy chestnuts in the future. There are wild animals in the mountains, which is not safe."

He just went to Liu's shop. Even if Yipinzhai is making chestnuts, the amount needed is limited. If he can find a merchant to negotiate this business, the amount of chestnuts sold will be large, which is a big number.

Manager Liu also promised to help him keep an eye on the passing ships. If there are merchants staying in Yipinzhai, he will push these things to the passing merchants.

"You are right. We can try this." After listening, Li Zheng nodded seriously and said, "If this business can be done, we will organize the villagers to plant hairy chestnut trees, and everyone will have more income in the future."

Hairy chestnuts are everywhere in their mountains and plains, and no one wants them. Cao Xiangnan can buy them at a very low price and sell them, and make a profit in the middle, but he does not intend to do so. He intends to put the income from the hairy chestnuts into the village of Caojia Village.

If a village has money, it can do a lot more besides maintaining the operation of the academy.

"We have established a Caojia Village Foundation in Caojia Village. After a portion of the income from chestnuts is given to some families in the village, the rest will be put into this fund. In addition to allocating a portion to the academy every year, if there is any surplus, it can also be distributed to some places in our village that need money."

"For example, this year we sent the widowed and orphaned elderly to the academy to spend the winter. If we have money in the future, we can build a place specifically for the elderly to live in. Let's call it a nursing home..." Cao Xiangnan then mentioned several basic facilities, such as nursing homes and clinics. Caojia Village does not have these things. Not to mention Caojia Village, there is no such place in the entire Feng Dynasty.

A place for the elderly to grow up, with special people to take care of them; a place for orphans, providing a place for some children who have been abandoned since birth or some children who have no parents to support them; a special clinic with doctors to treat patients; and so on.

In this way, some of the people trained in their academy can also be sent there.

It was getting dark outside. The people who were eating and drinking around the dining table had left. The owner of the house sent off the guests and closed the door to the yard.

"Did he say all these things?" Old Lady Sun, who was sitting in the main seat, touched the Pixiu on the handle of the chair, opened her eyes, and looked at her eldest grandson who was standing in front of her with a bow.

If it weren't for the Sun family hiding in the deep mountains and forests, his grandson would not be just a deputy village chief in this small village, and their Sun family would not be buried here. If they were all seeking benefits for the people, it would not be a bad idea to try in this small village.

He had grown up for decades, but none of his descendants had long-term visions. It was a waste of his rice for decades.

"Yes, Sun'er heard what Cao Silang said with his own ears." Sun Yanmiao came back and told the grandfather of their Sun family everything Cao Silang said without missing a word. Not to mention that his grandfather was deeply thoughtful after hearing his words, even he himself was completely shocked when he heard these words.

If this chestnut can make money, their Caojia Village will have a sum of money belonging to all the villagers of their Caojia Village. In the future, they can use this money to maintain the operation of the academy, build a nursing home, a charity hall, and a clinic...

No one has ever proposed such an idea, what if it is possible? He was fascinated by this in his heart.

"Yeah." After a long while, Grandpa Sun responded heavily and said, "It's late, you should go back and rest."

Bowing, Sun Yanmiao withdrew.

The oil lamp was lit in the house. Qi Wanfeng reached out and touched his husband's face. The nose was still the same, and the curve of the corners of the mouth was still the same, but he always felt that this face was different from the face in his memory.

The eyes were still the same, but the way they looked at him was different.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Cao Xiangnan grabbed the hand that was rubbing his face, couldn't help but laugh, and asked.

"Husband." Qi Wanfeng called out.

"Yeah, I'm here." Cao Xiangnan responded while taking advantage of his wife and touching her belly. The little guy in her belly was not asleep yet, and was still holding his little feet inside. "Will it be uncomfortable?" he asked.

"No, he's very well behaved." Suddenly he laughed. This man was still his husband. What did he have to worry about? Qi Wanfeng let his husband grab his hand and rub it on his face. This man was his husband, and he would be his husband for the rest of his life.

No, not just this life, he hoped that he would be this man's wife and this man would be his husband for all his lives.

The oil lamp in the house went out at some point, and there were a few scattered stars in the sky, facing each other from a distance.

The next day, there were more people entering the mountain than yesterday, and many people came to the village.

Today, the people were divided into three teams. The village chief Cao Gang led one team, followed by strong men who were responsible for hunting; the deputy village chief Sun Yanmiao led a team, followed by Wang Dahu and Liu Baishu, who were also responsible for hunting; the third team was led by the deputy village chief Cao Gui, with the Gan brothers following them, and Cao Xiangnan also in this team. This team was composed of young boys, and they were responsible for making soy sauce.

Cao Xiangnan didn't expect that he also saw Cao Qingzhu following him with a backpack on his back. Seeing him looking at him, he asked awkwardly, "No, you're not allowed to come with me? I'm very strong and I can carry a lot of things."

"Okay, you're not allowed. You can go too, but you have to protect yourself and be safe." Cao Xiangnan smiled. He knew that people in this world regarded him as someone who needed protection. In fact, it was not entirely right to say that he needed protection, because he knew that such people had no status at home and had to do all the hardest and most tiring work.

He probably knew something about the situation at Cao Qingzhu's home, which reminded him of the days when Wanfeng lived in the Cao family compound. He felt helpless about this. But some things cannot be changed in a day or two. Some ideas in people's minds are deeply rooted. Even in his time, after thousands of years, these ideas will not be completely eradicated.

"I will." Cao Qingzhu's eyes were firm and he nodded in response.

A batch of carts were built in the village when the road was built. Now these carts are used to transport chestnuts.

"What is this?" After peeling the shell and eating the flesh inside, a businessman who traveled all over the country asked about this dish of roasted things. He said it was not like beans, but it tasted sweet and was very good.

"Oh, sir, is this what you are talking about? This is the newly launched roasted chestnut in our store." The waiter in the store saw the unfamiliar old man holding the hairy chestnut and looking at it, and then introduced several new dishes in the store to the guests, all of which were made with this hairy chestnut. Today, the store has launched new dishes made with hairy chestnuts. Each table will be served with a portion of roasted chestnuts or sugar-fried chestnuts. The guests who have eaten it like it very much.

"Oh, let's try a few dishes." After listening to the waiter's introduction, the old man said.

"Yes, then I'll serve you a dish of fried chicken with chestnuts, a dish..." The waiter reported a few dishes, and when the old man nodded, he went downstairs.