The scholar's wife clearly knew the effects of the mimosa flower and quickly thanked her, saying, "This is in your medicine, sir. The doctor said it's good to take. I used to drink it every day when I was in Yuzhou Prefecture."
"But since arriving here, I have no money, and it's inconvenient to go to the pharmacy, nor do I want to trouble others. If Village Chief Jiang has any acacia flowers, it would truly be a lifesaver in my immediate predicament."
Xia's mother, who was standing nearby, also said, "Shuyan drank the Hehuan herbal tea before, and although there was no obvious change, it's different now. He's much better than before, so it might work."
But... Village Chief Jiang, we're really too embarrassed to ask for it."
I used to drink it, but I've stopped now?
Jiang Zhi sighed silently, then gave a bitter smile. What kind of time is this, and these two, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, are still talking about saving face?
In this era where "all other pursuits are inferior, only studying is superior," the inherent aloofness of scholars cannot be erased under any circumstances.
Given the scholar's wife's quiet and reserved nature, it must have been quite a hassle for her to walk more than ten miles to buy medicine.
Xia's mother was also someone who refused to bow her head and beg for help...
Jiang Zhi didn't waste any more words with them: "We live in the same village, and Xia Xiucai is helping me with things. Don't be so formal in the future. Just let me know if you need any medicine. If I don't have any, I can ask someone to buy it for me."
"Furthermore, if the scholar's wife wants to sell the needlework she makes every day, I can have someone deliver it to the cloth shop in the county town."
Every time she saw the scholar's wife, she was using a needle and thread embroidery frame, so she must know how to embroider.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Jiang Zhi said this, the scholar's wife was overjoyed, but then felt she had been impolite, so she suppressed her excitement and said, "That's wonderful! I have several handkerchiefs saved up and I was just thinking of exchanging them for some money. I'd really appreciate it if the village chief could help me out!"
Jiang Zhi said calmly, "No trouble at all, it's just a small favor."
When delivering mosquito coils, I could ask Manager Huo of Baicaotang to do it for me; it was really just a small favor.
Xia's mother was probably afraid that her daughter-in-law would look down on Jiang Zhi if she was too modest, so she couldn't help but praise her from the side: "Although my daughter-in-law can't lift a finger, she has learned a good skill in embroidering peach blossom fans from her family."
I used to make round fans in the prefectural city to buy rice and grain for my family.
If someone has the spare time to embroider a round fan with double-sided embroidery, they can sell it for five taels of silver.
She can embroider double-sided round fans!
This is an essential item for girls with a traditional Chinese style. How could I have forgotten? It's much more valuable than an embroidered handkerchief.
Jiang Zhi's eyes widened like copper bells as she looked the scholar's wife up and down, making her feel embarrassed. Finally, she couldn't help but blurt out, "Oh my! My dear lady! You two are begging for food with a golden bowl in your hands! Speak up! What do you two have to say? The way you talk is so awkward, it's driving me crazy!"
Her shout startled Xia's mother and the scholar's wife, who thought they had angered this shrew.
Fortunately, knowing the village chief's temper, they realized he wasn't angry, and the two looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.
Xia's mother rubbed her rough hands and shook her head, sighing, "It's already a blessing to be able to live here and receive the care of the people around us. And the chores that you, the village chief, gave Shuyan are all help. We dare not make any more unreasonable demands."
She was a smart woman. In the past, villagers always had to repay the grain they borrowed. Although Xia Shuyan also borrowed grain, she gave him extra sugar, salt, and oil as a reward.
Xia Xiucai's job was just keeping a few accounts; it wasn't a proper job, so how could he possibly have so much stuff?
Xia Xiucai might still be confused, but both Xia's mother and Xiucai's wife could see that this was an extra gift from the village chief.
Now that the village chief is asking what they want, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are too ashamed to ask for anything more.
Jiang Zhi patiently asked again, and finally, the scholar's wife asked if she could find the best silk cloth and thread, as well as a good fan stand.
Round fans require silk cloth and silk thread.
Jiang Zhi agreed without hesitation: Yes, even if I can't!
The meticulous mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finally relaxed.
The scholar's wife exclaimed, "My husband is usually quite clear-headed. He has said several times that he really likes this place, saying that although it is not as prosperous as the city, the people here are kind and gentle."
Jiang Zhi smiled without saying a word.
The "purity" of rural life is indeed genuine; true feelings mean heartfelt dedication, without hesitation.
Any ambitions or schemes are as clear as a bowl of water—bright, naked, and unobstructed.
Like "purity," "goodness" can be extremely good or extremely evil; the difference between good and evil lies in a single thought.
After learning about Xia Xiucai's illness, Jiang Zhi asked about the leak in the shack: "It's still wet inside, how does your family live?"
Xia's mother said, "After Tian Gui and the others took us away yesterday, they added an oilcloth on top. The bedding and other things don't leak, so it's barely habitable now."
“Village Chief Jiang, there’s no need to make separate arrangements for us. There are many people in the village. If we live in the warehouse, others will come looking for you. Then you’ll be caught in the middle, and we’ll become the source of all the trouble.”
Jiang Zhi knew that Xia's mother was thinking of herself on the one hand, and on the other hand, as an outsider, she didn't want to become a target in the village.
Jiang Zhi was finally relieved to see that the Xia family had their own solution.
In Xujia Village, the number of literate people can be counted on one hand, and the children are all illiterate.
It's rare to find a scholar like him. I'm waiting for Xia Xiucai to recover a bit so I can open a school and teach the village children to read and write. I can't let him go to waste.
Jiang Zhi visited all the other people's homes.
Most of the villagers were drying their wet things. When they saw Jiang Zhi, they first thanked her a few times, and then casually complained a few times about the weather, but there wasn't much resentment.
Having experienced both natural disasters and man-made calamities, this is nothing compared to what's to come. Talking too much about it will only make people look down on it.
Jiang Zhi also offered a few words of comfort and encouragement: "Hang in there a little longer. Once the grain is harvested, we'll build the new house, and the group purchase will be settled soon."
"Village chief? My family doesn't have much money, yet we can buy it?" Some people didn't believe it.
"Yes, you can register your name first, state the amount, and we'll pay you whenever we have the money. We'll take it slow," Jiang Zhi explained.
Everyone knows that living in a shack is not a long-term solution, and that you always need to repair the house. This was discussed after the young corn was sold.
Jiang Zhi convened a meeting of the eight-person group to discuss the unified management of all material purchases, except for those households that were willing to make bricks or cut down trees themselves.
In the countryside, people usually spend several years gathering materials and then choose an auspicious day to start construction.
However, Xujia Village is a special case. The village is full of shacks. If each household were to build their own, it would probably require cutting down all the surrounding trees and digging up all the surrounding yellow soil, and it would take at least two years.
Some people couldn't wait and wanted to buy some and raise the rest themselves.
For example, in Wuyang and Tiangui, these outsiders, each household lacked sufficient labor.
Jiang Zhi said she wanted to do a group purchase.
Instead of individual households going to town to buy timber, haggling over prices, and going through the hassle of carrying it home, it's better to have businesses come to their door directly.
Although each household spends a hundred or so coins to buy timber, twenty households would have twenty portions of timber. Although each household's business is small, the total for the whole village would be much.
Merchants who come to us wanting the business can always be persuaded to lower the price.
On the surface, this is similar to the property management of a residential community asking residents to purchase sand, gravel, and cement collectively, but with the supervision of the village group, it is fair and transparent, and no one dares to engage in monopoly.
Tian Gui and the others all agreed, and Xu Gensheng volunteered to take on the important task of negotiating the price.
A few days ago, Jiang Zhicai asked Zhang Juntou to help intercept vendors on the road to inquire about the prices of timber and bricks, and also spread the word that Xujia Village was going to build houses and buy supplies.
I never expected that a rainstorm would destroy our shelter so soon. It's really worrying!
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