Seeing Wang's anxious expression, Jiang Tangtang felt a sudden warmth in her eyes. She took her mother's hand and said, "Mother, do you think I let Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother manage the brick kiln because of favoritism?"
Wang stared blankly at Jiang Tangtang and said, "Isn't that right?"
Jiang Tangtang smiled and said, "Of course, that's part of the reason, but it's mostly because they are more suitable. Mother, don't worry, I have my own arrangements."
Wang asked several more times, and only after receiving an affirmative answer did she feel relieved. "Then you should go back quickly and explain things clearly to your parents-in-law, so they don't misunderstand you."
Wang's concerns were not unfounded; the atmosphere in the Lu family was very somber at the moment.
Old Lu sat on a rock, puffing on his pipe.
He never had any tobacco leaves, but he was really craving a cigarette, so he found some leaves like fennel and wild fennel and put them in his pipe to smoke.
Because they used wild grass leaves as tobacco, the taste was strange and there was a lot of smoke.
Su was already feeling uneasy, and the smoke made her unable to hold back any longer. "All you do is smoke this rubbish. You should think of something to do. If you don't do something about it, all the benefits will go to other people."
Lu Shiwang, however, remained calm and advised, "Mother, my third sister-in-law must have her reasons for doing this. Don't say that."
Su said unhappily, "What's the logic behind that?"
Lu Shiwang couldn't say anything for a moment, and only mumbled, "Anyway, I think my third sister-in-law won't mistreat us family members."
Luo Taohua guessed, "Is Third Sister-in-law thinking of arranging a better job for him? Once Third Brother becomes successful outside, will you arrange some official position for Shiwang and Second Brother?"
Lu Shiwang had no intention of becoming an official outside the capital; he believed he didn't have the ability to do so.
But seeing that Su's expression had improved considerably after hearing her daughter-in-law's words, she quickly advised, "That's right, Mother, you mustn't give your third sister-in-law a hard time. What if she already has plans? Wouldn't we be making her feel disheartened? Besides, even if we brothers don't manage the lime kiln, our family is still the most respectable and best-off family in the village."
Lu Shichang also chimed in, "That's right! If it weren't for the farm tools that my third sister-in-law brought back, how could our family have cleared the land so quickly?"
After being persuaded by her two sons, Madam Su's expression brightened. "You're right, I was confused this time."
When Jiang Tangtang returned, Madam Su had already put on a smiling face again, and Luo Taohua and Zhou Qiongniang were still as attentive to her as before.
Jiang Tangtang was taken aback for a moment, but seeing that the atmosphere at home was fine, she didn't explain much and only mentioned the arrangements for her family.
"As you all know, I took a walk around the valley a few days ago, specifically looking for a place to grow medicinal herbs."
However, something came up later and I had to leave the valley temporarily, so I didn't have time to tell everyone about it.
I brought back quite a few medicinal herb seeds this time, and I'd like to choose a time to plant them.
Upon hearing this, Madam Su asked in surprise, "Is planting medicinal herbs in such a hurry?"
The rest of the Lu family members also looked at Jiang Tangtang.
In their view, food is the most important thing; how could medicinal herbs be ranked before food?
Moreover, in her heart, Su felt that planting medicinal herbs was not as good as managing lime kilns and brick kilns.
These two things used to be the property of wealthy families; ordinary farmers were not allowed to have any of them.
"Mother, think about it, what are they doing outside these days?" If it were before, Jiang Tangtang would have prioritized growing grain.
But the food she currently has in her space is enough to feed the entire valley for ten years. With so much food already stored, it won't be long before she starts growing more.
Su tentatively asked, "Are you at war?"
Jiang Tangtang said, "Yes, there is a war. In the future, in addition to food shortages, there will definitely be a shortage of medicinal herbs outside."
Given the unique location of our valley, it's difficult to transport red bricks and lime out of the area, and these two items don't sell well in the outside world either.
Only medicinal herbs are easy to transport, and the demand from outside is high. Therefore, I think that for the next few years, medicinal herbs will be our first choice for making a living.”
After hearing Jiang Tangtang's words, everyone in the Lu family had the same thought: as expected, Jiang Tangtang was still on their side.
On the surface, brick kilns and lime kilns seem to be the best businesses in the valley. But in the long run, the medicinal herb business is more promising.
After all, there are only so many people in the valley, and they are all dirt poor. It's also inconvenient to transport their goods out to sell, so running brick kilns and lime kilns won't make them much money.
Su smiled as brightly as a flower. Luo Taohua and Zhou Qiongniang, the two sisters-in-law, also thought Jiang Tangtang was wonderful. They eagerly asked what they were going to do with the medicinal herbs and what Jiang Tangtang wanted to eat.
Actually, Jiang Tangtang wasn't really biased towards either side; her main consideration was what was suitable.
She had observed the personalities and abilities of Jiang's older brothers; they were quick-witted and authoritative, unlike Lu's two older brothers, who were somewhat too agreeable. They were more suited to managing the brick and lime kilns.
However, if the Lu family misunderstands, it can reduce conflicts within the family and make things proceed more smoothly, so their misunderstanding is acceptable.
She then outlined her upcoming plans.
First and foremost, of course, was clearing land. Besides that, different medicinal herbs have different soil requirements and planting methods, which is different from farming, and she had to teach them all of that.
Therefore, Jiang Tangtang decided that starting today, she would share some knowledge about planting medicinal herbs with everyone every evening after dinner. She would write down this information and compile it into a book. This would make it easy to refer to later and also allow her to teach Lu Chenyan to read.
However, she didn't have time to organize the books yet; she had to take care of the lime kiln first.
While Jiang Tangtang was busy, Guo Xuantong excitedly approached Cui Shi, "Mother, Brother Lu agreed and said he's willing to help me contact my uncles."
At first, Cui was happy, but seeing her daughter's shy and timid appearance, she became angry and said, "Have you not given up yet?"
Guo Xuantong said, "What does it matter whether I give up or not? The key is still to see what Brother Lu thinks."
"What do you mean by that?" Madam Cui asked, puzzled. "Could it be that he has some ulterior motive?"
“Mother, think about it. Father used to have to spend money to bribe officials everywhere. As for Brother Lu, of course, I don’t look down on him, but I’ve heard a lot about him in the valley these days. I heard that he has never even been to school.”
He only apprenticed under a hunter who knew a bit of martial arts, and perhaps he was also quite quick-witted and skilled. But for someone like him to become an official, one can only imagine how difficult his daily life would be.
He hadn't been in that line of work before, so he didn't know the ins and outs. Now that he does, he'll definitely regret it.
Guo Xuantong shared her thoughts and then asked, "Mother, are you really content to stay in this valley for the rest of your life?"
Madam Cui looked her daughter up and down and advised, "I don't think my benefactor is that kind of person. You'd better not think such things."
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