When Butler Tang left, Xu Lanyin packed some homemade dim sum for him. The siblings walked them out the door and chatted for a few moments. Butler Tang played along, patting Xu Lanzhou's shoulder as they chatted and laughed, as if they were on excellent terms.
As soon as the carriage left, someone asked Xu Lanzhou, "Who are those two people, wearing silk clothes and riding in a carriage?"
"Oh, they are the county magistrate's housekeeper, Mrs. Tang, and the housekeeper's wife. Their daughter likes the snacks made by my eldest sister..."
Xu Lanzhou explained to the villagers, and Xu Lanyin returned home.
Qin looked at the silver and said, "What kind of medicine is worth so much? The county magistrate is no fool. He asked someone to bring so much silver. It must be some super-good medicine, just to silence us. Mother thinks that the herbalist might really be an old doctor. The medicine he gave must be extraordinary. I should have saved some of it earlier. If you accidentally get something on your face in the future, there are medicines to treat it."
Qin also thought of this and felt very regretful.
Xu Lanyin said, "The county magistrate has sent people to ask for it. If I don't send the medicine and the box together, there will be trouble in the future. Mother, don't worry. If something is too good, people will want it, and we won't be able to keep it. For poor people, a few scars on their faces are nothing. As long as they have food and drink and live a happy life, that's enough."
She didn't tell them that she had hidden so many drugs. The fewer people who knew, the better.
Qin nodded. She put the banknotes away and said to Xu Lanyin, "Mother knows this. This money is all earned by you, and I have to take care of this family and your two brothers. Don't worry, I will prepare a generous dowry for you in the future and won't let you suffer any loss. I will also make this clear to your two brothers."
Before dinner, several groups of people came to the house, including Xu Lizheng's wife, Ma, who all asked about the housekeeper Tang's visit to his house and even asked clearly what the housekeeper Tang said.
These people expressed their congratulations with red eyes of envy. Qin even secretly gave Ma a few pieces of candy sent by the county magistrate's family, saying that they were rare candies from the capital.
Ma curled her lips and said, "I heard that they also sent two pieces of silk to your family?" She looked straight at Xu Lanyin, indicating that she should give her a few feet.
Xu Lanyin nodded in agreement, but didn't mention giving her a few feet. Why would he give her such a valuable gift for no reason?
Xu Lanyin still harbored resentment over the incident involving the original owner stealing pears. While the original owner had been wrong, to accuse her of such a serious offense over a few pears was not a family worth making close friends with. Furthermore, they had always flattered Gu Wangchen, not treating her family as a relative. So why was she still trying to curry favor with someone who hadn't treated her as such?
Qin saw that her daughter was unwilling to send it off, so she didn't say much.
Seeing that Xu Lanyin was unconscious, Ma had to leave reluctantly.
A few days later, another shocking news broke out in Xiaozao Village. Mr. Gu was going to move to the county town, and Mrs. Gu was showing off everywhere that she was going to be a county town resident.
Xu Lizheng knew his village was small, and Gu Juren would have to move sooner or later. But he particularly hoped Gu Juren would leave after passing the imperial examination. That way, Xiaozao Village would become famous again, and he would once again be a guest of honor to the county magistrate. Furthermore, Gu Wangchen had unceremoniously rejected his family's proposal, allowing only 20 mu of land to be registered in his name. Of Gu Wangchen's 100 mu share, 60 mu went to He Zhuangtou, and the Gu family members also received 20 mu.
Chief Xu also scolded Li Zheng Xu, a rare act, saying that he didn't know his own worth. Gu Wangchen didn't even recognize the family that had supported him for eight years, so how could he give face to a Li Zheng...
Xu Lizheng was sulking at home, and no longer went out of his way to speak up for Gu Wangchen like he did before.
After lunch that day, Xu Lanyin went to the town to buy ingredients for making snacks. Coincidentally, she ran into Gu Wangchen at the edge of the village. He had just returned from his husband's house in town.
Gu Wangchen pretended not to see Xu Lanyin, his eyes looking straight ahead. When the two passed by, Xu Lanyin stopped.
She said, "Mr. Gu, Miss Su has returned to Beijing, right?"
Gu Wangchen stood down, gave Xu Lanyin a cold look, and said, "We have nothing to do with each other anymore, so why are you still concerned about Miss Su's whereabouts?" He raised his eyebrows again, "Could it be that Miss Xu is obsessed with me and regrets it?"
Xu Lanyin said with a half-smile, "Mr. Gu is being sentimental. I just want to remind you not to be too proud. You are just a spare dish for Miss Su."
There was no such thing as a spare tire in ancient times, so she could only say that she was preparing food.
"Prepare food, what does that mean?" Gu Wangchen was confused.
Xu Lanyin explained, "The prepared dishes are the cold dishes that Miss Su puts in the corner waiting to be replaced. When she has good dishes, she won't even look at the prepared dishes. She only thinks of the prepared dishes when she doesn't have good dishes and has no other options. While she's eating the prepared dishes, if a better dish comes along, she will immediately spit out the prepared dishes and choose the good ones instead. In other words, the prepared dishes are not even worth a damn, and she doesn't feel any pity when she throws them away. Haha, whether what I said is true, you'll see for yourself."
After saying that, Xu Lanyin hurried away. Why let this pair of dogs and bitches perform one affectionate drama after another, first pick a fight between them and plant a thorn in Gu's male partner's heart.
Looking at Xu Lanyin's back, Gu Wangchen's expression changed.
Gu Wangchen and his mother moved to the county town on September 16th, entrusting their dilapidated yard to a member of their clan to sell. Many families came to see them off, and Xu Lizheng also saw them off to the village entrance with a smile on his face.
Xu Lanyin was in a great mood. Finally, she didn't have to deal with that annoying mother and son anymore. She went to Xinghua Village and bought two pounds of meat. That evening, she invited the old couple and the eldest wife's family to dinner to celebrate.
The next morning, Xu Lanyin, carrying her wild ginseng, and an excited Xu Lanzhou, went to Qianjintang in the county town. Qianjintang was a century-old shop with a high reputation for honesty and integrity, and they were familiar with it. They felt comfortable selling their ginseng there.
After carefully examining the ginseng, Shopkeeper Qian solemnly ushered them into the small backyard hut and called in two medicine makers to examine it more closely. After a brief discussion, Shopkeeper Qian returned and said, "Miss Xu is very lucky to have found such a fine specimen. This ginseng is between three and five hundred years old. Our price is two hundred and eighty taels of silver."
This was a little more than their ideal price, so the brother and sister readily agreed.
Shopkeeper Qian gave them two silver notes of one hundred taels, one of fifty taels, and a silver ingot of thirty taels.
Xu Lanyin smiled again and said, "My family is an orphan and a widow. Please ask Shopkeeper Qian to keep the matter of selling ginseng a secret."
Shopkeeper Qian smiled and said, "Don't worry, Miss Xu. This is the industry standard. We must keep this kind of big deal confidential for the seller."
They sold other herbs and earned eighty-six coins, which they used to buy medicine for Qin and Xu Lanting, and also bought some food and daily necessities. When they passed by the Yiju Restaurant, they saw that the teahouse next door had been renamed "Yiming Teahouse," the same name as Gu Wangchen's teahouse in the book.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
