Thinking that the Huo family still needed to verify the learning effect, it would take another day.
Jiang Zhi didn't rush to leave. She led a group of people to the city to select various items needed for the mountain, especially the big twisted dough sticks she had promised to bring for Peiqi.
Also, the various mesh sieves that we didn't manage to buy last time, which we'll need later.
In the afternoon, Miss Huo came again!
Upon seeing Jiang Zhi, she said, "Madam Jiang, the powder has been made today. The pharmacists were somewhat negligent yesterday, and I hope you will forgive them."
Having taken the money, Jiang Zhi only cared about what she had taught and what others thought. She didn't care about such things: "As long as it can be done, everything else is just a misunderstanding."
When Miss Huo heard that Jiang Zhi said it was a misunderstanding, she knew that she had not offended anyone, and then smiled and said, "I just have something I would like to ask Madam. May I bother you for a while?"
Jiang Zhi couldn't refuse this offer, and besides, she was also curious about this young woman who had become the head of the Huo family's pharmacy. She nodded in agreement: "Miss Huo, you're too kind. Please make yourself at home!"
There's no reason for women to just sit and talk, so Miss Huo brought a fruit basket, and everyone could eat and chat at the same time.
Having been here for over a year, aside from the various berries growing on the mountain, Jiang Zhi hasn't eaten any decent fruit yet.
The families in the village originally planted loquat, peach, and apricot trees in front of and behind their houses, but those that survived the fire had long been picked clean by the refugees.
It's May now, and there are plenty of fruits for sale in the market. Jiang Zhi bought some to take back with her.
Besides peaches, apricots, and plums, there was one fruit in Miss Huo's fruit basket that surprised Jiang Zhi.
Those were just a few lychees with green leaves still attached; judging by the stems, they had only been picked from the tree a day ago.
Seeing that Jiang Zhi was indeed surprised, Miss Huo said with a smile, "These are Hejiang lychees. They should ripen after June, but I managed to catch one early. Please, Madam Jiang, try them."
Sichuan produces lychees, but due to geographical differences and shorter sunshine hours, Hejiang lychees are characterized by their late ripening, two months later than those from Lingnan.
Lychee is a very delicate fruit.
As the ancients said, "If separated from its rootstock, its color will change in one day, its fragrance in two days, its taste in three days, and in four or five days, its color, fragrance, and taste will all be gone."
No wonder Jiang Zhi was always puzzled by the bland taste and high price of lychees when she bought them at the fruit shop in town: Did the emperor like this taste?
Miss Huo also went there to buy medicinal herbs, and that's how she managed to get some by sheer luck.
This is a tribute that ordinary people cannot afford. If it weren't for the war, the trees would have been packed up and sent away long ago.
Bringing it out now also has a boastful connotation.
Jiang Zhi took one lychee, and Er Rui, Xiao Man, and Li Laoshi each took one as well.
Peel back the rough outer skin to reveal the crystal-clear, crisp, tender, and sweet flesh inside.
Xiaoman popped it into her mouth in one bite, and was immediately amazed, her eyebrows and eyes lighting up: "Mmm! Delicious! What does it taste like? It's so good!"
Li Laoshi looked at the lychee flesh again and again, licked it lightly, and hesitated for a long time before finally taking a bite.
He felt embarrassed to eat slowly in front of Miss Huo.
Jiang Zhi picked up the lychee, looked at it, and then put it aside. Miss Huo was looking to see her reaction, but she didn't expect her not to eat it. She asked in confusion, "Does Madam Jiang not like lychees?"
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "I've eaten it before and I think this fruit is rare. I want to bring it back so my family can try it too!"
Miss Huo suddenly realized: "That's something I hadn't considered!"
Jiang Zhi smiled and shook her head: "No need, lychees can't be stored for long, and they'll taste bad no matter how many you bring back."
The food itself isn't important; the main thing is to let the rest of the family see what the offerings look like.
Miss Huo only sent five lychees in total, which shows how precious they are. How could she possibly eat them herself and then bring them home?
It's just a lychee. Eating it won't make you grow a big, round belly. Even if I'm curious, I don't crave that taste.
Unexpectedly, Xu Errui, who was next to her, heard what his mother said, lowered his head, and put the lychee he had just peeled off and was smelling its fragrance back on.
Xiaoman was embarrassed; she couldn't swallow or spit out the fruit pit with it in her mouth, so she could only back down with a red face.
Taking advantage of the lychee, Miss Huo also spoke up: "Madam Jiang has always been in Xu Family Village. How does she know about medicine and have even eaten lychees?"
She came to chat with Jiang Zhi, intending to find out more about her background, as Huo Yanjie and the others had already sent her a message.
It is said that Jiang was just a peasant woman who used to make a living by farming in the village. After the medical tent was set up in Xujia Village, she delivered medicine to the medical tent.
After all, it's really strange that a village woman who never leaves her house would suddenly know these things.
Miss Huo's question was not based on her complete trust in Xu Errui and Master Xiaoman, nor was it simply out of curiosity like that of the argumentative Xu Gensheng; it must have had a deeper meaning.
Jiang Zhi didn't panic. She had already received her silver notes, and the contract had been approved by Magistrate Zhang. The most difficult hurdle was over.
Now, I can answer the Huo family's questions however I want, and it won't have any impact even if I don't answer.
"When I was still living with my parents in my early years, I went on a long trip with my elders and gained some knowledge, but it was only a tiny bit."
"Comparable to the Second Miss, who is so young yet already manages the pharmacy, even I, at my age, admire her!" Jiang Zhi casually passed the buck back to her with a single sentence.
Jiang Zhi hadn't been idle these past two days either. From Xiang Dejin and Wu Hongmao, she had already gained a general understanding of the Huo family's pharmacy.
Especially this Miss Huo, whom Dejin and the others have mentioned many times, saying that Miss Huo is very capable in managing the pharmacy.
It was rare in feudal society for a young woman to be in charge of a family business.
But the women of Bavaria are different from those of other places.
Because of its remote location and long-standing marginalization within feudal culture, the constraints of traditional etiquette on women here are far less pronounced than in other places.
Furthermore, due to long-term wars and migrations, the blood ties between large families were severed, and thus small families were scattered among the mountains and rivers because of the land.
During the population survey conducted during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, the average number of people per household in Sichuan was only 4, far below the national average at the time.
Large clan families are generally based on the father-son relationship and emphasize respect for elders and filial piety.
In the Sichuan and Chongqing region, small families are often based on a husband-wife relationship, emphasizing equality and mutual support.
This forces women to appear strong and independent, becoming the backbone of the family.
Women bear greater responsibilities in life, but they also gain more freedom and respect.
On this land, there was Xue Tao, who at 42 years old still wrote love poems on pink paper, had a relationship with a younger man, and left behind the "Xue Tao Paper".
There is a story of Zhuo Wenjun and Sima Xiangru, a widow who remarried, whose song "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate" has been passed down to this day.
During the Warring States period, the female entrepreneur "Ba Qing" from Ba County had a family influence that covered most of what is now Chongqing, with a population of 50,000, one-fifth of whom were servants of the Ba Qing family.
He was rewarded and conferred titles because he strongly supported Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of his time, in unifying the six kingdoms.
While other women were recorded in the "Biographies of Exemplary Women," Qin Liangyu from Zhongxian County, Sichuan (now Shizhu County, Chongqing) was the only female general in ancient history to be included in official history.
Another famous woman is Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in history!
Therefore, it was quite normal for Miss Huo to manage the pharmacy, for Jiang Zhi to serve as the village chief, and for women to go out and about freely.
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