Before the two families left, Ruan Meng took out the soup she had specially reserved, divided the remaining oyster sauce in half, and gave it to each family.
Ruan Meng gave them some instructions: the broth should not be left overnight; they could dig up some oysters or collect some clams in the afternoon, cook them, and then soak them in the broth to eat.
You can add a little oyster sauce when cooking to make the dishes more delicious. It needs to be stored away from light and can only be consumed within about ten days.
Both families were also quite tired, and at Ruan Meng's insistence, the Ruan family took them back to rest.
After cleaning up the scene, Ruan Meng stewed the remaining two large basins of oyster meat and made a jar of oyster sauce...
The village chief has arrived.
It turned out that the three-day deadline had passed, and the village chief came to collect the money to offset the corvée labor.
Ruan Qian welcomed the village chief into the house, and Ruan Yi poured him a bowl of mint water.
The village chief, noticing the difference, asked, "Did you add mint to this?"
Ruan Meng walked over with a smile, "Uncle Feng, you're right!"
The village chief finished his drink in a few gulps, and Ruan Yi took it and had another bowl.
The village chief chuckled, "Some villagers might find it and eat it, but no one would think to add it to the water..."
"I never expected it to be so refreshing and delicious. What a clever idea from the young lady!"
The elder sister-in-law took out six taels of silver, and Ruan Qian asked, "Village chief, now that you've received the money, do you intend to hand it over to the mine immediately, or can you do it a couple of days later?"
The village chief said, "Once you've collected everything, we're leaving. The mine officials received the list from the state government on the day you arrived."
"If you're late, and neither the person nor the money arrives, the punishment will be severe!"
Ruan Qian then asked, "Is it this hot? Will you go yourself, or can someone else do it for you?"
Ruan Qian asked detailed questions, and the village chief patiently explained, "I'll go. The others aren't familiar with the mine officials, and they're not easy to deal with. I'm also a bit old, so they won't go too far."
"If a young person goes, being scolded is the least of their worries."
"Are you going to leave?"
"Yes, let's go. Luckily, we'll be there in an hour."
Ruan Qian immediately looked at his younger siblings and asked Ruan Meng, "Little sister, later, I'll have your second brother accompany the village chief. If you need any help, your sister-in-law and I can assist you, okay?"
Ruan Meng nodded, "Everyone got up too early this morning, it must have been tiring! It'll be hot in the afternoon, so let's rest at home. I'll go up the mountain later."
The millet porridge is all cooked; if we don't look for something to eat, we'll all go hungry tonight.
The second brother nodded solemnly, and Ruan Qian instructed, "Second brother, lead the donkey cart and let the village chief rest on it."
The village chief was shocked. He never expected that the Ruan family would have a donkey cart after only three days of their arrival!
Ruan Qian noticed this and explained, "It was borrowed from the shop that sold wild boar meat before, to make it easier for us to enter the city."
Even so, the village chief was still alarmed.
Even if he invoked his status as the village chief, city shopkeepers might not be willing to lend him a donkey.
Borrowing and repaying are both possible, provided you have the ability to repay.
He became increasingly certain that he had his eye on the Ruan family, and that the other two families were no less capable; astute businessmen in the city had already noticed.
Ruan Meng carried a bucket of mint water, filled two bowls, and asked her second brother to take it with him.
The eldest sister-in-law got up, cut two sweet potatoes, and put them in a clean basket.
Unable to refuse the village chief's hospitality, he rode a donkey cart to the mine for the first time in decades.
After lunch break, Ruan Meng performed acupuncture on her older brother. Seeing that his movements were slow, she felt a little sorry for him.
While his sister-in-law was giving him a massage, Ruan Meng and her third brother went up the mountain.
The two were lucky; Ruan Meng discovered two tall, lush iron holly trees, also known as bear gallwood. (Image from the internet) Ruan Meng looked up, her face beaming with joy, "We're rich!"
Seeing this, the third brother knew his sister had found treasure, but following her gaze, he saw that the tree in front of him was bare, without any fruit, and asked in confusion:
"Little sister, what's valuable?"
Ruan Meng put down her basket, went outside to take a cleaver, handed it to her third brother, and explained:
"Third Brother, this is called Ilex chinensis. Its bark is a very good medicinal material. It can clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and relieve pain."
"I often suffer from headaches, fever, sore throat, rheumatism..."
At this point, Ruan Meng's eyes lit up.
Living by the sea, there must be a lot of people suffering from rheumatism, so the demand for this medicinal herb is huge!
Ruan Meng patted her third brother on the shoulder, "How much money we can earn tomorrow depends entirely on your abilities!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
