Neither of them had any objections. When Uncle Bai returned, he brought the tools over. After seeing them, Brother Lin decided that he would buy all the tools after he made some money this time.
With the addition of Uncle Bai and Ah Si, the efficiency of making wooden boxes increased significantly. Uncle Bai truly lived up to his reputation as an old carpenter; his work was both fast and excellent.
In the afternoon, the workshop workers began washing salted duck eggs and packing them into gift boxes. Song Anxin was also busy; she and Zhang Meifeng started preparing the braised delicacies together.
With several hundred kilograms of brine and seven people washing the stones in the stream, Song Anxin's family was able to start braising sooner.
Song Anxin, Lin Fengnian, Fengshou, Anbang, and Fenghe were responsible for packaging the braised food. Zhang Mei would occasionally go to the salted duck egg workshop to check on the quantities and then come back to help with the packaging.
Fortunately, it's very simple. After braising and cooling, just roll it up and wrap it in oil paper. The group worked quite quickly.
As evening approached, the restaurant sent word that there were 326 boxes of pure duck eggs, 217 boxes of duck eggs with braised meat, and 137 boxes of pure braised meat.
This time, Song Anxin's family didn't need to work overtime at night. She, Lin Fengshou, and Zhang Mei checked the quantity of goods to be delivered tomorrow and put them aside in advance so they could be moved directly tomorrow.
That evening, Song Anxin's family made glutinous rice balls and boiled fish slices for Uncle Bai. Song Anxin's family already had good food, and it was even better when Uncle Bai came. Everyone ate until their bellies were round and full before going to the ancestral hall.
Song Anxin and Uncle Bai sat together in the courtyard, drinking tea and watching the sunset in the distance. The lush green mountains and forests were also dyed with a layer of rosy clouds. Song Anxin felt that her life was truly worthwhile.
"Uncle Bai, thank you for the tea," Song Anxin said.
This time, they were drinking real tea, tea brought by Uncle Bai.
Old Bai chuckled and said, "Fengnian's wife, why are you being so polite? It seems I really made the right choice in choosing Linjia Village as my residence. With tea, such beautiful scenery, and a new friend, life is short, haha."
Song Anxin also really liked Uncle Bo's personality, and she never expected that the two of them would become close friends despite their age difference.
Song Anxin said, "Uncle Bai, since we are friends, I also have some things I want to say to you from the bottom of my heart."
So Song Anxin told Lin Gangzi about his situation and her concerns about the future.
Upon hearing this, Old Man Bai said, "It seems that Fengnian's mother truly considers me a friend, which is why she told me all this. Fengnian's mother, your concerns are justified. I have also heard of many people whose things have been taken away by powerful and domineering forces, but because of the disparity in status, they dare not speak out against it."
"But don't worry, Fengnian's mother. Under the jurisdiction of Magistrate Yan, you can do business freely. If you encounter any wrongdoing, he will definitely enforce the law impartially."
Song Anxin picked up her teacup, but instead of responding to him, she began, "Does Uncle Bai know how the imperial decrees for court ladies are conferred?"
Old Bai was startled and looked up at her. Seeing Song Anxin's calm expression, it seemed that Shuping was right; Fengnian's mother was no ordinary woman.
He said, "Some of the imperial wives were invited by their husbands or children and grandchildren. The officials who invited them for their wives or mothers had to be officials of the fifth rank or above, and they had to have merits and have made contributions to the court before they could ask the emperor. Both were indispensable, so there were very few imperial wives who could be invited."
Song Anxin nodded. It seemed that this era had not yet reached the point where one could buy a title of nobility with money. This was good, as a title of nobility meant a high social status and that a woman of nobility could command respect.
She smiled and said to Uncle Bai, "Uncle Bai, do you think those two things I presented to the court count as a contribution to the court?"
Old Bai understood Song Anxin's meaning perfectly well; he stroked his beard and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, Fengnian's mother, you are interesting and very bold. I have never seen such a person before."
Song Anxin smiled and stood up, saying, "I believe the magistrate will uphold justice, but it's better to rely on yourself than on others. If I am granted an imperial title, I will have my own confidence and won't need to rely on anyone!"
Old Bai felt that Song Anxin looked incredibly radiant under the glow of the setting sun. It was a pity that he had met her decades earlier; he certainly wouldn't have remained unmarried for life. But now that he was old, he no longer had such thoughts. He simply admired Fengnian Niang.
He said, "It's not impossible for Fengnian's mother to request an imperial title. I've heard that the rewards from the court will be coming soon, but there's no such thing as a formal title."
"Fengnian's wife, either of these two items of yours were probably presented by officials in the court. It's no problem for them to request an official title for you, but... unfortunately, you're just a peasant woman, and no one in the court speaks up for you. It's probably difficult."
Song Anxin knew it would be difficult, and it was precisely because it was difficult that she had to fight for it even more. She said:
“Then what I have here that can benefit the country and its people even more? With the land of the Great Yin Dynasty, we no longer need to worry about the rain. As long as there is water by the fields, it will automatically irrigate them.”
Now it was Old Man Bai's turn to stand up. He said with some excitement, "Is what Fengnian said true? If there really is such a good thing, then our country's grain production will definitely increase a lot. This is a great thing that benefits the country and the people."
He lowered his head and pondered, "In that case, the imperial court might just bestow this title upon you. No one in history has ever been able to produce so many things that benefit the country and its people all at once."
Song Anxin originally intended to report this matter after the spring, but now she had to use these things to secure some protection for herself in this era.
She said, “Of course I won’t treat this as a joke. Just having this doesn’t guarantee that the imperial decree will be issued. Rather than waiting for them to remember to bestow it upon me, I’d rather take the initiative. I need someone to speak up for me in court.”
Old Bai was a shrewd man, and he understood why she was telling him all this:
“Fengnian’s mother, leave this to me. As long as you produce this, I can guarantee that someone will help you get a title in the imperial court.”
After hearing this, Song Anxin bowed deeply to Old Man Bai and said:
"I'm sorry, Uncle Bai. I only resorted to this because I suspected that your relationship with the magistrate might be unusual. I genuinely consider you a friend, and I hope that you won't have any rift with me."
Old Man Bai laughed heartily: "Hahaha, Fengnian's mother, you are a magnanimous and straightforward person who doesn't hold back. How could I, Bai Songchang, hold a grudge against you? I think Magistrate Yan is more than happy about it. You two have mutually benefited, hahaha..."
Song Anxin breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Uncle Bai didn't blame her. She had indeed deliberately mentioned her difficulties first and then pushed Uncle Bai step by step to achieve her goal.
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