Xu Yunrong had already laid out the cotton and was checking for any missing pieces to add more.
While helping Xu Yunrong tear the cotton, Meng Zhao asked curiously, "Mother, I didn't know you could make quilts."
Xu Yunrong continued working, a slight smile playing on her lips. "There's nothing your mother can't do. Before I picked up the butcher's knife, I was a well-bred young lady who studied and embroidered in the courtyard. It was only later that my family fell on hard times and that's when I married your father."
Meng Zhao first peeked around to make sure Meng Dashan wasn't nearby, then said with a smile, "My father is truly blessed to have married you."
Xu Yunrong put down the cotton she was holding and tapped Meng Zhao on the head. "How can you talk like that? Your father isn't bad either. It's my good fortune that I was able to marry him."
Meng Zhao covered her head, pretending to be annoyed, and said, "Fine, fine, you two are each other's number one in the world, and I'm just superfluous."
Xu Yunrong stepped forward and hugged Meng Zhao, patted her head, and gently coaxed her, "How could you be superfluous? My darling, you are the most important person to us."
After snuggling in Xu Yunrong's arms for a while, she helped Xu Yunrong spread the quilt cover out on the cotton. When it came time to sew, Meng Zhao couldn't help anymore.
She lay on the side that had already been sewn up, watching Xu Yunrong thread the needle, and said...
"Mom, why didn't you teach me any needlework when I was little? Now I can't help you with anything."
"Oh, you're blaming me now? How could I not have taught you? From childhood to adulthood, I've taught you everything I know, but you just don't want to learn anything. Because of this, I've gotten angry with you quite a bit."
Meng Zhao didn't want to speak ill of the original owner in front of Xu Yunrong, so she didn't respond.
Xu Yunrong's needle and thread moved nimbly as she continued, "Your mother can't cook, and you, on the other hand, have started a food business. Tell me, are you deliberately trying to annoy me?"
After hearing this, Meng Zhao rolled around in front of Xu Yunrong and said in a coquettish tone, "No way, it's probably because Mother can't cook that I'm so talented at cooking. Maybe it's God's arrangement that I should cook more delicious food for Mother."
The sun was shining brightly today, and the cotton underneath seemed to have been sun-dried beforehand, making it warm and comfortable to lie on. Meng Zhao comfortably placed her hands behind her head and quietly stared at the sky.
Seeing this, Xu Yunrong said softly, "Why do you always seem to be spacing out lately? Is something wrong?"
Meng Zhao shifted slightly, lying on her side and looking at Xu Yunrong, "Mother, I want to go out for a walk."
"Where does my sweet baby want to go?"
Meng Zhao thought for a moment and said, "I want to go to Yuyang County. I heard there is a boundless sea there. I also want to go to the capital to taste Yipinxiang wine. I heard it is the best wine in the world. I also want to go to the North. I heard the snow scenery there is like a fairyland, so beautiful it's unbelievable. Mother, there are so many places I want to go."
After finishing the last stitch, Xu Yunrong reached out and touched her head, saying firmly, "If you want to go, then go. Your mother supports you."
Meng Zhao sat up from the covers: "Mother, aren't you worried about me?"
"What are you worried about? Wherever you go, your parents will go with you. As long as we are a family together, there is nothing to worry about."
Meng Zhao felt a pang of sadness, hugged Xu Yunrong tightly, and choked out, "What will happen to our family's butcher shop?"
Xu Yunrong gently patted Meng Zhao's back, "Then we won't open it. Anyway, nothing is more important than my precious daughter's liking."
Meng Zhao knew in his heart that Xu Yunrong was speaking from the heart. In the original book, the original owner wanted to go to the capital to find Shen Qinghe, and the parents followed their daughter to the capital without hesitation, but in the end they died on the way to the capital.
Thinking of this, Meng Zhao felt both touched and sad. "That won't do. We still need to make money. When the piglets from our pig farm grow up, we'll sell them in our shop. We can't close this shop."
Xu Yunrong smiled and tapped Meng Zhao's forehead, "You little money-grubber."
This time, Meng Zhao will not allow any accidents to happen. Whether it's Shen Qinghe or some real bandits, they cannot destroy her family.
Her previously tired body was instantly filled with energy. After having dinner with her parents, she locked herself in her room and began to plan for the future.
Due to the limited availability of local raw materials, transportation costs are constantly increasing. Even if starch workshops operate at full capacity every day, they cannot expand their starch business significantly in the short term.
Meng Zhao's original idea was to establish a branch factory in a place that produces potatoes. Based on her research over the past few days, Hongnong County was a good choice.
There are many potato growers there, making it convenient to purchase raw materials, and labor costs are not high. However, just when Meng Zhao was about to start calculating costs and profits, he was forced to stop.
She suddenly realized that she seemed to have no ability to protect herself. The reason why her workshop in Shenjia Village was so stable was largely because she was a native of Shenjia Village. Meng Zhao couldn't be sure whether she would be kicked out at the last minute after she went to Hongnong County to make plans.
Moreover, after considering her own small team, she found that the one she was most comfortable with was actually a village head. The workshop was able to operate smoothly without any trouble, thanks in large part to the efforts of the clan elders.
But when she arrived in Hongnong County, not only was she penniless and powerless, but more importantly, she had no foundation. Thinking of this, Meng Zhao took out the multiplication table she had written. At this time, it was not just a multiplication table, but also many other insights she had memorized over the past few days.
Before going to Hongnong County, she needed to find at least a few capable assistants who could handle the situation, and they needed to be not only literate but also strong in combat.
So, the next day, Meng Zhao went to the village head again, making her a little embarrassed, since she couldn't just keep picking on one sheep.
The village head was in high spirits. As soon as he arrived, he reported to her about the land reclamation, saying that the villagers were in high spirits and had started weeding as soon as it was dawn.
After all, everyone knows that if we wait until winter comes and the ground freezes, it will be much more difficult to clear the land. If we clear the land now during the off-season, we can plant seeds directly next spring.
Meng Zhao asked, "Have you managed to recruit more workers for the workshop as mentioned before?"
The village head nodded. "They've all been recruited. We tried to recruit women from the village as much as possible. And you know what? It's such a good time. The men are going to clear land, and the women are coming to the workshops. It doesn't interfere with either of them. Everyone has a job now, and the people who used to sit at the village entrance and gossip are gone."
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