In the evening, Li Xiangping and his group returned in an oxcart, their faces beaming with smiles.
There was no need to ask; today's events must have gone very smoothly. Before Li Xiangping and the others could even report the day's events to Yan Qingqing, village chief Li Kaishan and several clan elders arrived.
Of course, Old Master Li also came along. This was a big deal for both the Li family and Canghe Village, since no one in Canghe Village had ever met the county magistrate.
Yan Qingqing's family lived in a small place, and none of the elders were picky. Each of them carried a small stool and sat down in the yard.
The village chief spoke first, asking, "How did it go? Did you see the county magistrate?"
Li Xiangping nodded and replied, "I saw him, but only from a distance. The county magistrate is a very kind man."
The magistrate of Chengyang County comes from the Ling family, one of the four great families in the capital. Logically, he shouldn't be serving as the magistrate of this small place. Perhaps there's some inside story, but of course, that's something Yan Qingqing wouldn't know.
However, Magistrate Ling is indeed a good official. Since taking office last year, he has done many good things for the people and is very popular among them.
Li Kaishan was relieved when he heard Li Xiangping say that the county magistrate was kind, and then asked, "Tell us the details of today's events, so that we old folks can broaden our horizons."
Old Master Li glanced at Li Kaishan, took a puff of his pipe, and said, "Let my grandson catch his breath. It's not a big deal, why are you in such a hurry?"
Li Kaishan: ...
Seeing the smug look on Old Master Li's face, Li Kaishan couldn't help but think to himself, "Now he's your eldest grandson. You weren't this proud when the family was dividing up the property."
However, Li Kaishan would never say such a thing. After all, these children were all Grandpa Li's own grandsons, and Yan Qingqing was Li Erniu's lawfully wedded wife.
In fact, Li Kaishan had already seen it very clearly: the key to whether the Li family could rise again did not lie with Li Chengye, but with Yan Qingqing and Li Xiangping.
Li Xiangping calmed himself down and said, "The county magistrate's harvest banquet was very grand, and many prominent people in the county attended."
Yuelaiju also prepared the best banquet, and the signature dish for the recruitment was our family's "Flipped Red" dish. The county magistrate hoped that our people could also live a prosperous and thriving life.
Moreover, the county magistrate said that if even pig offal can be made so delicious, it shows that we have real skill. He hopes that this "Flip Red" dish can be promoted throughout Chengyang County and become a major local specialty.
Yan Qingqing nodded in approval. It seemed that Magistrate Ling was indeed quite capable. Only by having its own unique characteristics could a county stand out and attract more people.
Whether it's the scenery or the food, as long as people can think of its place of origin when they mention it, then it is undoubtedly a success.
The village chief was also very happy to hear this. As long as Canghe Village was registered with the county magistrate, he would be one step closer to becoming the village head.
Thinking of this, Li Kaishan looked at Yan Qingqing and her children with even more fervent eyes. At the same time, he was also glad that he had been fair in his dealings and had never bullied Yan Qingqing and her orphan mother.
After seeing off Old Master Li and the village chief, Li Xiangping took out a hundred-tael silver note from his pocket and handed it to Yan Qingqing.
Yan Qingqing was stunned when she saw the large denomination of the banknote. It wasn't that she was naive or that her family didn't have a hundred taels of silver.
Instead, the sudden windfall of a hundred taels of silver made her feel like she had been struck by lightning, since her current wealth was accumulated little by little.
Seeing Yan Qingqing in a daze, Li Xiang'an quickly explained, "Mother, this hundred taels of silver was a reward from the county magistrate. He said that if our family's 'Flipped Red' becomes a specialty of Chengyang County, then our family will have made a great contribution. Even if it doesn't, we have still made a contribution to food lovers all over the world by making such a delicious dish."
Yan Qingqing understood; this Magistrate Ling was a foodie.
Since it's a reward, she should naturally accept it. Anyway, she's short of money right now, and with this money, Yan Qingqing can do a lot of things.
Just when the villagers of Canghe Village were worried that if it didn't rain soon, it would delay planting their crops, it suddenly started to rain.
As if to make up for the lack of rain for so many days, the rain came suddenly and quickly. The sound of rain hitting the thatched roofs made the entire Canghe Village appear and disappear in the rain and mist.
At first, Yan Qingqing was in a good mood. It was a rare moment of leisure on a rainy day, and sitting by the window listening to the rain was a kind of enjoyment.
But the rain got heavier and heavier, and showed no signs of stopping. Not only that, but it started to drizzle inside as well.
Yan Qingqing discovered that the house they were staying in was leaking, and because the rain was too heavy, they couldn't climb onto the roof to fix it.
Yuan Huiniang and Li Xinniang placed basins in the leaky areas, but the house was still damp.
Yan Qingqing's mood instantly soured. She felt ashamed that she, a modern person, had been living in ancient times for so long and hadn't even managed to get a new house.
Amidst Yan Qingqing's sighs and lamentations, the rain finally stopped after two days, and Yan Qingqing's mood instantly improved.
This rain was very timely for the people of Chengyang County, because it allowed them to plant their crops.
Yan Qingqing also took it very seriously, after all, no amount of money was more important than having enough to eat. So, apart from delivering braised pig offal to the city, everyone in the family went to work in the fields.
Yan Qingqing couldn't stay idle either, so she took her whole family to work in the fields, and even suspended her business with Jinsheng Pavilion.
Yan Qingqing specially asked Li Xiangping to bring sweet potatoes and potatoes to the field, as it had just rained and it was the perfect time to start seedlings.
Yuan Huiniang looked at Yan Qingqing, who was heavily pregnant, and quickly said, "Mother, you can just watch from the side. Just tell us what to do."
In ancient rural areas, it was very normal for pregnant women to work. The original owner was still working until the day before she gave birth when she was pregnant with her first few children.
Yan Qingqing smiled and replied, "The doctor said that more movement is good for childbirth, and besides, it's not heavy work."
After saying that, he asked Li Xiangping to dig several furrows, then cut the sweet potatoes and potatoes into small pieces, arranged them in the furrows, and finally covered them with soil.
Looking at Yan Qingqing's simple operation, Li Xiangping asked incredulously, "Mother, is it really that easy to grow these foreign plants?"
Yan Qingqing replied with a smile, "This thing looks simple, but it actually has requirements."
Take this sweet potato as an example. When choosing a variety, you must select one that is plump and has a smooth, round exterior. This kind of sweet potato is juicy inside when cut open, and one sweet potato can be cut into three or four pieces.
However, it is essential to ensure that each piece has a bud, so that the taro will grow vigorously later.
Moreover, it is best to dry the seeds in the sun for a day before sowing.
There are also specific requirements regarding the depth of the holes dug during seedling cultivation and the spacing between seeds.
Of course, this is only the initial seedling cultivation work; after the seedlings emerge, they will need to be transplanted.
Li Xiangping thought about it and realized it was true. Yan Qingqing seemed casual, but she was actually quite methodical. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Mother, you know so much. I will definitely learn more from you in the future."
Yan Qingqing felt a little guilty after hearing this. In fact, all she knew was theory; she had never actually worked in the fields. It would be embarrassing if these things didn't sprout.
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