51 Building a Mushroom Shed
◎Isn't it just a little bit hard? Can it be harder than a famine?◎
Erya pointed at the notice, looked at Aunt Wang, and blinked: "Of course Sister Ye taught me that!"
Before Aunt Wang could say anything, Erya shook her head again and corrected herself, "No, no, Sister Ye said that from now on I have to call her Master, Grandmother. It was Master who taught me how to read."
Aunt Wang was stunned and said in surprise, "You've only been there for a few days, and you already recognize so many characters?"
Erya laughed and said, "Of course not, Sister Ye... Master Ye even praised me for my intelligence and told us to go home and write on the ground with a wooden stick."
Aunt Wang pulled her back and said, "Hey Erya, why didn't you tell me earlier? Come on, go home and write."
Erya pointed at Aunt Wang's bamboo basket and asked, "Grandma, aren't we going to sell eggs?"
Aunt Wang looked down at Erya, then at the eggs she had been saving for so long. Each egg sold for a penny, something they normally wouldn't eat. But when she thought of what Erya had just said about County Magistrate Ye praising her, Aunt Wang gritted her teeth and said, "I won't sell them! From now on, eat one every morning to nourish yourself."
Erya's eyes lit up, thinking of the delicious eggs she'd eaten before. She couldn't help but swallow, and exclaimed in surprise, "Grandma? You really want me to eat them?"
Aunt Wang bent down and touched Erya's head. "Really? Then you have to promise Grandmother that you will study hard in the county school and learn as much as possible. Then you can become a female official like Master Ye! If... if you can't become a female official, being a teacher will also be fine..."
The young Erya could not hear the expectation in Aunt Wang's words. She thought of Ye Yunzhao's appearance. In her little head, she felt that Sister Ye seemed different from her grandmother and mother.
Wouldn't being a court lady or a teacher be just like Sister Ye? Erya was naturally willing. She said happily, "Grandma, don't worry. When I grow up, I will definitely be as powerful as the teacher!"
If Aunt Wang had felt a little reluctant just now, unwilling to let her precious eggs, meant for sale, be eaten by her granddaughter, she was now surprised and delighted. County Magistrate Ye praised Erya for her intelligence, and the girl's words even sparked a hint of ambition...
Could it be that...
Could it be possible that her family could actually produce a female official in the future?!
The more Aunt Wang thought about it, the more satisfied she became. She happily took Erya's hand and hurried home. Just now, she had blamed Ye Yunzhao for not secretly telling her about the purchase of water chestnuts, but now her heart was filled with gratitude towards Ye Yunzhao. If County Magistrate Ye hadn't reopened the county school, how could she have discovered that Erya was a good student?
In short, the complaints were diluted by joy, and Aunt Wang was still thinking of finding time to thank Ye Yunzhao properly.
What she never expected was that the person she was thinking about and was grateful to was actually sitting in her house drinking tea at this moment.
Ye Yunzhao held the hot ceramic bowl, took a sip of the sugar water inside, and looked up at Wang Laiwang and Fang Niang who were sitting opposite him.
These two days were Fang Niang's days off, and she happened to meet Ye Yunzhao.
Seeing that there wasn't much hot water in her bowl, Fang Niang added more water and said with a smile, "County Magistrate Ye, do the clothes you made last time still fit you?"
Ye Yunzhao moved the ceramic bowl with a shrewd look: "It fits perfectly. Speaking of this, I really have to thank you very much. It's beautifully made and sturdy. I've washed it several times, and it's almost like new."
Originally, she had several dresses and shirts. Ye Yunzhao loved cleanliness and couldn't stand dresses and shirts that were stained with mud. After being washed three or five times, the few clothes she had were either faded or washed to tatters by her.
But the dress made by Fangniang was the only one that remained as clean as new no matter how many times it was washed.
After hearing what Ye Yunzhao said, Fangniang smiled. When she heard her mother mention this person's identity, she naturally used some needlework when making clothes for him. Although it was hard and troublesome, if he could make clothes for her often, their relationship would naturally be closer.
Fang Niang smiled and said, "As long as County Magistrate Ye is satisfied, that's all that matters. If you need anything in the future, just come to the embroidery workshop to find me. By the way, County Magistrate Ye, is there something you want to ask for today?"
Ye Yunzhao was smiling and nodding, and was about to speak when Aunt Wang came back with Erya.
"Oh! Why did you come here in person, County Magistrate Ye? I was thinking of looking for you to thank you very much!" Aunt Wang rushed forward with a smile, and looked at Wang Laiwang and Fang Niang beside her.
"You don't know! Our Erya is amazing now! She can recognize so many words! This is all thanks to County Magistrate Ye. If it weren't for County Magistrate Ye who allowed Erya to enter the county school, Erya wouldn't be where she is now!"
This was an extremely exaggerated statement. If others heard it, they would probably think that Erya had graduated from high school.
Fangniang naturally knew about Erya's enrollment in the county school. She thought it was a joke and didn't realize that Erya had already recognized quite a few words.
Fang Niang flattered him calmly, "Mother, if it weren't for County Magistrate Ye teaching her personally, Erya wouldn't be able to recognize so many characters no matter how smart she is. Teachers are very important."
Aunt Wang smiled and said, "Right, right, what Fang Niang said makes sense..."
Ye Yunzhao waved his hands awkwardly: "It has nothing to do with me. Erya is smart and understands it immediately. She knows more than twenty more words than others."
Seeing that Aunt Wang and the others were about to speak again, Ye Yunzhao hurriedly mentioned the reason for his trip, fearing that he would be surrounded by their praise again: "By the way, I came here today because I want to trouble you with something."
Aunt Wang was startled, then turned around and said hurriedly, "If you have something to say, County Magistrate Ye, just tell me directly. It's not a big deal."
After they sat down, Ye Yunzhao said, "I want to ask you if you are willing to build a mushroom shed at home and grow mushrooms at home."
"Growing mushrooms?" several people asked in unison.
Wang Laiwang said without thinking, "County Magistrate Ye, aren't there a lot of mushrooms in the mountains? Why are you letting people grow mushrooms at home?"
Fang Niang quickly said, "What are you talking about?"
Even so, Fangniang was still worried. Aren't mushrooms plentiful everywhere? Growing mushrooms at home didn't sound very plausible. Besides, how could growing mushrooms be that simple? They had never grown mushrooms before!
Ye Yunzhao knew that this was not going to be easy, so he explained, "These aren't ordinary mushrooms, they're woven mushrooms. I heard they're expensive, right? Besides, I have to thank Aunt Wang for her help with the water chestnuts last time..."
"Bai Li Mushroom?" Aunt Wang asked in surprise, "Can Bai Li Mushroom be grown in your own home?"
Then he realized it belatedly and said, "Ah, Shui Lizi, I only contributed a little. I feel embarrassed that you, County Magistrate Ye, came all the way here."
Ye Yunzhao nodded: "Of course I have to thank you, so I thought if you are willing, you can make some money by weaving fungi."
After she said this, the people opposite her quieted down. What they had thought was outrageous just now now made them feel a little moved.
But this is not the fault of the three of them. It is just that Ye Yunzhao's words are too attractive. This is to grow a fungus. If it is really grown successfully, wouldn't it be no different from growing gold?
Aunt Wang said with some concern, "If it's about growing woven mushrooms, I'd certainly be willing to do that, but... I've only grown vegetables and grains, never mushrooms, and I don't know how to grow them..."
Ye Yunzhao comforted him, "Don't worry, I won't let you figure it out on your own. I'll teach you how to grow mushrooms."
When Aunt Wang heard this, the corners of her mouth turned up, and her eyes almost smiled into slits: "County Magistrate Ye..."
Before she could finish, Fang Niang interrupted, "County Magistrate Ye, let me say one more thing. You might as well grow your own mushrooms. If you feel your status... makes it difficult to sell mushrooms, I can help."
Aunt Wang pondered what she had said, and it seemed to make sense. Since County Magistrate Ye knew how to grow mushrooms and had plenty of land, why would he give them such a great opportunity?
Aunt Wang, who had just been blinded by the money, said hurriedly, "County Magistrate Ye, Fangniang is right. From now on, every time I visit Fangniang at the embroidery workshop, I will help you take the woven hat fungus to Yuezhou to sell."
Seeing that they had misunderstood, Ye Yunzhao smiled helplessly and said, "You misunderstood. I specifically asked you to grow mushrooms for a very simple reason. Growing mushrooms is a good thing. I want you to set an example so that other people in Lingnan County can see that this is a profitable job.
Besides, wouldn't it be wonderful if every household could earn enough to make a living? At least everyone would be able to eat meat and wear cotton clothes."
Fang Niang was stunned when she heard this. In the past, when she occasionally returned home, her mother would often mention the new county magistrate, praising her for her kindness and compassion for the people. However, those words sounded so far from Fang Niang's, and she had often thought her mother was exaggerating. But today, she was shocked and her heart could not calm down for a long time...
"It was Fangniang who misunderstood. I hope County Magistrate Ye will forgive me."
Ye Yunzhao looked at Fang Niang who stood up and saluted, and quickly stood up and pulled her: "Hey, what are you doing? Sit down quickly."
She added, "Don't be too happy, growing mushrooms is a very troublesome thing...
Although growing woven mushrooms is very profitable, building a mushroom shed is no small task. It requires yellow clay, straw, rice stalks, and wood. Oh, and you also need to weave a few rice mats.
Wang Laiwang immediately stood up and said, "Don't worry, County Magistrate Ye, these things are easy to find. I will go to the mountains to look for them tomorrow."
Ye Yunzhao said, "Not only that, but I also need to build a few wooden racks specifically for growing mushrooms. The most important thing is to water them several times a day. I wish I could watch them all the time..."
After she finished speaking, the three people opposite her were no longer as excited as before. Only Fang Niang gritted her teeth and said, "Since you came to find us, County Magistrate Ye, you trust us. You just need to be more careful... Don't worry..."
Wang Laiwang tugged at Fangniang's sleeve and whispered, "There's still a lot of work to do in the fields. How can my mother and I take care of it all?"
Seeing the atmosphere was somewhat depressed, Ye Yunzhao understood his worries and naturally felt that they were willing to grow mushrooms because they wanted to thank her, rather than because they really thought they could grow mushrooms well.
Ye Yunzhao smiled and said, "Although the process is a bit troublesome, you don't have to worry about the crops in the fields. I see that Xixiang has already planted all the winter vegetables he wanted to plant, and there may be some fertilizing work to do. It may be a bit hard work, but it only takes thirty days from planting to harvesting the woven mushrooms, and you can harvest them several times."
Aunt Wang counted the days on her fingers. It would be the beginning of winter in a few days. It would take about ten days to build the mushroom shed and another month to grow mushrooms. It would be a good time to harvest them at the end of the year.
She made up her mind. It was just a little bit hard, but could it be harder than a famine? She said firmly:
"County Magistrate Ye, I plant it!"
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