"Wow, this must be a gift from Old Sheep." Erlangzi picked up a handful of wool and looked at it, his face showing joy. "It will definitely keep me warm in winter if I make it into a cotton-padded jacket. Old Sheep is really generous!"
It turns out that what Uncle Yang meant by "a token of gratitude" was wool. Jane Ning realized it at this time. She checked and found that the wool did not contain any impurities. It was all top-quality wool, perfect for making cotton-padded jackets to keep out the cold.
"That's great! This year, the people won't have to suffer from the cold anymore. You two, help me move all this to the two empty rooms in the front yard. When the horse team carrying relief supplies arrives from the capital, we can distribute it to the people of the city."
As Jian Ning spoke, he took the lead in picking up a ball of wool. There were two empty rooms in the front yard, which were originally dormitories for the yamen runners. However, since there were only three yamen runners in the yamen, and they were all locals, they had been empty.
Ding Youtian, Erniu and Sanniu got up and helped to move the wool. When the two empty rooms were full, the wool in the yard and on the corridor was also gone. Of course, a small half of it was thrown into the grass room by Jian Ning.
"It looks like the yard is full of them, but actually there aren't that many?" Erlangzi scratched his head.
"Be content. There are two full rooms, and they are packed tightly. How much more do you want, kid?" Tong Bajin patted his shoulder and said.
"Maybe there will be more tomorrow." Jane Ning thought that since it was for the citizens of the whole city, Uncle Sheep also knew that there were more than 3,000 people left in the city, so she estimated that more wool would be delivered later.
The ancients knew how to raise silkworms to produce silk and use it to make winter clothing, but only the nobility could afford it. Commoners typically used woolen blankets, often made of chicken and duck feathers or coarse linen. Last year, Jian Ning had already torn down her military blankets to make winter clothing for the whole family, and she hadn't wanted the original ones.
Erniu and Sanniu had already asked where the wool came from. Ding Youtian said it was sent from the provincial capital, so the two of them stopped asking and after moving it, they obediently followed Jian Ning to practice martial arts.
Tong Dali and Erlangzi were also practicing boxing in the yard, but Ding Youtian had nothing to do and went to the kitchen to light a fire and cook breakfast.
"Sir, let me do it." Tong Dali was about to go over when he saw this, but Ding Youtian waved his hand and said, "Practice your skills. Making breakfast is not a problem for me. It's just not as delicious as my wife's."
"You're not needed. You have to eat a good breakfast and not settle for anything less. I'll make it later. You just need to cook the porridge." Jian Ning shouted at him while correcting Erniu and Sanniu's movements.
After practicing for a while in the courtyard, the group was sweating profusely. Ever since Yang Dali led the tribe back to the spirit world, the temperature had been gradually rising, a typical high temperature for August. When Jian Ning and the others finished their practice, a few dragonflies suddenly flew into the courtyard, flitting around the apple saplings, which had grown taller and sprouted many branches.
Nature is truly amazing. Jane Ning and her family had never seen a single dragonfly since they moved in. But less than a week after planting the fruit seedlings, dragonflies appeared as if they had heard a message. A few bees even came the next day. The same was true in the orchard. The number of dragonflies and bees was far greater than here.
Yang Dali had delivered wool three times, each time filling the entire yard. Jian Ning was responsible for compressing the wool in two empty rooms, leaving Tong Bajin and Erlangzi to handle the transportation. They both knew she was a disciple of the immortal cultivators, so they were no longer surprised that she could fit all the wool Yang Dali had delivered three times into two rooms.
Especially after they witnessed the existence of the elves with their own eyes, what strange things in the world could move them?
At the end of September, the apple trees in the orchard bloomed. Most of the petals were pink and white, with a circle of red around the edges, shaped like plum blossoms. They were beautiful and graceful. People could smell the unique fragrance before they even approached the orchard, and the people in the whole city were so happy that they ran around to tell each other.
Everyone already knows that when the fruit is ripe, it can be eaten raw or made into ointment. The government has announced that they will recruit workers to make the ointment, and the workers can get daily wages by selling the silver. Who wouldn't be happy about this?
The one who is unhappy is the bastard!
But there was something that made the people of the whole city even happier. Two days later, the carriage team escorted by Huo Jincheng himself entered Danyang. After the team entered Yancheng, he ordered people to buy a lot of live poultry along the way, including chickens, ducks, hundreds of piglets, and two lambs, which were given to Erniu and Sanniu as toys.
All the live poultry were brought along by local people who were responsible for feeding them along the way. There were more than a dozen carts of rice, grain, oil, and cloth alone, half of which were provided by the court and the other half were donated by officials in the capital and wealthy families in the city.
Tong Bajin, Erlangzi, Niu San and several other yamen runners beat gongs and drums throughout the city to announce that everyone should go to the yamen to line up to receive the money. The whole city was in an uproar. Some elderly people knelt down and burst into tears when they heard the news, and kowtowed repeatedly towards the capital.
Duan Xinping and Zhuo Qingmu and his wife came with Huo Jincheng. Their arrival exposed Jian Ning's identity. When they saw Ding Youtian and Jian Ning coming up, they greeted them and called them their elder sister-in-law. Because Huo Jincheng had already introduced their identities as the second daughter and son-in-law of Pingnan, the county magistrate and the chief clerk only then realized that Jian Ning was Princess An Ning. They were so frightened that they wanted to perform the formal ceremony, but were stopped by Jian Ning and Ding Youtian.
The news that the county magistrate's wife was Princess An Ning spread quickly, and more and more people lined up outside the yamen, almost lifting the yamen up.
Erniu and Sanniu were even more excited. Jian Ning had not told them that Qiaofeng was coming. When they first saw Qiaofeng, they completely ignored Huo Jincheng who had bought a lamb for them, and surrounded Qiaofeng like two chirping little swallows, being extremely affectionate.
"Sister Qiaofeng, Mom said I've grown taller. Look, have I grown taller? I'm a little taller than my sister."
"Yes, you've grown taller and prettier." Qiao Feng smiled and pinched Erniu's cheek. "I just wonder if you two still fight?"
"The two of us..." Sanniu tugged at Qiaofeng's clothes and turned to look at Erniu. "Second sister said she won't fight with me anymore. Sister Qiaofeng, why didn't Sister A'man come with you to see us? How are my eldest sister and brother?"
"And my uncle, aunt, Xiaodouzi and others!" Erniu shouted.
Qiao Feng smiled and said, "They are all fine, all of them. Ah Man was jumping up and down thinking about it, but her grandmother wouldn't let her. Her grandmother loves her very much now, and so does her grandfather."
"My mother loves you too, Sister Qiaofeng." Sanniu said while shaking Qiaofeng's hand.
"Yes, Master loves me the most in this world. Now that you know how much Master loves me, will you listen to me? If I don't let you fight, will you listen?"
Erniu and Sanniu looked at each other and laughed. They didn't say they would hit each other, nor did they say they wouldn't listen. Sanniu still said, "If Erniu doesn't hit me, I won't hit her. If she hits me, I will hit her back."
Jian Ning led Duan Xinping to the backyard and saw the three of them chatting and laughing in the yard, as close as sisters. She couldn't help but think of Duan Xinyan. She smiled and asked Duan Xinping, "Xinyan is a runner, why didn't she come with us?"
"She..." Duan Xinping glanced at Qiao Feng, pursed her lips and smiled, tilted her head, and whispered in Jian Ning's ear: "I'll tell you later."
The smile on Jian Ning's face froze slightly. He suspected that Qiao Feng was angry with Duan Xinyan, so she changed her mind and came to Danyang to follow him.
Good guy, how dare you bully her disciple? Does Duan Xinyan think she is dead?
Very good, it seems that the capital city can no longer accommodate the third daughter of the Duan family!
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