The AI's reading voice was flat and monotonous, making people drowsy.
Jiang Zhi seemed to see Nie Fantian's face again.
More than a year has passed, and Nie Fantian has become a seventeen-year-old boy. His appearance is naturally that of a male protagonist, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a face as sharp as if carved by a knife and axe.
His physique has also changed. Compared to his thin frame when they met briefly in Xujia Village, the male protagonist has now grown into a tall and imposing figure.
Obviously... this is not scientific.
Xiaoman has grown taller, but she's still thin. Her grandfather always says to her, "You're all skin and bones, you eat three bowls of food at a time, but you don't gain weight. If you grow any taller, you'll be a vine!"
Xiaoman is growing taller and has a big appetite; she's practically as big as Peppa Pig.
I never missed a meal, but it was as if all that food went into a black hole; I didn't gain even half a pound of weight.
The two are not much different in age, and now Nie Fantian has not only grown taller, but also developed muscles.
However, it's normal for the protagonist in a novel to have some kind of lucky encounter.
Learning secret techniques by jumping off cliffs and seeking out divine beasts while attempting suicide, Nie Fantian consumed various spiritual herbs and elixirs during this year-long period, highlighting the protagonist's youthful talent.
This is faster than I expected!
Jiang Zhi felt a sudden urgency and woke up from her dream, instantly losing all sleepiness.
Although her mind was still foggy, she managed to piece together the plot she knew little by little by recalling the events and adding parts of the synopsis.
After years of secretly recruiting soldiers, King Zhou had become a powerful force, while Mo Huai, the ever-victorious general sent by the court, suffered heavy losses in the process of attacking him.
Because of the peace and stability of these years, the imperial soldiers have gradually become lazy, a far cry from the fierce soldiers of Ba County.
In the end, the imperial court had no choice but to allow Ba Commandery to establish a kingdom.
Since it's a male-oriented wish-fulfillment novel, the male protagonist is naturally invincible.
In the original book, the male protagonist receives guidance from a mysterious person, acquires a military treatise, learns martial arts, and with a powerful aura, attracts countless followers, achieves great military exploits, and eventually defeats the imperial court to sue for peace.
The Zhou king established his own state in Ba Commandery. When the male protagonist was twenty-eight years old, he took command of the army and became the regent, assisting the Zhou king's son to return to Ba Commandery and ascend the throne... That's all I can think of.
Since the novel was still being serialized, the details of what would happen next were unknown. In any case, the wicked aunt's family in Xujia Village had already died at the beginning of the war and were never mentioned again in the story.
The male protagonist returns to Ba County at the age of twenty-eight!
Jiang Zhi counted on her fingers and realized that there were still eleven years left, and she and the male lead would definitely meet again.
Perhaps sooner.
Since the King of Zhou was not in Ba County, if the male protagonist managed to get close to the King of Zhou, the handwritten letter he had asked for might be discovered by the male protagonist.
what to do?
Now, flee Xujia Village, hide your identity, and live a life of constant fear.
Or should we create a steel neck so that the male protagonist can't cut it off even if he wants to, and it can also jump around in front of him at any time?
Jiang Zhiyong was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed, realizing that she was worrying unnecessarily.
The male protagonist is still a lowly henchman who fights to the death every day, and he has no time to think about his "aunt".
I don't have the ability or energy to waste on myself, as for the future...
Those who aspire to power also have many things to consider.
She was his aunt who raised him. In a close-knit community, public opinion is powerful, and if he dared to be unfilial, he would be out of luck.
Snakes follow snake paths, rats follow rat paths; even in the countryside, there are their own rules for survival.
There's still plenty of time. I have all the resources to forge the golden headband, recite the Diamond Sutra, and wait for that monkey to get into the pen!
Even if I have to run away later, I need to earn enough money first!
The sky gradually brightened!
When Xu Errui saw Jiang Zhi with dark circles under her eyes, he was immediately alarmed: "Mother, are you feeling unwell? Should we go to the city to see a doctor?"
Although my mother knows about medicine, she is not a doctor. Although our family often eats herbal soups, we still need to see a doctor when we are not feeling well.
Jiang Zhi waved her hand: "No need, it's just that I slept poorly last night because of mosquito bites."
Xu Errui, unsuspecting, nodded and said, "Although the inn has been burning mugwort, it doesn't seem to be as effective as my mosquito coils."
Jiang Zhi didn't want to waste any more time in the county town, but before leaving, she went to the county government office one more time.
Nothing much, just trying to get noticed!
He bought some fruits and vegetables and delivered them to the county government clerks to cultivate relationships, and then chatted with his fellow clerks, such as Wu Hongmao and Xiang Dejin.
After leaving the county government office, they went to the needlework shop to buy matching thread for the scholar's wife.
This time, I didn't run into Miss Du who complained about my smell; instead, I encountered that gossipy, plump woman.
It is said that everyone has different special talents. This woman is good at recognizing people and has a better memory than Jiang Zhi, who has mild face blindness.
Jiang Zhi hadn't recognized her yet when she shrugged off the persistent shopkeeper Yu and came over to greet her: "Oh my! I haven't seen you for days, sister-in-law. Are you here to buy or sell something?"
Jiang Zhi looked at the shopkeeper with a questioning gaze: Is this a shop assistant?
Manager Yu was clearly used to the woman's behavior, and even her explanations were familiar: "I can't afford to hire this kind of worker. She's my neighbor next door, and she often comes to sit here for a while!"
Jiang Zhi suddenly realized, gave her a sympathetic look, and then looked at the pile of sunflower seed shells on the ground: "You've been sitting here for quite a while!"
When you run a business, it's inevitable that some idle people will come and sit there from morning till night, and it's not easy for the shopkeeper to drive them away.
This time, Jiang Zhi didn't hear the "shop-sweeping woman" mention the Du family, but she did hear about the Xu, Zhao, and Zhou families around her.
It's nothing more than the wives and concubines fighting in the east, the sisters-in-law fighting over money in the west, and then there's the shocking story of the father-in-law having an incestuous relationship. They laughed heartily as they told it.
The business at Qiaozhenfang is good; customers come in from time to time.
Whether it was because the county town was small or because this woman was well-connected, eight or nine out of ten customers who came to Qiaozhenfang to buy silk thread and embroidery needles knew her.
Some people even stayed behind to chat with her.
While listening to the gossip, Jiang Zhi made sure the scholar's wife had the missing silk threads of the other colors, and then asked the shopkeeper how much the purse could be sold for.
Several women in the village were envious of the scholar's wife, who could make round fans and sell them for money.
They were self-aware enough to know that they had to work in the fields and couldn't handle silk embroidery threads, so they wanted to learn how to make purses with cotton cloth and earn a few coins.
The scholar's wife was a woman who was easily swayed and couldn't say no, so she actually agreed.
They even suggested that Xia Xiucai could help draw some unique patterns, which made the women extremely happy.
With unique designs, you can always make money.
Jiang Zhi naturally wanted to see each family find ways to make money, which was better than the women sitting in groups of three or five gossiping. She would come to the city specifically to help ask questions.
Shopkeeper Yu smiled and said, "The price of a purse depends on the embroidery and the fabric. It can range from a dozen or so coins to several hundred. If it's embroidered like the handkerchief you brought last time, I can give you a tael of silver! How about it, sister-in-law, take some more fabric back today to make purses?"
Jiang Zhi also replied with a smile: "Come back after you finish making the round fan. Give me some scraps of fabric today!"
She remembered that anyone could make purses from scraps of cloth and sell them for money, and she would also ask for some to take back with her.
Shopkeeper Yu looked a little embarrassed: "Sister-in-law, if it's a purse for your own use, any kind of cloth will do."
If you want to sell a purse, you should at least use some decent, square-cut fabric. Those scraps of cloth are only sold for pasting shoe soles!
Jiang Zhi: "...!"
Okay, I was just being too naive. Money isn't that easy to earn.
You can use scraps of cloth, and so can everyone else; not even the thinnest strips of cloth are wasted.
Stir some paste, layer the fabric scraps together to form a fabric shell, and then add bamboo shoot shells to make shoe soles.
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