Seeing that the atmosphere had deteriorated, Li Kaishan struck the gong again to signal everyone to be quiet. Then he continued, "With Mingzhao protecting our village, as long as you don't go out and cause trouble, I don't think anyone will dare to mess with us."
But I'm warning you upfront: anyone who uses Mingzhao's name to bully others will be driven out of Canghe Village.
The villagers nodded earnestly. They were just ordinary people, and they were already grateful if they weren't bullied.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Li Kaishan nodded in satisfaction and continued, "The second thing is that our potatoes and sweet potatoes sold for a good price."
Qingqing has already negotiated with us. If you're willing, you can sell it to the county government for five copper coins a pound.
Our yield this year is around 3,000 jin per mu, which is fifteen taels of silver per mu. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so you should seize it.
In fact, some people already know this news, but most villagers do not.
So when the news was heard, there was another stir in the crowd.
Wang Fugui was the most excited, as his family cultivated five mu of land. This was seventy-five taels of silver.
To be honest, he initially thought the seedlings Yan Qingqing sold were a bit too expensive, but he didn't say much because of his wife's relationship with Yan Qingqing.
With such a large sum of money coming in, their family is now arguably the second richest in the village, even wealthier than Li Kaishan, the village chief.
Thinking about this, Wang Fugui couldn't close his mouth.
Then Li Kaishan mentioned the third thing: the village patrol team. First, it needed to be more organized, and second, the number of patrols needed to be increased. The monthly pay from the village had also been increased.
Li Kaishan had privately consulted Yan Qingqing about this matter.
Yan Qingqing explained the personnel configuration, team leader selection, and personnel benefits to Li Kaishan.
Therefore, Li Kaishan only needs to follow the plan given by Yan Qingqing.
After finishing his business, Li Kaishan told everyone to disperse.
Wang Fugui was so happy he couldn't stop smiling until he got home.
Seeing this, Aunt Wang teased, "What good news has the village chief announced this time? Did the village give out money? Look how happy you are."
Wang Fugui sidled up to Aunt Wang and grinned foolishly, "Of course we got paid! And our family got the most!"
Aunt Wang asked with some surprise, "Could it be that the village inn received a share of the profits? That shouldn't be the case. The inn hasn't been open for very long."
"Didn't the village chief say the dividends would be distributed during the New Year?"
Wang Fugui laughed and said, "Of course not, it's just that the county magistrate will send people to collect the potatoes and sweet potatoes we planted in the next couple of days."
Five copper coins a pound. The price isn't high, but these two things have a high yield, more than three thousand pounds per acre.
"Our family cultivates five mu of land; that's over seventy taels of silver!"
Aunt Wang's mouth dropped open wide enough to fit an egg.
Then came immense joy. Looking at Wang Fugui, he said, "This is too much! We've farmed all our lives and never seen so much silver!"
This time it's all thanks to Qingqing again. Humph, you old man, when we bought the sweet potato and potato seedlings you were making excuses and complaining about how expensive they were.
Well, now you've been slapped in the face, haven't you?
Wang Fugui was naturally very grateful to Yan Qingqing, and since Aunt Wang and Yan Qingqing had a good relationship, he said, "Oh, our family is so lucky to have you, my wife."
Otherwise, we wouldn't have the good life we have today.
Would you like to bring something to express your gratitude?
Aunt Wang glanced at him disdainfully and said, "You've never asked me to give Qingqing gifts before. Is it because she's now a titled lady that you want me to curry favor with her?"
"Wang Fugui, let me tell you, my relationship with Qingqing is because we like each other, not because I'm trying to curry favor with her just because she received an imperial title."
When Wang Fugui realized that his thoughts had been seen through by his aunt, he chuckled and said, "That's not what I meant. She's been granted an imperial title now, aren't you going to congratulate her?"
Aunt Wang thought it made some sense. Yan Qingqing had been very busy the past two days, but now that the people from the palace had left, she should have some free time.
Thinking of this, Aunt Wang took the beef out of the well water that was chilling.
This was something Wang Wu bought by chance when he went to the city to buy goods the day before yesterday. Beef is a very precious thing for farming families.
Although the Wang family is not short of money now, they can't afford to eat out casually.
The whole family ate a little to treat themselves, and Aunt Wang didn't want to eat the remaining three or four catties, so she kept it chilled with well water, which she then delivered to Yan Qingqing today.
Aunt Wang was a frequent visitor to the house, and Ah Si would call her "Grandma Wang" all the time when he saw her.
Seeing his sweet talk, Aunt Wang took out a handful of candy from her bosom and handed it to him, saying, "These are from a pastry shop in the city that my fifth son just bought. They're very sweet."
Aunt Wang's family is getting better and better, and naturally, Aunt Wang has no shortage of food.
She often visited Yan Qingqing's house, always carrying some food for the gatekeeper, so A-Da and the others all liked Aunt Wang very much.
Ah Si took the candy, put it in his mouth, and asked while eating, "It's been quite a while since you've come to visit, hasn't it?"
Aunt Wang laughed and said, "This is all thanks to your wife, who has been busy with business lately."
Ah Si then said, "I heard that many people set up stalls next to our garden and made a lot of money."
Aunt Wang laughed and said, "To tell you the truth, young man, the first few days were alright. There weren't many people setting up stalls, so I could make two taels of silver a day."
More and more people are setting up stalls now, not only from our Canghe Village but also from other villages.
The competition is fierce, but it's still manageable; I can earn a few hundred coins a day.
Ah Si laughed and said, "That really makes money. It makes me want to go."
Aunt Wang laughed and said, "Alright, stop being so cheeky. Is your wife home today? I brought her a piece of beef to help her recover."
Upon hearing this, Ah Si quickly replied, "Yes, yes, I'll take you there right away."
After saying that, he told the other servants to keep watch at the door, and then led Aunt Wang to Yan Qingqing's courtyard.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Ruyi and Ruxue watering the flowers.
Ah Si spoke up, "Sisters, Grandma Wang is here. Is our mistress busy?"
Ruyi looked at her and smiled, "If it were someone else, we would naturally be busy, but if it were Grandma Wang, even if we are busy, our lady will have to make time for her."
The two of them, speaking in unison, made Aunt Wang feel extremely comfortable.
Yan Qingqing, who was sitting inside, naturally heard it too, and put down the account book in her hand and came out.
Aunt Wang noticed that Yan Qingqing's overall demeanor was even more imposing than before. She exuded an air of authority without being angry, possessing the dignity of an official's wife. Aunt Wang quickly prepared to kneel down and pay her respects, but Yan Qingqing pulled her back.
Yan Qingqing helped her up and said, "Auntie has to bow to me now, which shows that we're becoming distant."
Aunt Wang then smiled and said, "Oh, don't be so formal. I've come to congratulate you. Look, I even brought a gift."
Seeing this, Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Oh, it's beef! You've gone to so much trouble, Auntie. Please come inside."
The two bantered and seemed to grow closer.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com