Although she usually looked down on the village head's wife, Wang Guixiang was a clever woman who knew the village head's wife's preferences very well! She understood the principle that a county official was not as powerful as a county magistrate! Although the village head was not even an official, in their village, she was almost like a local emperor, and no one dared to offend her easily!
The power of pillow talk is immense, so naturally no one dares to offend the village head's wife.
Having received his wife's instructions, Cheng Shi lost the will to continue sleeping, put on his cotton-padded coat, and went out of the house.
Qin San Niang and the others were waiting in the hall. When they saw him come out, they quickly stood up and said...
"Brother Cheng Shi, are you going to the village head's house? My family consists of women and children, so why don't Brother He and Brother Qingshan go with you?" Qin San Niang introduced herself directly.
"Brother He is a renowned talent in our northern region. He was the top scorer in the preliminary examinations back then, and became a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations) at the tender age of twenty! If it weren't for the frequent wars in recent years that delayed his journey to take the exams, he might have become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations) long ago!"
Firstly, He Yingyuan is a scholar, and his demeanor is not to be underestimated. Even as the village head, he hopes that more scholars can live in the village. If they pass the imperial examination or even become Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), it will bring glory to Shiligou! Secondly, He Yingyuan is meticulous and cunning, unlike ordinary bookworms. With him in charge, things will be much more efficient!
Gu Qingshan is a formidable fighter; he can protect He Yingyuan and also serve as a deterrent to others. Where are there no treacherous people? Many times, it all comes down to how strong your fists are!
To his astonishment, there was even a scholar among them? And a top scholar at that! Cheng Shi's expression grew even more solemn! He had just been eating at the same table as a scholar?! A scholar doesn't even need to kneel before the magistrate; wasn't this practically the same as eating with the magistrate?!
Cheng Shi imagined many things and felt very excited. He believed even more deeply the word "benefactor" that his wife had mentioned!
"That's wonderful! The village head loves scholars the most! His second son is a student who has passed the imperial examination and will be studying at the town's academy after the New Year," Cheng Shi said, rubbing his hands together with a simple and honest expression.
The fact that there is no scholar in Shiligou is a sore point for the village head!
Thinking of this, Cheng Shi felt that he was not going to ask the village head for help, but rather to share the village head's burdens. Instantly, he walked away with a proud and arrogant air!
"Wait a minute, I've prepared some gifts for the village head." Qin San Niang stopped him, and Wu Chunhua and Pang Ya quickly walked over with the gifts in their arms.
A bolt of cotton cloth, a piece of cured meat weighing five or six pounds, and a packet of pastries—it's never wrong to give too many gifts!
Even though Li Zheng is a money-loving woman, she's not afraid; in fact, she's afraid he won't love her! As long as there's a request, she can get it done!
Seeing these gifts, Cheng Shi decided not to buy any more wine. The value of these things far exceeded that of a pound of loose wine from Granny Jiu's house. Even the village head's wife would be overjoyed to see such a large bolt of fine cotton cloth.
The village head was also a member of the Chen clan, living about half a village away from his own home.
Gu Qingshan and Cheng Shi took the gifts, and He Yingyuan leisurely followed behind them toward the village head's house.
Wang Guixiang was a talkative person. In the afternoon, she talked to Qin Sanniang, Liu Shi and others about the situation in the village, which gave everyone a general understanding of Shiligou.
Shiligou currently has more than 50 households, half of which are surnamed Chen. Of course, when the village was full in the past, the Chen family accounted for an even larger proportion, reaching as high as 80 or 90 percent at its peak.
In recent years, many people from other places have fled here, and Shiligou, due to its relatively advantageous location, has attracted a lot of refugees to settle down. Therefore, now, even people with different surnames have a certain voice, and it is no longer a one-man show by the Chen family.
At this point, Wang Guixiang sighed, "However, it is true that our land is fertile, but the best piece of land all belongs to the Chen family."
The land was poor, so their grain harvest was also low. Fortunately, their husband had a blacksmithing skill, which could supplement the family income. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't even be able to afford porridge!
Liu comforted her, saying, "It's like this everywhere. It's always the original inhabitants who have the best homesteads and land. Your husband is capable. After these few years, he'll be able to store some grain when the harvest is good."
“Who says otherwise? We’ve survived even the hardships of fleeing from war, what’s there to be afraid of when it comes to farming? We can manage even barren land!” Wu Chunhua’s father was a skilled farmer, and she had learned many tricks of the trade. She believed that as long as she bought the land, she could farm it well. The land in Shiligou, even the barren land, looked no worse than her family’s previous fields, which was why she dared to say that.
“I didn’t expect you to know about farming, sister-in-law. But the land is all abandoned now, so you’ll have to clear it eventually. If you have oxen, it won’t take much effort!” Wang Guixiang suggested.
Cattle are precious commodities; only two households in Shiligou own them. But Qin Sanniang's family has three horse-drawn carts. Even the most expensive cattle aren't as valuable as horses, are they?
"Do we have any mountains around here?" Qin San Niang wasn't afraid of mountains, wasteland, or even sandy land.
Mountainous areas can be used to grow fruit trees, and wasteland can be cultivated and fertilized. Planting beans, castor beans, and the like is excellent, and they can be fertilized in less than two years. As for sandy land, you can grow sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are high-yielding, taste good, and are filling. These can all be placed in the space to start seedling cultivation first.
Seedlings irrigated with space water will surely grow fast and well!
Previously, after eating grapes, she spat the seeds into the ground behind the house and then, on a whim, watered them with well water several times. Unexpectedly, the grape seed miraculously sprouted and grew to a meter tall. She has reason to believe that this water can accelerate crop ripening! Moreover, she has stored many encyclopedias, including those on crop cultivation, so she can easily find the information when she has the chance.
Hearing her question, Wang Guixiang was also a little puzzled. After all, nobody wanted the mountain land, so what would they do with it? Plant bamboo? Plant trees? They wouldn't make much money! But she still patiently answered...
"There are plenty of mountains, like three or four small hills around our village, but they're all barren. It's difficult to even clear them! Even if you could plant fruit trees, it would take several years for them to bear fruit, so it's not worth it!"
What she didn't mention was that several families had planted peach trees on the mountain before, but unexpectedly, the village was raided by bandits just as the peaches ripened. They robbed everything before even seeing any money, and the trees were burned! She secretly wanted Qin San Niang and the others to settle here; these were benefactors of the Cheng family! They were her benefactors! She had no in-laws and could make decisions for her husband; the Cheng family was hers. Besides, the bandits had been mostly wiped out, so they should be fine!
Little did she know, hearing her say that made Qin San Niang even more satisfied with the place.
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