After spending a lot of time with the children, Qin San Niang easily got into character, and perhaps because of the original owner's emotions, she felt increasingly close to these children.
When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame! For Qin San Niang, with her powerful spatial ability, she no longer worries about food and safety, so how to make a good living is the urgent issue to be addressed.
To live a good life, the most important thing is the children's education. The eldest is already eleven, the second is eight, and there's also six-year-old A-Nan. Aunt Qin won't stop her from learning to read just because she's a girl! It's time to find them a tutor!
Qin San Niang had been troubled by this problem before. She could barely understand the primers she had bought, but they were all in traditional Chinese characters. She was afraid that if she taught the wrong strokes, it would be difficult to correct them later!
Fortunately, thanks to God's timely help, He Yingyuan's appearance solved the problem. The two of them had gone through hardships together and could be considered half allies. Presumably, he wouldn't refuse to give the child his early education.
Seeing that she had gotten up, Wu Chunhua brought over several freshly steamed buns, a bowl of thick rice porridge, a plate of cold dishes provided by the restaurant, and some of her own pickled vegetables. She quickly placed them on the table and said,
"Third Aunt, quickly eat something to tide you over. Also, Auntie asked me to ask you, shouldn't we be leaving soon?"
Seeing that she was about to eat, Fatty came over and hugged Anan, and the group went to play together again.
"No rush, sister-in-law. I'm going to the market to buy some more charcoal later. It's getting colder and colder, and it might even snow." They entered the city around noon, so they can leave before noon today.
The day before yesterday was the start of winter, and the weather suddenly turned very cold. The south wasn't as warm as rumored; it was even damp and chilly. None of the women could withstand the cold, and they used up quite a bit of the already limited charcoal. Now that they had their own spatial storage, stockpiling more charcoal wouldn't be a problem. Besides what they would need on the road, they could also use it once things settled down. The key was that charcoal was extremely cheap in Luochuan City!
Hearing that she was going to the street to buy things, Wu Chunhua hurriedly took out thirty taels of silver from her sleeve pocket. "Third Sister, yesterday Fatty sold the horse for money. Originally, this horse was obtained thanks to you. Consider this money as our food and drink expenses for the journey. You must not refuse!"
Her chubby daughter has a big appetite, and perhaps because no one controls her eating, her appetite has been getting better and better lately. She can eat two large bowls of rice or two fist-sized white steamed buns in one meal—and they're really substantial. It always makes her mother nervous, and even then, she's always complaining of being hungry. Fortunately, Aunt Qin and the others haven't said anything, and often give the chubby daughter a bite when they give the child snacks…
Although thirty taels of silver wasn't a small sum—enough for their entire family to live on for five or six years under normal circumstances—it was currently a year of famine, and even ordinary rice and grains had become very expensive. Not to mention that Qin San Niang usually fed them the finest food, so this amount of money wasn't particularly appealing to them.
Qin San Niang lowered her head and thought for a moment, then took out a silver ingot. "Sister-in-law, you and Fatty have helped me with a lot of work, so I can't accept more than ten taels of silver. Keep the rest!"
As he spoke, he lowered his head and began to eat again. The cold dishes tasted very good and were refreshing. It would be even better if some chili were added. The pickled vegetables made by Wu Chunhua were also very good, no less than the famous pickled vegetables of later generations! Paired with handmade steamed buns and a sip of thick porridge, ah, it was truly comforting.
It was already quite generous of Qin San Niang to accept ten taels of silver from her. Wu Chunhua sighed and didn't say anything more, otherwise it would be a bit ungrateful! So as not to make San Niang feel distant! But this kindness could only be kept in her heart, heavy enough for the two of them to repay for a lifetime!
Wu Chunhua wondered, did Third Sister's acceptance of all the money mean she had no gratitude towards them? Did that mean they didn't need to repay her kindness? Obviously not! Regardless, she had already decided to follow Third Sister, and even doing what she could was her way of showing her appreciation. Once she understood this, she felt relieved!
Seeing that her brows had relaxed again, Qin San Niang knew that she had come to a realization.
"Sister-in-law, your pickling skills are amazing! You should sell these; you can make some money that way!"
"Oh, it's not worth it at all. I just think these pickled vegetables have a salty taste, which makes them more palatable with rice! They're not as good as you make them out to be," Wu Chunhua said modestly. However, her smile grew even wider; anyone would be happy to be praised.
Everyone knows how to make pickled vegetables; it's just a matter of how well they taste. She doesn't think anyone would pay for them.
Qin San Niang, however, did not think so. In her previous life, there were many factories that specialized in making pickled vegetables, salted vegetables, fermented bean curd, and even chili sauce, and their sales were excellent!
“But none of them are as good as you. We can develop more varieties, add chili peppers, or rather, bell peppers for seasoning, and supply them specifically to restaurants and the like. That should be no problem. If all else fails, I can open a restaurant and we can cooperate.” With her mouth full of food, Qin San Niang mumbled indistinctly.
A sip of porridge and a bite of pickled vegetables, the taste is wonderful! If you add some chili sauce with steamed buns, it'll be even better! We have some here, I'll bring it out for everyone to try when I have the chance.
She hadn't dared to take it out before because she wasn't sure if chili peppers were available at this time of year. Later, after asking around, she learned that the chili peppers at this time of year are also called bell peppers, but they're only grown as ornamental plants; wealthy people probably have plenty in their gardens, but forget about them on the dining table!
This is really good news!
The south is damp and cold, so the main source of spiciness was probably herbaceous plants, primarily dogwood. Later, chili peppers became popular, with some people even unable to live without them, indicating a large potential for the development of spicy flavors. She sensed a business opportunity!
A forensic pathologist who doesn't want to open a restaurant isn't a good chef!
"Yes, Chunhua's pickled vegetables are really delicious! I've eaten pickled vegetables my whole life, and I've never tasted anything this good." Speaking of this, even the old woman, Liu, had to give a thumbs up. Every family makes pickled vegetables, but no two taste the same. What does that mean? It means that there are good and bad skills!
Hearing them say that, Wu Chunhua was also somewhat tempted. If that were the case, she really needed to study it carefully! Making money with pickled vegetables, that's just too easy, isn't it?
They immediately became even more enthusiastic, refusing to let Qin San Niang wash the dishes, knowing she had important things to do, and quickly cleared away the dishes and went to the kitchen...
When they passed by He Xiucai's house, they saw that it was locked, and knew that they had also gone shopping. Thinking of He Yingyuan's chest of gold, Qin Sanniang felt very envious. Ah, the rich!
He Yingyuan, Liao Hongying, Gu Qingshan, and a few others led their horses at a brisk pace, heading first to Nanshi to buy a horse-drawn carriage.
There are quite a few people who want to buy carriages these days, and many plan to go south. There are shops selling carriages everywhere, and fortunately the prices are still at a relatively reasonable level.
As requested by He Xiucai, Gu Qingshan quickly selected a carriage of moderate size. The entire carriage was made of locust wood, a type of wood that is easy to obtain, sturdy, durable, and corrosion-resistant. It had no carvings, but its understated nature made it an ideal choice for fleeing the country.
Compared to the carriages made of rosewood belonging to wealthy families, this one was more affordable, but even so, it still cost nearly ten taels of silver.
After looking it over inside and out, He Yingyuan felt a pang of nostalgia for the black nanmu carriage of his previous life. He shook his head; for his current status, this carriage was quite decent! So he readily paid the fare.
Knowing that this was their own carriage, He Mingzhe was overjoyed, touching and looking around inside. Seeing her son so happy, Liao Hongying no longer felt bad about the ten taels of silver she had spent. Just as her husband had said, the children were still young, and the weather would only get colder. How could they survive without shelter from the wind and rain?
“Hongying, don’t worry about the money. This is an old friend of Father’s, and he has been kind to me in the past. Besides, if I pass the imperial examination and become a Juren or even a Jinshi, how can I not repay his kindness? This is also a kind of investment. Just spend it with peace of mind.”
This wife is good in every way, except that she is too virtuous and too worried. To avoid her overthinking, He Yingyuan had to say this.
He and his wife had known each other since childhood, practically childhood sweethearts. Although Liao Hongying wasn't a beauty, she possessed a comforting quality that made him feel relaxed and at ease in her presence. In his previous life, his wife died young. When he held a high position of power, many subordinates offered him women, including courtesans from Yangzhou, all of whom he rejected. This led many to mistakenly believe he had homosexual tendencies!
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