Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Chicken mushroom! Chicken mushroom! Twelve miles away, the chicken mushrooms are broken...
Lin Chuntao quickly calculated using the current rice price. Even if she bought rice now and stored it, her twelve mu of land would still cost four hundred and sixty-eight coins. Moreover, if the price of grain rose by then, wouldn't it be even more expensive?
After calculating the amount, Lin Chuntao decisively decided to pay in cash.
"Sir, I'll pay you in cash. We're going to plant all corn this year, no rice, no rice."
As soon as she said this, the old man who rented the cow laughed, as if he was making fun of her stubbornness.
"Alright, are you going to take the cow away tonight or come back when you need it?"
Lin Cunzheng replied, "Come and lead the way when you need her. The child will be planted the day after tomorrow. We'll bring her here the next morning."
"Then pay a day's deposit first, and I'll keep the cattle for you."
Lin Chuntao took out forty-eight copper coins and handed them over. The old man also wrote a receipt for her.
After the matter was settled, Lin Cunzheng took them back to the village.
When they returned, the moonlight was clear and quiet. Muramasa still held the torch in his hand, unused. Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying, "Can you plow the land?"
Lin Chuntao's question was not quite right. Pei Ying thought that he was not a cow, but he also knew what Lin Chuntao meant.
He shook his head. "I won't."
Sun laughed out loud when she heard their conversation, and Lin Chuntao felt a little embarrassed after she realized what was going on.
Sun said, "Your great-grandfather knows how to use cattle. We will plant the crops for you when the time comes."
Lin Chuntao quickly thanked her, and Sun smiled and said, "You are becoming more and more polite, child."
"Chun Tao, this comes from the bottom of my heart. If it weren't for you and Grandpa, we wouldn't know where to live. You're always bothered by all these things, one after another. And now it's the busy farming season. I wonder if I'll delay you."
Lin Cunzheng said, "Don't delay. Your uncle and his men are working in the fields. They will help you plant the crops first. The weather is getting hotter day by day. It will be even worse if we delay any longer."
"Well, let's hurry up tomorrow and clear the weeds from the remaining plots of land and burn the ashes."
Lin Cunzheng and Sun listened to her well-organized arrangements and nodded in appreciation. With an organized and planned life, things will get better over time.
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips. Sun and the old couple Muramasa had helped them a lot, so Pei Ying finding a job was good news. Just like she would tell her elders about finding a job, she also said to Sun, "By the way, Grandma, Pei Ying found a job as a butcher in the city."
As soon as she finished speaking, Muramasa and Sun turned around and looked at Pei Ying in surprise.
"When are you going to work?" asked Mrs. Sun.
Pei Ying said, "I'll go there tomorrow morning."
Muramasa asked, "If we're going to slaughter a pig, do we have to go very early?"
"I guess we have to set off at 3:00 AM."
"Then be careful when walking at night and bring a torch." Sun reminded him. Pei Ying nodded and said, "If Grandma wants to buy some meat later, please tell me and I will bring it back for you."
Sun smiled and said, "Okay, I'll tell you when I need to buy some."
They walked and talked, and before they knew it, they had returned to the village. Sun called Lin Chuntao to come to their house to play. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I won't go out to play tomorrow morning. I'll wait until I'm done with these two days."
"That's fine, then you should go back and rest early."
After entering the village and separating, Pei Yingcai said, "The rent for this cow is really expensive. One dou of rice per acre of land, not even millet."
"Isn't it? I just calculated that even if we go to buy rice now, it will cost dozens of coins more."
Pei Ying said, "When we make money in the future, we'll buy a calf and raise it."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It's not impossible. When the time comes, we can buy some chickens, ducks, cows, sheep, and pigs to raise. They will be convenient to eat and use."
When the two returned home, Lin Chunxing and the others had already gone into the house and lay down with the door bolted. Only when she heard Lin Chuntao shouting to open the door did she get up and open it.
As soon as she entered the house and hadn't even put her things down, Lin Chunxing couldn't wait to ask, "How is it? Did you rent it?"
Lin Chuntao poured the corn seeds from the small bamboo basket back into the sack and said, "We've rented it. Tomorrow we'll clear the weeds, and the day after tomorrow morning we'll go get the oxen to plow the fields."
"How much?"
"Rent for eight days, forty-eight cents a day."
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer, who were listening nearby, exclaimed, "It's so expensive! Do we still have money?"
She glanced at her two sisters, placed the small bamboo basket on the grain cabinet, and said softly, "The rent for the cow is enough, but after paying the rent, don't we still have to hire someone to help with the farming? Great-grandparents agreed to help us tonight, and Aunt Guizhi also said she could help us with the farming for two days. Hiring someone to farm requires buying food, and our buckwheat noodles are almost gone. The little rice we have left isn't enough for us to eat, and there's little oil or meat. We have to buy everything, and I'm sure it will cost us every penny."
As she spoke, she put away the remaining money. Her sisters looked like eggplants hit by frost, with their heads drooping.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Why worry? At least we have meat and rice to eat in the next few days. We can just eat it all. Then we can plant the crops. When the autumn harvest comes, we will get a lot of corn. If we can't eat it all, we can sell it."
Lin Chunxing laughed when she heard what she said. Lin Chunhe said beside her, "Sister, you're dreaming. Great-grandfather's family has so much land, and they don't have much surplus grain to sell."
Lin Chuntao shrugged indifferently.
"It's just a beautiful expectation. Can't you imagine it a little bolder? I thought I'd have endless money in the future."
She spoke in a funny tone, and the sisters all laughed.
Pei Ying was listening to the sisters' laughter outside the house, and she naturally started laughing too.
Lin Chuntao hadn't washed up yet and came out to boil some water. Lin Chunxing said, "Let me light the fire for you."
Lin Chuntao waved her hand and said, "You've been tired all day. Go to bed quickly. I'll do it myself. I'll come to bed after I wash up."
After she said that, Lin Chunxing went into bed.
Seeing Lin Chuntao coming out, Pei Ying went back to the house and took out the little silver he had saved.
As soon as I boiled the water, Pei Ying came out.
He moved a stone and sat down next to her.
Lin Chuntao asked, "What time are you leaving tomorrow morning?"
"Depart around the hour of Yin."
Lin Chuntao nodded: "I'm not sure if I can get up. If not, you can go by yourself."
Pei Ying curled his lips and smiled slightly when he heard this.
Lin Chuntao looked at him and raised her eyebrows slightly, "What are you happy about?"
Pei Ying met her gaze and shook his head slightly, "Nothing."
Lin Chuntao didn't ask any further questions, but just said, "But I have to go to the city to buy some food and meat tomorrow. If it's convenient, please save some lard and some meat for me."
"What part of meat do you want to buy?"
"If everyone wants to work, let's have pork belly."
Pei Ying looked at her and said, "We need to eat a lot of meat every seven or eight days, and pork belly is the most expensive."
"So which part is the most cost-effective?"
"Pork neck and the piece of meat attached to the pig's tail are fatty, but they have a soft texture and are not as oily as the lean pork belly and pork leg. People don't like to buy them, usually only if they want to cook them."
"Okay then. If possible, please keep some for me. How many pounds does it weigh?"
"The pork neck is about 7 or 8 kilograms, and the pig tail is about 4 or 5 kilograms."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly. Four or five pounds would be enough, but there was a bone at the pig's tail, which took up the weight. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Keep the pork neck meat, and save me two pounds of pork fat."
Pei Ying nodded in agreement. He held a linen purse in his hand and looked at Lin Chuntao several times. He hadn't figured out what to say to Lin Chuntao after handing the money over.
Lin Chuntao looked at the fire and noticed Pei Ying's frequent glances at her. She was puzzled: "What's wrong? What's on my face?"
Pei Ying shook his head, "Nothing."
He gritted his teeth and handed over the thing in his hand, "This is for you."
Lin Chuntao saw that it was a piece of linen that looked like a small sachet. She took it and felt something hard inside, like a small stone.
She pulled the drawstring and poured the things out. In the moonlight, the color of the silver ingots and broken silver was cold, and she widened her eyes.
"silver?"
"Did you save it?"
Pei Ying nodded slightly: "Yeah."
Lin Chuntao looked at the silver ingot, which should be 20 taels. The small change was also quite heavy. She looked at Pei Ying and smiled, "You are quite rich."
Pei Ying felt a little embarrassed. He saw Lin Chuntao put all the silver ingots and silver coins back and then handed the purse back to him.
"Keep it for yourself, don't give it to me."
Pei Ying looked at the purse in Lin Chuntao's hand, and the corners of his mouth froze in place.
He didn't answer, but just said, "I should also pay for living together."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "That's okay. If I run out of it, I'll ask you for more."
Her eyes were clear and her expression was natural, but Pei Ying felt that no matter how difficult the days ahead would be, they would not be as difficult as they were now. Lin Chuntao had not asked him if he had any money in the past few days, and it was even less likely that she would ask in the future.
He pursed his lips and said with a stiff upper lip, "I saved this money to marry a wife. I need money for the betrothal gift and the wedding banquet, but we just signed the marriage certificate. I didn't give you the betrothal gift, nor did I hold the wedding banquet or make wedding clothes."
Lin Chuntao listened to his detailed account, pursed her lips, and was silent for a moment before she said, "The banquet can wait. We can figure it out when the New Year is approaching and the pig is slaughtered. The wedding dress can be made in a few days, so there's no need to pay the betrothal money."
Pei Ying asked, "Why?"
Lin Chuntao raised the corners of her eyebrows slightly and looked at him quietly for a long time.
"Does your family also require wedding clothes and betrothal gifts when marrying into the family?"
Pei Ying's cheeks flushed, and he said in a deep voice, "No, my wife manages the finances back home."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then you should take it first. It's not convenient for me to put it down."
"Besides, the house we live in now belongs to Muramasa's family. We definitely can't live here forever. We need to figure out how much money it will cost to build a house. You can give me the money after we move into our own home."
After she finished speaking, she stuffed the purse back into Pei Ying's hands.
Pei Ying opened his purse, took out a piece of silver and handed it to her: "Take this. Aren't we going to buy food and meat tomorrow?"
Lin Chuntao took it with a smile, "Okay."
The water on the fire was hot. Lin Chuntao added some water and brought it back to the house to wash her body. Pei Ying left the yard and went to the river to take a bath.
When Lin Chuntao came out of the house after washing, Pei Ying was also coming back. Under the quiet moonlight, he was shirtless. He thought Lin Chuntao was asleep, but she was slow and had just finished her work when he suddenly bumped into her and both of them were standing still.
Lin Chuntao held the basin and looked at Pei Ying's well-proportioned muscles, broad shoulders, thin back and the faintly visible inverted triangle mermaid line. She swallowed.
I usually thought that this man was tall and strong, but I didn't expect him to look like this after taking off his clothes.
"You haven't slept yet?" Pei Ying asked first.
Lin Chuntao nodded and said, "Well, I'm going to sleep now."
Pei Ying said, "Then I'll go back to the house first."
Lin Chuntao watched Pei Ying stride into the house and quickly close the door.
Pei Ying leaned against the door, his heart pounding.
He left his hometown and crossed mountains and seas to come to Yizhou, a strange place with strange people.
Everyone is wary, and he is no exception. He has saved money for many years and it is impossible for him to give it to anyone.
After spending a few days together, he felt that Lin Chuntao was a good person, so he decided to give the money he had saved to Lin Chuntao.
She ended up confiscating it.
He had his own thoughts, and so did Lin Chuntao.
But only tonight did he realize that Lin Chuntao wanted to be clear with him.
In this way, even if they can't live together anymore, they can just go their separate ways and have nothing to do with each other.
He felt a little depressed, so he ran to the river to take a cold bath.
He thought Lin Chuntao would be asleep when he came back after a long time, but he didn't expect that she was also still asleep. When their eyes met, she just stared at his body.
Thinking of Lin Chuntao's strange look, the depression in his heart dissipated a lot.
They are husband and wife. If it weren't for the special circumstances and they had nowhere to stay, they might have already spent their wedding night. How could they be alone like this?
Thinking about it, Pei Ying felt that what Lin Chuntao said was right, and the important thing was to save money and build a new house as soon as possible.
Thinking of this, he turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
Pei Ying fell asleep, and so did his sisters. Lin Chuntao listened to his steady breathing, closed her eyes, and in her mind were Pei Ying's chest and abdominal muscles...
She is getting old and needs to be well fed and clothed before she can think about anything else. She still has work to do in the fields tomorrow, but she still has no money!
He quickly slapped his forehead to get rid of those evil thoughts and began to sleep.
The next day, Lin Chuntao was awakened by the system's excited cheers.
“Chicken mushroom! Chicken mushroom! Chicken mushroom! Chicken mushrooms are breaking through the ground twelve miles away!!!”
She sat up straight, and the system kept repeating "chicken mushroom, chicken mushroom, chicken mushroom!"
If the system had an image, it would be a goose, screaming and jumping around in place.
"Host, host! Quick! Chicken mushroom!"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "You love chicken mushrooms the most?"
The system replied with two words "hehe" and Lin Chuntao got up quickly.
She woke Lin Chunxing up and whispered, "I'm going to pick mushrooms and buy some food. After daybreak, take your sisters, lock the door, and go to the field in the back mountain to cut some weeds. I've left the key in the food cabinet for you, so remember to take it with you."
After Lin Chunxing nodded in agreement, Lin Chuntao quickly picked up the backpack and the small bamboo basket and went out with the silver and money.
When she opened the door, the moonlight was still bright. She didn't know what time it was. She glanced at Pei Ying's door and went over to knock.
After a while, a deep voice came from inside the house: "Here they come."
Soon the door opened, and Lin Chuntao asked him, "I'm going into the mountains to pick mushrooms. Do you want to come with me?"
Pei Ying came out and looked at the high moon, and then heard the crowing of roosters in the village.
It was time, and he replied softly, "Let's go." Then he went back to the house to get his things, and the two of them left the yard together.
They parted ways after walking most of the way. Pei Ying followed the road towards the county town, while Lin Chuntao turned a corner and entered the forest.
After entering the mountain, the system's chirping sound was incessant.
"Host, host, are coming soon! Chicken mushrooms, chicken mushrooms, white chicken mushrooms!"
Lin Chuntao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This system was really like a child, getting so excited. Could it be that there were too many chicken mushrooms?
Hearing the system's cheering mood, Lin Chuntao quickened her pace.
After crossing a mountain top, we entered the valley. There was a meadow in the valley. There were many stones on the meadow, as well as short and sparse shrubs that were less than knee-high, making it very convenient to see the road.
The distance on the arrow was getting shorter and shorter, and the system was cheering: "We're here, we're here!"
But in just a moment, Lin Chuntao saw the densely packed chicken mushrooms on the meadow surrounding the small shrubs. The caps had not yet opened, and they were all buds with white stems like jade and gray-black crowns on top. She was so excited that her heart was about to jump out!
She hurried over and started picking. Before picking, she grabbed some weeds and put them at the bottom of the basket. She picked the chicken mushrooms and put them in carefully. She was extremely careful when picking. If she broke one, she would be heartbroken.
Some of the roots were a little deeper, so she got a stick and gently pried them up.
The amount was about the same as those other mushrooms, but Lin Chuntao spent a lot more time. By the time she finished picking all the chicken mushrooms, it was already dawn. She didn't even know when the moon disappeared.
There was a flat basket of chicken mushrooms and another full bamboo basket. She didn't count them carefully, but there were at least more than a hundred flowers.
This was the most chicken mushrooms she had ever picked. She had to remember this mushroom nest and visit it every time she went into the mountains.
When she was getting ready to leave, she also got some grass to cover her backpack and bamboo basket. She was really afraid of being robbed. Carrying so many chicken mushrooms made her more nervous than holding silver.
At this time, in the slaughterhouse in the backyard of the butcher shop, Pei Ying had already taken out the third pig and divided the meat into different parts. Zhang Dayong and Zhao Guang were just about to divide the pork when they heard voices at the door.
"Brother Zhang, Brother Zhao, is the meat ready?"
Zhang Dayong replied with a smile: "Okay, let's get back on track."
The two brothers came in and nodded slightly when they saw Pei Ying. Then they walked towards Zhang Dayong. Before they got close, Zhang Dayong said, "Get it from your brother Pei first. Your brother Zhao and I are still busy."
The man put down the backpack, and Pei Ying came over and asked, "Which parts do you want to send? Do you want to weigh them first?"
Zhao Guang turned around and said to Pei Ying, "I need to weigh it, but I haven't had time to take it out yet. It's on the cabinet in the room. Xiao Pei, please get it."
Pei Ying went into the house and took out a scale. He weighed and wrote down the weight and the family it was being delivered to.
The two brothers could only carry six pieces of meat each time, one piece for each household. After they left, Pei Yingcai asked, "Brother Zhang, do they have to come back again?"
Zhang Dayong chuckled and said, "Yes, but it's more than one trip. Ever since the shopkeeper's wife passed away, your brother Zhao and I have to get five or six pigs each. We can't finish them all, and it also delays their delivery time. That's why the shopkeeper hired people to help.
"I see."
Zhang Dayong looked at him and smiled, "Keep going."
After he finished speaking, Pei Ying took the hemp rope and went to the temporary pigpen to tie another end, dragged it over, tied it to a pillar, killed it and bled it.
He was very strong and his movements were quick and efficient when slaughtering pigs, without any delay. Although he looked young, he seemed like an old butcher who had been slaughtering pigs for many years.
Eleven pigs were slaughtered today, four of which were killed by Pei Ying, and the last one was taken care of by Zhang Dayong and Zhao Guang together.
When they had almost finished cleaning up, Helan came and the first thing he did was to see if they had gotten the meat out.
After the pigs were slaughtered and the meat was divided up, Ah Si and Liu Zi also left early to see them off. He Lan said, "Old Zhao, take Xiao Pei with you to see them off so they can get familiar with the route."
"Okay!" Zhao Guang said as he quickly brought over the backpack. Pei Ying joined his hand and they weighed the meat together, registered which family it was being delivered to, and then carried the meat out.
Pei Ying was not familiar with the county town, so Zhao Guang led the way.
Zhao Guang was a man of few words, and Pei Ying followed beside him. He thought that they would work together in the future, and it would be better if they had a harmonious relationship.
He chatted with Zhao Guang about family matters and asked him where his home was.
After Zhao Guang took over the conversation, he also asked him a question. Pei Ying talked about his life experience and said that he had just arrived in Yizhou and was unfamiliar with the place.
Zhao Guang looked at the boy, who was a few years older than his own son, and felt a little moved.
"You'll get used to it slowly. The weather in Yizhou is nice and warm all year round. You'll like it after living here for a while."
After the two of them delivered the meat, their relationship became much closer.
Zhang Dayong was happy to see that the atmosphere between Zhao Guang and Pei Ying had become more harmonious.
Ah Si and Liu Zi had already delivered another batch of meat, and he and Chun Zi also pushed the meat that was to be sold at the other two stalls over in a cart.
Everything is ready. It is already bright outside. The sky is beginning to turn red and the sun is about to come out.
Zhang Dayong smiled and said, "What would you two like for breakfast? It's my treat."
Pei Ying was about to say that he was coming when Helan took over the conversation.
"I've already told the shopkeeper where I bought the mutton noodles. He'll send us a pot later and we can eat it in the shop."
Zhang Dayong looked at Helan and smiled, "Thank you, boss."
Zhao Guang said, "Shopkeeper, could you please ask Old Yang to give me a few more slices of mutton? His noodles are delicious, but he's stingy. The mutton is so thin, not enough to fill my stomach. It's a credit to him that he's so skilled with his knife that he can slice it so thinly!"
Zhang Dayong laughed heartily as he listened to Zhao Guang's complaints.
He also agreed that the noodles were delicious, but there was not enough meat.
Helan shook his head helplessly. "I paid for him to cut half a pound of mutton into the pot. Is that enough for you jackals to satisfy your hunger?"
Zhao Guang's eyes lit up and he said with a smile, "That's enough, the shopkeeper is so generous!"
"Really? What did you say? Am I being harsh on you?"
"How can that be possible?"
As he was speaking, he heard a shout from outside: "Manager He, the fans are here!"
Helan said loudly, "Please bring it in."
A young man came with a pot of mutton soup. The noodles hadn't been put in yet. After placing everything on the table, he smiled and said, "The shopkeeper said that he was worried that you wouldn't all be eating together. The noodles would break if soaked for too long, so he put them in a separate pot. You can scald them yourselves."
Helan replied: "Okay."
After sending the waiter away, Helan asked Zhang Dayong to bring the hot soup from the stove.
The noodles are boiled in water until soft. After the mutton soup boils, each person puts the noodles in a bowl, adds some green onions, garlic and coriander, and pours a spoonful of mutton soup in it. It is so delicious that it makes people smack their lips.
After Zhang Dayong and Zhao Guang drank two mouthfuls of soup, they ran to the cupboard, took out a clay pot, and scooped out the red chili oil from it.
Put two large spoonfuls in a bowl, and then look up at Pei Ying together.
"Xiao Pei, do you like spicy food? It's super spicy! It tastes delicious after eating it!"
Pei Ying looked at the red oil floating in their bowls. He wanted to try it, but he was also a little worried about ruining the whole bowl of noodles. Just as he was hesitating, Helan smiled and said, "Xiao Pei, don't listen to them. The chili is very spicy and you may not be able to handle it. If you want to try it, you can add two drops to taste it."
Pei Ying smiled at Zhao Guang and Zhang Dayong in front of him and said, "Then listen to the shopkeeper. Two drops."
After hearing what Pei Ying said, the two of them despised him at the same time.
He muttered, "What can two drops taste like?"
But despite their grumbling, they still gave Pei Ying two drops.
Zhang Dayong said with a smile, "Xiao Pei, by this time next year, you will definitely be like us, one spoonful won't be enough and you will need two."
Pei Ying smiled, and Lin Chuntao's face flashed through his mind. He thought of the day when they ate pheasant. She washed almost a bowl of green peppers, broke them into sections and put them in to cook. He watched Lin Chuntao eat the peppers as if they were vegetables. She must also like spicy food. Maybe in less than a year, he would get used to it.
After breakfast, the market started to get lively. The vendors were already in place, and it wouldn’t be long before people who came to the market early would start pouring in.
Pei Ying thought about what Lin Chuntao had told him. He said to Helan, "Boss, I'll leave you a piece of pork neck and two pounds of lard."
Helan nodded and asked him to put it aside first.
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