31 Chapter 31
◎Transport grain to the city warehouse◎
The women in every family kept a close eye on their men, and some suspected that she was having an affair with her cousin. The clan members were afraid that she would use the clan's land to support a man outside, so they tried many times to take her land back.
When talking about Widow Xu, everyone said that she chose to walk the right path and not get married.
This was the way it was in that dynasty. Women had to depend on men for survival. It was okay not to marry, but to depend on their sons. It was a sin to be childless and not marry.
Outside, Widow Xu brought two buckets of wheat, hoping to exchange them for two buckets of good wheat seeds.
A woman from an unknown family said urgently, "She's not from Zhaojia Village, nor from any of the nearby villages. Don't change her!"
Her husband tried to persuade her, and the woman started to cry out in despair. "You bastard, you actually defended her! Did you sneak into her room in the middle of the night? Zhao Afu, let me tell you, I was the one who saw your parents to their graves. Even the Emperor wouldn't approve of your devious thoughts!"
Her man was completely humiliated by his words. He left angrily without changing the wheat seeds.
The woman glared at Widow Xu angrily, and her confidence that no one could touch her was also directed to Widow Xu.
Widow Xu was beautiful, graceful and charming, and she was not shy and looked very open and confident.
People didn't treat her like this when her husband was still alive.
Widow Xu was not embarrassed by being publicly humiliated. Instead, she casually said, "Ah Qing's wife, it seems that Brother Afu wants to give me a bushel of wheat to exchange for seeds. I didn't dare to accept it unless you nodded."
"You! How dare you ask for it!" The woman became anxious. "This bastard is using my things to curry favor with people!" Before her turn in the queue, she became furious, picked up a bag of wheat, and went back to settle the score with her husband.
Dong'er saw that her husband was watching her closely, so she said goodbye to Cheng Mu early and didn't let her husband watch the excitement, and urged him to leave.
Widow Xu said to Qi Song, who was obviously the manager of the place, "Big brother, don't listen to Aqing's wife's nonsense. I am a real Zhaojia Village person, and my husband is Zhao Shu."
The person in line behind her chimed in, "He's been dead for two years."
Widow Xu retorted, "Then I am also the widow he entrusted to the Zhao family before his death. How can I not be a legitimate member of the Zhao family?"
Qi Song was not here to settle these clan lawsuits for them. As long as the person was from Zhaojia Village and had land, he would exchange them.
After Widow Xu had changed the wheat seeds, she was about to leave when Yu called her back, "Our Madam Cheng wants to see you."
Widow Xu is in her early twenties, about the same age as Dong'er. I heard that they got married in the same year. Dong'er is pregnant with her third child, but her husband has died and she is left alone at home.
Widow Xu looked like a smart person. She greeted Cheng Mu and also looked at her.
"I didn't expect Madam Cheng to be so young." She looked like an unmarried young lady who had given birth to twins but didn't gain weight or lose her figure. Her waist was still so slender.
Cheng Mu asked her how many acres of land she had, what she planted, and whether it was enough for food.
Widow Xu naturally heard that many families in the village sold their land to Madam Cheng. It was very difficult for her to take care of ten acres of land alone, and she also wanted to have such an opportunity, so she told her difficulties.
Cheng Mu, however, had no such idea. "The clan has always wanted to take back the land from you. To be honest, I don't want to get involved in this mess. I want to ask you, if you don't have enough food, are you willing to grow other crops? Not regular crops, but something that can fill your stomach. You can grow food when there's no food, and you can make vegetables when there's food."
"What kind of food?"
Cheng Mu showed her potatoes and said, "This potato is easy to take care of. It's not picky about the soil and doesn't require special watering or fertilizer. Take these back and try them. If you want, I'll give you some seeds."
"Oh, Madam Cheng," Widow Xu hurriedly put it away, "I don't need to try your things. They are all good. I want to plant them, I want to plant them!"
Cheng Mu gave potato seeds not only to Widow Xu, but also to other families in the village who had little or poor land, such as Old Man Chen's family, Zhao Dali's family, etc.
A few days later, Mu Yun handed the recorded account book to Cheng Mu.
Twenty shi of wheat, all of it was exchanged.
Mu Yun asked, "What should we plant in autumn and winter?"
After the wheat was harvested, the straw was returned to the fields. In the past few days, someone has been hired to plow the twenty-odd acres of land. Potatoes are now being planted. The potatoes will be harvested in more than two months, which is just enough time to prepare the fields and plant winter wheat.
"Of course it's winter wheat," Cheng Mu couldn't think of any other solution. "Then just like last year, let's ask the escort agency to go there."
"Sister-in-law, are you going back to Puyang City?" If she wanted to take the wheat seeds there, she had to go in person.
Cheng Mu couldn't bear to leave her two children behind. "I won't go back. So, in a couple of days, send someone with a letter and ask the escort agency to come here and take some wheat to the warehouse in Puyang first, and then bring it back when the autumn harvest comes."
Anyway, they have no place to store the grain, so they can transport some to the warehouse and create the illusion that wheat seeds have been shipped from other places.
Mu Yun had a better idea. "There's no need to ask the escort agency to make two trips. In two days, Uncle Qi and I will use an ox cart to transport a few stone of wheat to Puyang City to pay the tax. After we make an agreement with the escort agency, we'll have them bring the wheat back during the autumn harvest."
"That's fine too. You can go to Puyang and visit our house, and then go to the medicine shop to buy some ginseng."
Selling ginseng makes money quickly. Thanks to Mu Yun meeting that person and buying some ginseng seeds from him, almost all the silver and money they need for important matters are exchanged for ginseng.
After this was decided, Mu Yun and Qi Song made some preparations.
The ox cart could not carry so much grain, so Mu Yun put four stones of grain on it. Cheng Mu was afraid that the ox would be too tired, so she asked him to take down another stone.
Mu Yun wanted to pile five stones on top. There were already too few, so she took another stone down. He motioned Cheng Mu to step aside and whispered, "Last year, the escort agency brought five stones here."
Cheng Mu said, "It's okay. You can buy some more cloth and put it in the warehouse. They can bring it all over. We're just doing it for others to see."
That's fine.
At the hour of Mao, shortly after dawn, Mu Yun and Qi Song set off.
Gui'er also wanted to go, but Yu was the first one to stop her.
Ever since Gui'er came of age, Yu had been watching over her. She was always on the lookout for suitable men and any girl who had gone out with two men for several days.
Gui'er begged Cheng Mu to come, and Cheng Mu asked Mu Yun what he thought. Mu Yun did not agree to take her, so Cheng Mu naturally persuaded Gui'er to stay at home.
Previously, both mother and daughter had no idea of getting married, but now things are different. They have returned to their hometown and are living a comfortable life, so their ideas have naturally changed.
Yu wanted Gui'er to get married, but she herself did not insist on not getting married as she had done in the past.
It’s just that Captain Lin showed up at the wrong time.
In the side room, Cheng Mu was changing Xiaoliu's clothes. While doing so, she kept nagging Xiaoqi, "Why are you so naughty? You peed all over Xiaoliu. When Xiaoliu grows up and wakes up, I'll beat you up."
"Madam Cheng," Yu came in and said, "Master Huang has sent someone, and he's standing outside the house."
The man sent by County Magistrate Huang was a runner who led a horse, and Yu brought some alfalfa hay for the horse.
The officer handed Cheng Mu a piece of paper with both hands.
Cheng Xi opened it and saw that this... wasn't it the thresher with a conveyor belt that she had drawn last time?
After a careful look, I found that Huang Xiancheng made changes in several key places and also added details.
"Does your Excellency have any message?"
The officer replied, "Master Huang said this is possible."
"I'll try. Thank you, sir."
The officer untied two bags from the horse's back and said, "This is also what Master Huang asked me to bring."
There are corn kernels in my pocket!
Cheng Mu was shocked. "Did Master Huang find this? For me?"
She felt a piece of paper in her pocket, written by County Magistrate Huang.
"The seedlings and leaves of the wheat plant resemble those of Sichuan sorghum, with flowers blooming at the top and fruits set at the nodes. It is planted in March and harvested in August. White whiskers hang down from the buds, and after a while the buds break open and the seeds emerge, clustered together and yellowish-white. They can be boiled, fried, roasted, or stir-fried."
In Cheng Mu's memory, corn was introduced to China earlier than potatoes. At that time, it was hardly planted in the northwestern border areas. Even if it was planted, it was only grown in Guangdong, Guangxi and the coastal areas.
This is a good thing! Mr. Huang is really thoughtful. He gave the corn to the right person. Look at her creating a large cornfield.
To express her gratitude to County Magistrate Huang, Cheng Mu gave the officers the blueprint of the grain combine harvester she had drawn to take back.
She wanted to solve the power problem. Since County Magistrate Huang was so smart, she asked him to help think about how to make the harvester and thresher run in the field.
Just when County Magistrate Huang brought corn seeds to Cheng Mu, Mu Yun also saw these seeds he had never seen before in the West Market of Puyang City.
The man selling the seeds said that they were brought back from the south. Mu Yun had already developed the habit of collecting any seeds for Cheng Mu, so he immediately bought all the corn seeds from the grain dealer.
It was said to be the whole amount, but it was only twenty pounds, and one or two taels of silver were taken away.
Mu Yun picked up the bag, weighed it with one hand, and then threw it over his shoulder.
He was walking in the middle of the road, with a pestle following him not too far away. Mu Yun noticed it after walking a few steps, but pretended not to notice it. He walked another hundred steps away and bumped into four or five people on the side road.
Perhaps it was because he bought cloth and seeds, showing off his wealth, that he attracted this group of ruffians who often begged for spare money in and out of the city.
The leader bowed and called out, "Hello, young man! We have come to borrow a hundred or so strings of cash from you."
This scene seemed familiar. Mu Yun taunted him, "When did you beggars who can neither starve nor freeze to death learn to bow?"
The leader chuckled, "When asking for some money from a young man, of course we have to be polite. Let me toast you first."
The others also laughed and said, "If you don't accept the toast, you will have to drink the penalty wine."
Mu Yun calmed down and said, "I'm still young and don't drink. I know you, but you know me. Why do you want to borrow money from me?"
Everyone laughed, obviously not remembering when they had dealt with the person in front of them.
The leader said, "You're still young. Do you think you can use up all the money you have? Why don't you lend some to your brothers?"
Two men came forward and forced him to the wall, and two more people appeared from behind, each using two hands to snatch his things.
A year ago, Mu Yun might have had a hard time facing these little hooligans, but after a year of building up his strength, he was very different. He did not let anyone touch him, but instead knocked them down with one punch each. He hit the leader on the head, causing him to fall to the ground, and then he stepped on him with one foot, making him unable to move like a turtle.
Mu Yun glanced at the others who were still trying to come forward to help, "How dare you ask me, your grandfather, to borrow money!"
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