Chen Xiaocai munched on the candied hawthorn with great relish, exclaiming, "Big brother, you've struck it rich!"
Chen Xiaocai put a fruit in her mouth, repeatedly savoring its sweet taste.
Candied hawthorn berries are a bit pricey, and my older brother only buys them when he makes a lot of money. He once bought some for himself and his younger brother when he killed a tiger.
Chen Xiaomi smiled and said, "I did make a little money."
Chen Xiaocai asked with some delight, "Has the price of pork gone up in the city?"
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "More or less."
Chen Xiaomi calculated that buying Lu Lin's doorstep cost ten taels, but saved three taels in taxes. The bead sold for six taels of silver, leaving only a one tael difference.
Lu Lin is a capable adult, and since he came into the family, the meals have improved a lot. They've almost broken even, and should even make a profit.
Discovering that there was still money to be made, Chen Xiaomi couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
Seeing Chen Xiaomi's smile, Chen Xiaocai also became happy.
After their father passed away, Chen Xiaocai rarely saw Chen Xiaomi smile. The villagers all said that her older brother was rude and didn't look like a proper young man, but Chen Xiaocai thought her older brother was extremely handsome.
"Big brother, you have some too." There were four hawthorns on a candied hawthorn skewer. Chen Xiaocai ate one himself and handed it to Chen Xiaomi. Chen Xiaomi didn't refuse and ate one. The two brothers looked very satisfied.
Looking at Chen Xiaomi and Chen Xiaocai, who were completely absorbed in the moment, Lu Lin thought to himself: Resources in ancient times were still too scarce. Candied hawthorns are so popular. It seems that his little shop also has some candied dates and red dates.
With money, Chen Xiaomi stopped hunting.
Chen Xiaomi bought some tiles and bricks to repair the house, because if the house leaks in winter, it will be a big problem.
"Xiao Mi, how about we build a kang (heated brick bed)?" Lu Lin asked.
Chen Xiaomi glanced at Lu Lin and asked, somewhat puzzled, "What is a kang?"
Lu Lin thought for a moment and said, "A kang is a bed built with earth or bricks. In winter, firewood is burned underneath, and it is very warm to lie on it to sleep, and people are less likely to get sick."
Hearing that people wouldn't get sick easily, Chen Xiaomi was intrigued. Chen Xiaomai's health was poor; she easily caught a cold in winter, and getting sick in winter was troublesome, especially seeing a doctor. Autumn had come a bit early this year, and Chen Xiaomi figured winter might be even colder.
"How do you know about this?" Chen Xiaomi asked.
"It's in the book. I saw it when I secretly read my cousin's book," Lu Lin said.
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "I see."
Scholars were still highly respected in this era. Although Lu Chengyu of the Lu family was only a student in the imperial examinations, he was still very prestigious. Every household in the village liked to invite Lu Chengyu to their weddings. Having a student in the imperial examinations would make the host family more prestigious.
"The Lu family doesn't have a kang (heated brick bed), does they?" Chen Xiaomi asked, somewhat puzzled.
Lu Lin smiled and said, "My cousin only cares about passing the imperial examination and becoming an official; he doesn't care about anything else."
Chen Xiaomi thought about it and agreed that it was true. "Then tell me how to build this kang (heated brick bed), I'll help you."
Lu Lin was pleased to hear that Chen Xiaomi had agreed, and he started calculating on his abacus.
Lu Lin still quite liked Chen Xiaomi and was thinking about when he could deepen their relationship. The bed in the Lu family was dilapidated and small, and Lu Lin had long disliked it.
Lu Lin plans to build the kang (heated brick bed) bigger and wider, so that four people can sleep on it and he can then go to bed with it.
If he could get into bed, he would push Chen Xiaocai and Chen Xiaocai to his feet and then put a curtain between them.
While the Chen family was busy with such a lively affair, things weren't going well for the Lu family.
When Lu Lin refused to help the Lu family last time, the old lady of the Lu family cursed and complained for a long time, saying that Lu Lin was ungrateful and that he might be eaten by wolves in the mountains at any time.
Unexpectedly, not only was Lu Lin not eaten by wolves, but the Lu family was also building a house in a big way.
Previously, Chen Xiaomi had carried a large basket of things back from the city, which the villagers had seen.
The villagers guessed that Chen Xiaomi had made a lot of money by hunting again, and they were very envious of her.
Lu Lin's aunt, Madam Tang, knew that Chen Xiaomi's family was doing well, and she regretted not asking for more betrothal gifts earlier.
Lu Lin and Chen Xiaomi spent two days finally building the kang (heated brick bed). Since it was their first time making one, the workmanship was a bit rough, but it was very comfortable to lie on.
The autumn nights were already a bit chilly. Chen Xiaomi tried heating the kang (a traditional heated brick bed) that night and found it warm and cozy when she lay down. She couldn't believe that such a wonderful thing existed in the world.
Chen Xiaomi suddenly felt a sense of admiration for the man she had married.
Chen Xiaomi thought Lu Lin seemed very smart, and she didn't quite understand why the Lu family would give such a smart man to him. Then Chen Xiaomi thought about it again and realized that Lu Lin didn't seem to be very smart before, and that he seemed to have become smarter after falling into the water.
After the house was repaired, Chen Xiaomi had only six taels of silver left, including her original savings.
Six taels of silver should be enough to buy some food for the winter, but it would be a bit of a stretch if you wanted to buy something else to live comfortably.
Chen Xiaomi felt that she should earn more money so that if she had a headache or fever and needed to see a doctor, it wouldn't be too difficult.
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