Su Huaiyue had a warm smile on her face. "Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Come, I'll teach you a game to help you pass this long night."
"Miss Su, what is this?"
The villagers looked up at her, curiosity flashing in their eyes.
In that era, playing cards were still a novelty that they had never seen, let alone played.
Su Huaiyue seemed to see through their confusion and explained with a smile, "This is called poker. It's a game I've seen others play. It can be played by two people or multiple people. It's very interesting."
However, when she was about to demonstrate how to play poker, she discovered a problem.
The literacy rate in the village was not high, and the ancients could not understand the numbers and suits on modern playing cards.
This made her feel a little embarrassed, but she soon thought of a solution.
"Looks like I need to make you a deck of playing cards that suits you. Everyone, get through tonight, and I'll show you something fun tomorrow." Su Huaiyue said, then turned back to the house, found some scrap paper, and began to make it. She carefully pasted the paper several times to ensure the deck was strong and durable, then used charcoal to draw some landscapes, flowers, and birds on it.
After some hard work, a small and exquisite deck of playing cards was finally born.
The next morning, Su Huaiyue walked towards the village entrance with a deck of homemade cards.
Wei Che went out with her and saw the cards in her hand. He asked curiously, "What is this?"
Su Huaiyue explained with a smile: "This is a small card I made by pasting several layers of paper. It's a game called 'Leaf Game'. Although it's a little different from what you play, it's simple and fun to play, and it can kill time."
Wei Che took the card with great interest, looked at it carefully, and found that it was painted with various patterns, including landscapes, flowers and birds, figures, etc., with bright colors and very exquisite.
He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "This card is so beautiful. How did you come up with this idea?"
Su Huaiyue smiled and said, "I also thought that the villagers had nothing fun to do while on night watch. It was really boring to just sit there and kill time, so I came up with this idea. I'll teach you how to play it later."
So, Su Huaiyue gathered the villagers who were on night duty every day and some villagers who were willing to play, and began to teach them how to play "Leaf Game". She patiently explained the suits and points of the cards, as well as the basic rules of the game.
The villagers listened with great interest and quickly mastered the rules.
"This card game is so fun!" a villager said excitedly. "We don't have to worry about keeping watch at night anymore."
"Yes, this card not only helps us kill time, but also allows us to communicate more." Another villager said happily.
Wei Che watched from the side, full of admiration for Su Huaiyue.
He didn't expect that Su Huaiyue was not only dexterous, but also so concerned about the daily lives of the villagers.
He looked at Su Huaiyue with a little more admiration in his eyes, and said without disguising it, "I misunderstood you before. You are very smart and considerate of everyone."
Su Huaiyue didn't expect that Wei Che, who always disliked her, would speak so highly of her. She smiled modestly and said, "We are all Wei family members, so don't be so polite to me. Besides, we are all trapped here now. It is very fulfilling to help the villagers solve their life problems and enrich their entertainment life."
With the "Leaf Opera", daily life in the village is no longer just about farming and embroidery, and everyone lives happier than before.
The sky in Dongzhou was gloomy, as if foreshadowing an impending storm.
In the yard, Su Huaiyue and the Wei family were leisurely enjoying the afternoon.
At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence, and villager Zhang Er rushed into the yard in a hurry.
"Miss Su, Master Wei, something big has happened! News suddenly came from Dongzhou that there is a salt shortage!" Zhang Er's face was full of anxiety, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Su Huaiyue and Wei Che frowned instantly when they heard the news.
Wei Che stood up and asked, "What's going on? Why is there such a sudden salt shortage?"
Zhang Er briefly recounted what happened.
Relying on its huge power, the Hu family once again extended its greedy tentacles into the lives of the people.
Salt, an indispensable condiment in daily life, has now become a luxury. For a time, Dongzhou was full of complaints and suffering.
Su Huaiyue and Wei Che fell into deep thought after hearing this.
Hu Qiu had come to Wangjia Village the last time to buy land, but was rejected, and he harbored a grudge. Unable to alleviate the grain famine, he created a salt famine, forcing salt merchants to raise salt prices and profit from it.
But ordinary people can only struggle in this predicament.
"By doing this, the Hu family is simply forcing the people of Dongzhou into a desperate situation!" Wei Che said angrily, his fists clenched unconsciously, and his eyes flashed with anger.
Su Huaiyue was also in a heavy mood. She knew that the Hu family was powerful and involved many people, and they could not compete directly.
But she also knew that the more this happened, the more she couldn't give up.
"We can't fight head-on," Su Huaiyue pondered for a moment and spoke slowly, "but we can find a way to save ourselves and let the villagers survive in the salt drought."
Wei Che nodded. He knew Su Huaiyue's intelligence and believed that she would have a way.
He asked, "What are your plans?"
Su Huaiyue stood up, her eyes determined. "We must first save salt and minimize unnecessary waste. Then we can try to make salt ourselves. Although this requires certain skills and conditions, we have so many people, so we can definitely do it."
After hearing this, Wei Che's eyes flashed with hope: "Yes, we can try to make salt ourselves. Although the conditions are limited, it is better than sitting and waiting for death."
So, Su Huaiyue and Wei Che began to act.
They called the village chief and some of the higher-ranking people in the village and explained the next plan to everyone in detail.
Although the villagers felt a little uneasy, they gradually gained confidence when they saw how determined Su Huaiyue and Wei Che were.
They all expressed their willingness to try and work together to overcome the difficulties.
Blindly searching would only reduce efficiency. Su Huaiyue asked the villagers behind him, "We've lived in the village for so long. Have you ever heard of a sea or a waterside?"
"There's a shallow sea beyond this mountain."
"Is it far?" Considering that some of the villagers behind him were elderly, they might not be able to bear it if they hurried.
"It's not very far. Before the famine, people used to go there to wash clothes and so on."
After listening to the villagers' words, Su Huaiyue nodded in understanding.
"Then please come with me."
A group of people, carrying hoes, shovels and other tools, went into the forest and crossed the mountain.
About half an hour later, we finally arrived at the beach that the villagers talked about.
Su Huaiyue stood on the beach, looking at the sparkling sea in front of her, and already had a plan in her mind.
She gathered the villagers together and explained the salt-making process to them in detail.
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