Chapter 45 Wheat Master: Not Having Babies Now
Jiang Mai was shy.
But judging from his words, the little guy is quite proud of this.
As a qualified brother-in-law, Ye Li immediately exclaimed, "Wow! Is wheat that amazing?"
His expression and tone were completely natural, and Jiang Mai's face beamed with joy, but she spoke with unusual humility: "It's all thanks to my older brother's excellent teaching. It took me two years to remember so much."
"That's great! After all, you and Ya-ge are always either gathering firewood or cutting grass, you rarely have any free time."
Ye Li looked approving.
He had only occasionally seen Jiang Mai teaching Jiang Ya arithmetic, and he truly did not know that Jiang Mai could read.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mai gripped the palm-leaf fan in her small hand and waved it even faster.
Her cheeks were also a little red.
But he didn't say anything more modest.
Yes, his brother is rarely home, and when he does come back, he's either working in the fields or doing odd jobs.
There was very little time to teach him to read.
It's not easy for him to remember so much.
“Then, Mr. Wheat, you will teach me to read from now on,” Ye Li said with a smile.
Wheat Master?
Jiang Mai was taken aback when she heard this title, then shook her head shyly: "I am not the teacher, only my elder brother is qualified to be the teacher."
He specifically asked his elder brother, and he learned that not every teacher had an official title.
Some students who had only completed a short course of study could also become teachers.
Upon hearing this, Ye Li looked at Jiang Ji, who was still grinding grain: "It's fine for us to just shout it out casually, right, Master Jiang Ji?"
Jiang Ji stopped and nodded: "Yes. Xiaomai, your brother Li is just teasing you. If he wants to call out, just respond."
“I wasn’t teasing him. Xiaomai is really amazing. In our Yezaopo, he can be respectfully called Brother Xiaomai.”
"...Little Brother?"
Jiang Ji didn't understand.
Jiang Mai was also puzzled.
Ye Li explained with a smile, "Brother Kid refers to an exceptionally talented kid! Among the seven or eight-year-olds in our village, only Xiaomai knows so many characters, right?"
Jiang Ji thought for a moment and nodded: "More or less."
Only two people in the village had attended a private school.
It was him.
The first is Jiang Fuzheng's second son, Jiang Jinyu.
Jiang Jinyu was a few years older than him, but she only stayed in the private school for two years before refusing to continue her studies.
If Jiang Jinyu hadn't taught Jiang Fuzheng's eldest grandson to read, then Jiang Mai would have been the child who knew the most characters.
He can definitely be a big brother to kids.
But Ye Li has a lot of new words coming out of his mouth.
There was the rich, beautiful, and successful woman in front of her.
Now there's a kid named Brother.
Ye Li, unaware of Jiang Ji's thoughts, smiled and said, "So Xiaomai is like a little kid. Later, when I'm making chive pancakes, I'll add two extra eggs to Xiaomai's pancakes."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mai's eyes lit up immediately: "Thank you, Brother Li!"
He earned those eggs through his own abilities!
"Good boy, Xiaomai," Ye Li praised him, then lowered her head to continue picking chives.
But soon, he noticed a gaze fixed on his face, and it was extremely intense. He couldn't help but look up.
He met Jiang Ya's big eyes.
Jiang Ya sat opposite him, staring at him expectantly.
But the little guy kept his lips pursed and didn't say anything.
this……
He immediately racked his brains for a legitimate reason to add an egg to Jiang Ya's pancake as well. Just then, Jiang Mai spoke up: "Brother Ya, let's eat the pancake with extra egg together later."
Jiang Ya was delighted to hear this and quickly nodded her head, saying, "Thank you, Second Brother."
However, his big eyes were still fixed on Ye Li: "Brother Li, can I eat more eggs if I become a teacher?"
"Of course, knowing so many characters is amazing." Ye Li nodded seriously.
Jiang Ya was now at a loss: "I know a few words, and I can count! But I'm the youngest in our family, so who should I teach?"
He shouldn't always eat his second brother's food.
He wanted to earn eggs on his own.
"That's a good question," Ye Li thought for a moment and was about to pull Jiang Liu over when Jiang Mai suddenly said, "Brother Ya, don't rush. When Brother Li has a baby, you can teach our nephew."
Ye Li: "?"
He looked at Jiang Mai in shock, as if struck by lightning.
Jiang Ya cheered, "Second Brother is so smart! Li-ge, when are you having a baby?"
Ye Li: "..."
He subconsciously looked at Jiang Ji.
Jiang Ji was also looking at him.
The two looked at each other, and their brows furrowed at the same time.
Neither of them had thought about this...
Although Ye Li had transmigrated into the body of a young man, he subconsciously blocked out the words "pregnancy and childbirth." Now that the two little ones had exposed this fact in public, his face was almost contorted into the expression of an old man on the subway looking at his phone.
Pregnant!
Have a child!
How terrifying!
He pointed to Jiang Ya and Jiang Mai: "Jiang Ji, we have two kids in our family now."
Jiang Ji nodded: "Let's talk about it in two years."
Wheat is getting a bit older and can do a lot of work now.
But Ya Ge'er is only five years old, still a bit too young.
Ye Li usually has to run his business, so he's not home.
This matter is not urgent.
Let's take it slow.
The two reached an agreement, and before Jiang Ya's little face could even wrinkle up, Ye Li smiled and brought up Jiang Liu: "Ya-ge'er, you teach your sister Liu to read. If you teach her well, I'll give you extra eggs."
Jiang Ya's original intention was to eat more eggs, and children's minds are quick to change. He was very happy to hear Ye Li's words.
He immediately waved his little hand at Jiang Mai and asked, "Second Brother, how should I teach Sister Liu?"
Jiang Mai blinked and began to think seriously.
Yes, he also has to teach his brother Li.
He needs to think about it carefully.
Seeing the two little ones taking it so seriously, Ye Li stopped teasing them and focused on picking chives.
But Jiang Ya's words kept swirling in his mind, refusing to leave.
Having a baby is not like needlework; you can't just quit if you don't want to.
But thinking about it, it still feels a bit cringeworthy...
He, Ye Li, is a man who gives birth.
These words, when put together, really gave him a headache.
After picking the chives, he washed them several times with water, then went back to the kitchen to season and knead the dough.
Just as I finished seasoning the chives, Jiang Ji came in carrying a ceramic basin.
Jiang Ji has already ground the walnut and black sesame powder.
It's for personal consumption, so it doesn't need to be too refined.
Moreover, the slight graininess adds a unique flavor.
"Put it in the earthenware pot, you can take it with you later." Ye Li said as she squatted in front of the cupboard and took the basin out from inside.
He's going to knead the dough.
Jiang Ji hummed in agreement. Last night, he brought back the earthenware jar he used to store walnut and black sesame powder.
After finishing this task, he said, "Shall I roll out the dough later?"
"No need, you can rest first and wait for the fire to start." Ye Li shook her head.
Jiang Ji didn't insist, but he didn't rest either. He picked up the palm-leaf fan on the stove and stood next to Ye Li, slowly fanning her.
The wind is hot.
But it's better than nothing.
Ye Li smiled at him: "I'll give you an extra egg later."
Jiang Ji laughed upon hearing this, "No need. The food has been very good lately."
"It's just an egg; we have plenty of eggs at home."
Now, whenever someone in the village wants to sell eggs, they will bring them over.
Even if there are only four or five, Ye Li will accept them.
“Then you should have one too, you’re the hardest working in our family,” Jiang Ji said.
Ye Li smiled and agreed, "Okay, let's each have an extra egg."
After saying that, he met Jiang Ji's eyes and Jiang Ji smiled.
But Jiang Ji quickly turned his head and glanced towards the door.
There was no one at the entrance.
Jiangmai and Jiangya were squatting by the well chopping pig feed.
Jiang Ji looked away, lowered his voice, and asked, "Don't you want to have a baby?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Li slowed down her kneading of the dough and asked in return, "And you?"
"It's up to you. If you don't want to have children these next few years, then you don't have to."
“Our parents passed away early. I have so many wheat, barley and buds. In the past few years, all I’ve been thinking about is how to raise wheat and buds well.”
Even though he had high hopes for married life, he never thought about having children.
As the eldest brother, he was like a father to his children, including Xiaomai and Yage.
His answer relieved Ye Li.
Ye Li immediately said, "Then let's not have children yet. I've been busy making money these past few years."
Even if one wants to have a child, it should be after one has earned a fortune.
His children can only inherit his wealth, not his poverty.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji advised, "Don't work too hard. The hottest days of summer are almost here. Why don't you build a stove in the yard and fry things there?"
Ye Li agreed without hesitation: "Okay!"
In the sweltering summer heat, without air conditioning, they would sit around the oil fryer for almost two hours straight.
This tangy flavor is something you have to experience to know.
"Go to your second uncle's house now and get some adobe bricks. When your eldest brother comes this afternoon, have him start building them."
It was just an ordinary sentence, but to everyone's surprise, Jiang Ji shook his head and said, "I'm not going."
Not going?
Ye Li was stunned and looked up at him.
“I rarely come back, so I just want to stay here and tend the fire, not go and carry bricks.”
Jiang Ji looked directly into his eyes and gave a serious explanation.
Ye Li immediately burst into laughter.
So you just want to stay here and keep the fire burning?
She clearly wanted to stay by his side.
"Okay, okay, I won't go then."
As he spoke, he slightly pouted.
Jiang Ji understood immediately, leaned over, and gave him a light, quick kiss on the lips.
After the kiss, the two looked at each other and smiled, feeling as sweet as if they had drunk a bowl of sugar water.
Soon, the dough was ready, and Ye Li took out a rolling pin and started rolling it out.
Jiang Ji brought out a small stove, put a small iron pot on it, added the rinsed mung beans, and then asked Jiang Ya to watch the stove and start cooking.
He went into the kitchen to help Ye Li start the fire.
By the time the villagers came to buy tofu, the family had already prepared lunch.
Mung bean soup with sugar.
There were also thick chive pancakes filled with plenty of stuffing.
The flatbread was as big as a palm-leaf fan; one flatbread with wheat and sprouts was enough to fill you up.
As for Ye Liang, he is currently busy buying eggs to make preserved eggs, and there is no work to be done in his two acres of cornfields for the time being, so he has only come in the afternoons these past few days.
After lunch, Jiang Ji returned to the east room, took out the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone that he had discarded from the private school, and wrote more than ten auspicious idioms.
After finishing writing, he didn't linger. He put on his straw hat, slung his basket over his shoulder, and hurried off to the county town.
It's hot, and I can't walk fast. I've already taken the morning off, so I can't miss my afternoon class.
Jiang Ji left again.
But Ye Li was quite busy and didn't have time to think about him for the time being.
Ye Li first gave those idioms to Jiang Tong, and then he went to find Jiang Dahe. If they were building a new stove, they would definitely need to build a shed.
There was a stone mill under the shed next to the well, and there was no room for a clay stove.
After hearing his words, Jiang Dahe immediately agreed. After he left, he picked up his axe and went up the mountain to cut down trees.
Two days later, a shed with drafts on all four sides appeared next to the well, and a new stove was built under the shed.
When Ye Li fries things again, she doesn't sweat as much as before.
In the county town, after class that day, Jiang Ji went to the kitchen and made a few vegetable dumplings. He ate them as he walked toward the small courtyard rented by Bao Beiyuan.
The courtyard was quite far from the private school, and it took him half an hour to get there, walking and running.
Standing in front of the courtyard, he knocked on the door and called out, "Bao Beiyuan?!"
He only had to call out once when Bao Beiyuan's voice came from inside: "Coming, coming."
A moment later, the courtyard gate opened, revealing Bao Beiyuan's sweaty face.
"What are you busy with?" Jiang Ji asked.
"Grinding glutinous rice flour," Bao Beiyuan said, grabbing a cloth hanging around his neck to wipe the sweat from his face.
"...Why don't you take the glutinous rice to the mill to grind it? It's hot, so the cost will increase, and it's okay to earn a little less."
Jiang Jidao.
There are special mills in the county town, where livestock pull the millstones.
The price is reasonable.
"No need, I have nothing to do anyway. Come on, sit down, I'll pour you a bowl of mung bean soup." Bao Beiyuan said as he walked towards the kitchen.
The courtyard isn't big, but it has everything you need.
Jiang Ji was really thirsty after walking along, so he headed towards the kitchen.
Seeing Bao Beiyuan come out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of mung bean soup in one hand and a white flour pancake in the other, he accepted them without hesitation.
“If you don’t want to go to the mill, you can buy a mule,” he said between bites.
Bao Beiyuan, holding a palm-leaf fan, sat down beside him and shook his head upon hearing this: "I've never raised such a large animal before. If I were to kill it, the loss would be enormous."
Jiang Ji: "..."
He looked Bao Beiyuan up and down, frowned and said, "Why are you doing this? If Uncle Bao is watching from heaven, he would not want you to punish yourself like this."
Even if it's not bitter, just endure it!
Bao Beiyuan chuckled and immediately changed the subject: "Speaking of which, do you still have any of the preserved eggs that Brother Li makes?"
"What?" Jiang Ji asked.
"As the weather gets hotter, Sheng Ge's cold jelly shop is not doing as well as before. I was thinking that if he could make cold preserved eggs, maybe the business could return to what it used to be."
"The variable eggs are only sold in the town, and they're always in high demand. There's no stock in the county seat, so I'm asking you about them."
"You really worry about a lot," Jiang Ji remarked with a touch of admiration.
If Bao Beiyuan is still concerned about these things, he must be alright.
"Isn't this a win-win situation? You and Brother Sheng have both helped me a lot, and I hope you all do well."
"Just urge Brother Li to make more preserved eggs."
Bao Beiyuan said with a grin.
"Okay, I'll urge him. Next time the preserved eggs are ready, we won't sell them in town, we'll supply them to the cold noodle shops."
Jiang Ji should comply.
Ye Liang sells preserved eggs at his pancake stall for free.
Ye Li's eggs were carried back by Ye Liang.
However, after Jiang Liu, Jiang Yu, and Jiang Tong finished making the preserved eggs, they had to deliver them to the Ye family themselves.
Ye Liang then used a handcart to transport the goods to town to sell.
Instead of bothering Ye Liang, it's better to just take him to the county town, which is closer to home.
Anyway, there's no worry about sales.
Speaking of which, preserved eggs are selling really well.
Ye Li's third batch of 500 eggs has long been sold out.
The fourth batch of 500 has also been sealed in jars for ten days.
Now that Bao Beiyuan has spoken, the fourth batch of five hundred will be supplied to the cold noodle shop.
Well, he'll go back to the village again then...
As Jiang Ji was planning to go home, Jiang Fu arrived at the Jiang family home at Yezaopo in the evening.
When he arrived, Ye Li was washing Jiang Ya's hair.
Jiang Mai grabbed a tree branch and squatted by the well, writing large characters so that he could teach Ye Li to recognize them after he finished his work.
As soon as Jiang Mai saw him, she quickly dropped the tree branch, stood up and greeted him, "Grandpa Village Chief, please sit down, I'll get you some water."
Jiang Fuzheng smiled and said, "Young Mai, don't rush, I have something to discuss with your brother Li."
That's true, but Jiang Mai still ran into the kitchen and poured Jiang Fuzheng a bowl of cold boiled water.
He also found the sugar jar and added a spoonful of cane sugar to the cooled boiled water.
In the courtyard, Jiang Fu was having Ye Li continue washing Jiang Ya's hair. The little head was only half-washed, and if it wasn't finished quickly, Jiang Ya would feel very uncomfortable.
However, upon seeing the words Jiang Mai had written, he couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing writing these words, Mai boy?"
“I’m learning to read with Xiaomai now. We have more income at home, so I need to learn to keep accounts.”
Ye Li explained.
"It's time to learn some characters."
Jiang Fuzheng wholeheartedly agreed and strongly supported it.
Just then, Jiang Mai came out of the kitchen with a bowl in his hand, and he took the bowl and sat down.
He took a sip, and the sweetness immediately spread in his mouth.
He glanced at Jiang Mai and couldn't help but recall the time when Jiang Mai had asked him to catch Ye Li.
That day, Ye Li took the initiative to add sugar to the tofu pudding, but Mai Xiaozi refused to taste it.
Now, however, Mai Xiaozi can freely use cane sugar.
Moreover, Ye Li was even washing Ya Ge'er's hair!
Such a dramatic change could hardly contain his emotions.
Remembering his purpose, he suppressed his emotions and looked at Ye Li: "Young Master Ji, do you still have any preserved eggs at home?"
“There are more than ten left, Uncle Jiang. If you want to buy them, I’ll have Xiaomai pack them up for you right away,” Ye Li said.
The fourth batch of 500 eggs will be ready in two or three days.
Therefore, he has almost finished the last batch he saved.
Jiang Fu waved his hand: "No need, I won't buy the preserved egg."
"Several villagers came to me because they wanted to learn how to make preserved eggs from you."
These words came as abruptness, and Ye Li was taken aback: "Huh?"
Jiang Fuzheng added, "Let me explain in detail."
"They went to town to observe, and the preserved eggs were selling very quickly, so quickly that there were no preserved eggs left to sell for many days."
"They were thinking that once the preserved eggs were made and your family's stock was sold out, they would move them to town to sell. Anyway, these things can be stored for half a year, so it doesn't matter if they are a few days earlier or later."
"They won't compete with the three of you for business."
"Moreover, they are willing to pay you money, as long as you are willing to teach. Whether you want money or meat, whether you want it all at once or every time you sell it, it's all fine."
"It's all up to you; everything is negotiable."
“They are quite sincere, and I thought this would also be beneficial to you, so I came to ask for your opinion.”
"Whether you agree or not is fine. I'm just passing on a message. I won't force you."
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