Wang and Li each picked one for Xiang Chunhua, and Zhang Hulan then said to Zhang Dahua, "Dahua, pick another one you like. It will be your dowry in advance."
"Ah?" Zhang Dahua was happy but also a little shy.
Li said hurriedly, "Big sister, you have already given one horse, you can't ask for another one."
"Sister-in-law, this is not for you. It's my dowry for Dahua."
Zhang Hulan said to Zhang Dahua again, "Dahua, don't just stand there, choose one for yourself."
Zhang Dahua looked at Li, then at Wang. Wang said, "Your aunt gave it to you, so just keep it. Just remember how good your aunt was to you in the future."
"Yeah, I won't forget!" Zhang Dahua responded softly, and then picked out a piece of blue material that she liked.
Wang and Old Man Zhang no longer asked Zhang Hulan to keep all the things for herself. Now that their daughter is capable and better than her brothers, it is only right for them to help them.
Xiang Chunhua envied the first wife again. Since the first wife had an extra child, she would always get more things.
Zhang Hulan said to Xiang Chunhua, "Chunhua, didn't you say you were planning to have another child? Why are you still not doing anything? Hurry up and give birth. If it's a girl, I'll give her a dowry."
Xiang Chunhua felt happy again. She thought that she should make Zhang Hubing work harder tonight.
…
The next day, people from the government came to measure the land, and it was Xiong Zhubu who personally led the people.
Zhang Hulan stepped forward to greet him, "Boss Xiong, why did you come here in person? Thank you for your hard work."
"This is also my duty, so it's not hard at all." Xiong Zhubu said with a smile, "Have you found a good location? Let's get started now."
"Watch it carefully."
Zhang Hulan took Xiong Zhubu to Dagou. Zhao Guoliang called a few people to help.
This time there are 1,000 acres, and the area beyond Dagou will probably be bought.
The location of this piece of land is very good, and it has convenient water supply. However, the land is full of rocks and bushes, and it is difficult to cultivate, so no one wants this land.
After measuring the land, Zhang Hulan invited Xiong Zhubu to have dinner, but Xiong Zhubu waved his hand and said he wanted to go back. Zhang Hulan then gave Xiong Zhubu and the yamen runners some braised meat.
After sending Xiong Zhubu away, Zhang Hulan said to Zhao Guoliang, "Uncle Lizheng, where there are a lot of weeds and trees, just light a fire and burn them.
However, you must first cut down the weeds and trees around and clear a buffer zone to prevent the fire from spreading to other places and burning the mountain.
After the burning is over, we will clear the rocks from the ground. I will divide this piece of land into several pieces, leaving at least half a meter wide roads in the middle. The gravel on the ground will be piled up as the roadbed. The big stones will be kept, as I will use them to build a house and a pig house later. "
Zhao Guoliang nodded and said, "Okay, I'll ask the villagers this afternoon if anyone is willing to work, and we can start work tomorrow."
Winter wheat is being planted in the village now, but families with more people still have someone working there to earn money. There are about ten people working at the fish pond now.
"Okay. I'll leave this matter to you. You can make the arrangements as you see fit. Anyone from the village can come to work, both men and women. I'm going to the government office this afternoon to pay the money, and I'll go to the county town to buy a few cows. Use cows to plow the land. Use a hoe to dig slowly in places with a lot of tree roots."
Zhang Hulan also had to buy a few pots, steamers and flour. When people from other villages came to work, she would let the villagers steam the buns themselves.
After everything was arranged, Zhang Hulan and Zhang Hujun went to the county town again after lunch.
Zhang Hulan didn't take all the gold to pay. She loved the golden ingots so much that she wanted to keep a few for the bottom of her chest. She already had more than 600 taels of silver in her hand, so she would only take four more. If it wasn't for the lack of money, she wouldn't want to take any of them out.
When they arrived at the county town and were on the way to the cattle and horse trading market, when they passed by a silver shop, Zhang Hulan suddenly asked Zhang Hujun to stop.
"Brother, stop for a moment."
"What's up, sister?"
Zhang Hulan looked at the silver shop and her eyes turned. It seemed that there was a premium in the exchange of gold and silver. Normally, one tael of gold could be exchanged for ten taels of silver, but ten taels of silver could never be exchanged for one tael of gold.
Moreover, this was a reward from the emperor, and there was a dragon pattern on it. This gold ingot was definitely worth more than a hundred taels of silver.
When you have money, you can spend it lavishly. When you earn money, you should enjoy it, otherwise there is no meaning in making money.
But you can't look down on small money just because you make a lot of money. Even if you can earn an extra ounce of silver, it is still money earned.
"Brother, wait for me." After saying that, Zhang Hulan took out a gold ingot from his bag and jumped off the donkey cart.
Entering the silver shop, Zhang Hulan went straight to the counter and asked, "Shopkeeper, can you exchange gold and silver here?"
The shopkeeper looked at Zhang Hulan and asked, "How do you want to change?"
"How much silver can I exchange for one ounce of gold from you?"
The shopkeeper said, "Twelve taels of loose silver can be exchanged for one tael of gold. If it is a good-quality ingot, eleven taels of silver can be exchanged for one tael."
Oh my god, the premium is so high?
Zhang Hulan asked again: "What if I exchange gold for silver from you?"
The shopkeeper replied: "It also depends on the quality. If it is loose gold, one tael of gold can be exchanged for at most ten taels and five cents of silver. If it is a good-quality gold ingot, one tael can be exchanged for eleven taels."
Well, it’s a sure win business.
Zhang Hulan put the gold ingot on the counter and asked, "How much silver can you get for this?"
The shopkeeper's eyes widened, and greed flashed in his eyes. He looked at Zhang Hulan again, and it was true that one cannot judge a person by his appearance...
The shopkeeper picked up the gold ingot and looked at it. When he saw the dragon pattern on it, he was stunned and asked, "Madam, where did you get this gold?"
Zhang Hulan glanced at the shopkeeper and said, "Of course it was awarded by the emperor, and it was just given. Look at the surface of the ingot, there is no trace of friction. I am going to the county government to pay the silver for buying land. The county magistrate said that gold can be exchanged for more silver, so I came here."
Zhang Hulan said three things at once. First, the things were given by the emperor. Do you dare to have any idea? Second, the county magistrate asked her to come, which means she knew the county magistrate. Third, the silver exchanged had to be handed over to the government. If he dared to have any bad intentions, the government would definitely look for him.
The shopkeeper temporarily suppressed his thoughts and said with a smile: "So it was the county magistrate who asked Madam to come. How about this, Madam, I will give you this ingot of gold in exchange for 110 taels of silver?"
Zhang Hulan snatched the gold and said, "The shopkeeper is not sincere. Forget it."
The shopkeeper hurriedly asked, "How much do you want to change, madam?"
"One hundred and thirty taels."
The shopkeeper shook his head. "That's impossible. Although the items were given by the Emperor, this does not change the actual value of the gold and silver. At most, they have some collection value. One hundred and thirty taels is definitely impossible. The most I can give you is one hundred and fifteen coins."
"make a deal."
Zhang Hulan immediately agreed and asked for an extra five taels.
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