The Emperor bestowed upon the Lady a string of jewels, including a necklace studded with gemstones and a jade ring inlaid with rubies, the jade ring also bearing the auspicious phrase "good fortune and happiness."
In addition, the emperor also bestowed upon him a brocade robe embroidered with dragon and phoenix patterns and a piece of silk of considerable value.
The lady was grateful for the emperor's gift, and she carefully put away these precious and gorgeous items, hoping to keep them forever.
The emperor suddenly issued an edict to reward Lady Cha, and their small village became the focus of everyone's attention, with people from surrounding villages also rushing over to join in the fun.
People ran over in straw sandals to see what was happening; some knelt down and kowtowed, while others were moved to tears.
Whether they were young men or elderly people, they all stared in astonishment at the things around Liang Shuyan that they had never seen before in their lives, their eyes filled with boundless joy.
The magistrate coughed lightly twice at the end: "As everyone has seen, our Daling Village has had two bumper harvests in one year, all thanks to Dashan's mother's advice. The villagers will never go hungry again. The new tea from Jin's Tea House has been awarded by the Emperor, which is not only an honor for Dashan's mother, but also for our Daling Village. I am very pleased. Therefore, I have decided to repair the road from Daling Village to the town. In addition, the school will be expanded, and the county government will be moved from Furong Town to Qingfeng Town. It can be said that three happy events have come together!"
Zhao Heng excitedly exclaimed, "Dad, the county government has moved to Qingfeng Town, so why not move it to Daling Village all at once? That way, we can be with Auntie!"
All eyes turned to Liang Shuyan, who said somewhat embarrassedly, "By the way, there's something I need to clarify for everyone here. I'm now Old Lady Zhao's goddaughter, which means Zhao Heng's godmother. Therefore, I don't want to hear anyone in the village talking about the magistrate and me anymore. As for me, I'm just a peasant woman, so it doesn't matter. But the magistrate's reputation cannot be tarnished!"
When those gossipy women heard this, they were all speechless. In the past, if Liang Shuyan had said this, they would have acted as if they hadn't heard it. But now it was different. She was now the Tea Lady, personally appointed by the Emperor. If they offended her, wouldn't they suffer the consequences?
Thinking this through, the women in the crowd didn't dare say anything and nodded, "Understood!"
Jin Dashan, along with Zhao Heng, carried all the imperial gifts inside. Old Lady Liu kept clicking her tongue, "Oh my, this old woman has never seen such fine things in all her lives. I never imagined that Dashan's mother would have such ability to receive such a reward from the emperor. Does this mean that Dashan's mother, the Tea Lady, is even more powerful than the Li Zheng?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Jiao walked over and said with a smile, "Of course, most of the ideas for the head of the household are actually from Aunt Dashan. My husband's position as head of the household is largely due to Aunt Dashan's influence. Now that Aunt Dashan has become the Emperor's appointed lady, she naturally has even more authority."
Old Liu glanced at Liang Shuyan and couldn't help but give her a thumbs up: "Dashan's mother is really capable. This tea has actually been sold all the way to the capital. Even the emperor thinks it tastes good. I bet all the ministers will want to sell tea here. Doesn't that mean Dashan's mother will become rich overnight?"
Liang Shuyan, however, acted as if nothing had happened, clapping her hands in the middle of the crowd: "Everyone, please stop praising me. This isn't just my ability; it's all thanks to everyone's help that our teahouse has been so successful. I'm very grateful for everyone's support of Widow Jin! Thank you all!"
After a while of lively conversation, the crowd dispersed.
These past few days, the wheat in the fields has ripened, and everyone is rushing to harvest the second crop. They are all very happy. Qiu Dong is wearing a straw hat and holding a sickle as he harvests.
The Li couple also arrived at the field and saw their son busy harvesting. They said happily, "So, we can harvest a second crop of wheat every year! Wow, I've lived for decades and never imagined that wheat could be harvested twice!"
"That's right, look, these wheat ears are even longer than the first batch, but I wonder if the grains are plump?"
Li Zheng plucked a wheat ear, rubbed it in his palm, and gently blew on it, revealing the bright red wheat grains.
"Look, these aren't even plump yet! If this continues, we'll have enough food this year to eat for several years!"
Thinking that he wouldn't have to flee famine or go hungry, Li Zheng felt a surge of emotion. Looking at the crops in the field, he said happily, "This wheat makes one more energetic as they harvest it!"
Suddenly, Jiao thought of Jin Xia and asked in surprise, "By the way, is today the first day of the lunar month?"
Li Zheng nodded: "Yes, what's wrong? Why are you making such a fuss? Hurry up and harvest the grain!"
"Oh dear, isn't Jinxia due to give birth on the first day of the lunar month? We've all come to the fields to harvest, and Jinxia is all alone at home. What will we do if she has to give birth?"
Li Zheng frowned: "Go back and help keep an eye on things. Have Qiu Dong come along too. I'll do the cutting for a while first. We don't know yet whether it's a boy or a girl."
Upon hearing Li Zheng's words, Jiao became displeased and shouted, "Hurry up and stop talking nonsense. Go home, light the stove, and kill the chicken. Whether it's a boy or a girl, they are all members of the Yu family. What are you doing standing here harvesting?"
"Giving birth is no small matter, and harvesting grain is even more so. What are you always asking me to do, you woman?"
Hearing his parents' shouts, Qiu Dong grabbed his sickle and hurried back home: "Mom, let's go back first and let Dad harvest. There's nothing else to do at home, and the wheat needs to be harvested anyway!"
"Then, then you can harvest both of these acres of land. Don't come back until you've finished!"
Li Zheng was a little scared. He picked up the sickle and glanced at it. There was quite a lot of wheat in these two acres. If he couldn't finish harvesting it, this woman really wouldn't let him go home. So he decided to go back first and see if Jin Xia would give birth to a boy or a girl.
When they got home, there was no one in the yard. Qiu Dong called out, "Jin Xia, Jin Xia!"
No one answered, and Qiu Dong became worried, so she went inside to look for them, but found no one on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Jiao returned, put down the sickle, and asked, "What's wrong? Where's your wife? Isn't she home?"
Qiu Dong shook his head, feeling somewhat disappointed and worried. Just then, the plump aunt next door came over and said to Qiu Dong, "Oh dear, Qiu Dong, your wife has a stomachache, and Old Liu's family took her to town. Why are you still here?"
Upon hearing this, Jiao was filled with anxiety: "This is terrible! How can we let Jinxia's parents send Jinxia to town? What will our in-laws say about them?"
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