After leaving the clinic, Lin Fengshou led the oxcart and walked side by side with Song Anxin on the street.
Lin Fengnian was taking care of Zhang Mei in the car, but he looked rather awkward sitting next to her. Zhang Mei was the same way; their eyes would occasionally meet before they would quickly look away, and both of them would blush with embarrassment.
"Mother, shall we go back now?" Lin Fengshou asked. "You should ride in the carriage with your elder brother and the others."
Song Anxin shook her head. She didn't want to go up there and be a third wheel, but she also didn't want to rush back. She remembered that she still owed the Zhang family one tael of silver, and she had to find a way to pay it back.
Song Anxin silently calculated in her mind that she already had three hundred coins, the eldest brother and sister-in-law of the Lin family lent her one tael and three qian, she gave the Zhang family one tael of silver, she gave the village head's grandson two copper coins as a tip, and she paid twenty-five coins for the consultation fee.
Fortunately, the doctor was honest and didn't prescribe any unnecessary medicine for them because they were so poor. He just told them to go back and rest well. They only had 573 coins left.
That means their family would have to save up 427 coins in three days without eating, drinking, or spending a single penny. You have to understand that doing hard labor for a wealthy family only earns 30 coins a day, and not everyone has the opportunity to work for a wealthy family.
Where am I supposed to get so much money in just three days?
Song Anxin started cursing in her heart. Since she was allowed to transmigrate, why didn't they give her a space or some kind of cheat code? She really has to rely on herself for everything!
"Steamed buns, steamed buns, smelling so good..."
The enticing aroma of food wafted into Song Anxin's nose, causing her mouth to water and her stomach to rumble.
She then realized that she hadn't eaten or drunk a single drop of water since morning, and that farmers usually ate only two meals a day to save food.
There is no breakfast. We go to work in the fields early and have brunch when we come back, and then have dinner when it gets dark.
Lin Fengshou was also staring intently at the steamed bun stall, while Lin Fengnian and Zhang Mei, smelling the aroma, swallowed hard on the oxcart.
The owner of the steamed bun stall probably noticed that the group's gazes were too eager, so he leaned over and asked, "Are you all looking to buy steamed buns? My steamed buns are big and delicious. The meat ones are three coins each, the vegetarian ones are two coins each, and the big steamed buns are only one coin each."
Song Anxin looked at the steamed buns in the steamer and saw that they were indeed very large, about the size of an adult man's fist, which was quite substantial.
Anyway, I can't raise the money anytime soon, so I'll fill my stomach first. A living person can't be killed by holding their pee, can they?
He immediately said, "Give me six meat buns." He and Zhang Mei each got one, and their two sons, who were practically adults, had bigger appetites and each got two.
Lin Fengshou and his friends were stunned. When had their family ever bought meat buns to eat?
Lin Fengnian quickly said, "Mother, you and Zhang Mei eat the meat buns, and my second brother and I will each have half a steamed bun." He still remembered that his family owed the Zhang family one tael of silver to help him marry Zhang Mei, so how could he let his mother spend money on him again?
“Yes, Mom, you eat. I don’t like meat buns, I’ll eat steamed buns,” Lin Fengshou chimed in.
Zhang Mei dared not eat anymore and said softly, "Auntie, you eat, I'm not hungry, I don't want to eat."
As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach rumbled loudly, making Zhang Mei extremely embarrassed.
Song Anxin glanced at the group of people who were saying one thing but meaning another and said with a smile, "Hurry up and wipe your drool before you talk to me like that."
The group hurriedly wiped their mouths, only to find that there was nothing there, realizing that their mother/aunt had been teasing them.
Song Anxin handed over eighteen copper coins, and the bun vendor quickly packed six large buns for them. She thought to herself that this woman looked shabby, but she was surprisingly generous.
The steamed bun stall owner eagerly handed the buns to Song Anxin: "Auntie, please take these and have a safe trip."
The group found a shady spot and sat on the oxcart to eat steamed buns. Lin Fengnian and Lin Fengshou had never eaten meat buns before in their lives. They were completely hooked after the first bite and didn't bother to talk. They just focused on eating the buns.
Zhang Mei was the same. She held the white meat bun but couldn't bear to take a bite. She had hardly ever eaten white flour in her life, let alone a bun filled with meat. In the end, her appetite overcame her reason and she took a bite. Her eyes welled up with tears.
Song Anxin didn't feel much about it. There's no shortage of delicious food in modern times. These steamed buns are indeed quite good. It would be even better if the dough were a bit softer.
Song Anxin quickly finished her steamed buns and sat on the oxcart to rest. Lin Fengshou and Lin Fengnian had also almost finished eating. Only Zhang Mei was carefully nibbling on her steamed buns, taking small bites at a time. Song Anxin wondered if she could eat these buns until evening.
Lin Fengshou leaned close to Song Anxin and whispered, "Mother, were you just worried about the one tael of silver you owed the Zhang family? Don't worry, I can go to town with my older brother to work. The Wang family is building a manor soon, and if I go with my older brother early, we'll definitely be selected."
Lin Fengnian, who was closer to the two, heard this and quickly said, "Yes, Mother, I'll go carry the heavy bags and do the hard work."
Song Anxin smiled, feeling very pleased. These two children were truly filial and considerate, especially the second child, who even had a knack for reading people's expressions.
"Even if you two do hard labor for three days, can you earn one or two taels of silver? Don't worry, Mother has a way, so don't fret."
This wasn't a lie she told to appease the two children. While eating steamed buns, she had been subtly listening to conversations among passersby, hoping to find an opportunity, and that's how she overheard it.
She overheard some scholars on the road saying that the new county magistrate had arrived in the last few days, and that he had been demoted from above. She didn't care whether he was demoted or not.
Song Anxin remembered that her husband had died in battle and should have been entitled to a ten-tael pension. However, the previous magistrate had embezzled the money and never paid it out. Fortunately, the local censor discovered this and reported it to the court, resulting in the confiscation of the family property and exile.
Now that the new county magistrate has arrived, the pension should be issued by now, so Song Anxin decided to go to the yamen.
However, she still has so many people and a bullock cart here, so it's not appropriate for them all to go. The main reason is that Zhang Mei is still quite weak and needs to find a place for her to rest.
Seeing that Zhang Mei had finally finished her steamed buns and even let out a burp, Song Anxin stood up and said, "Come on, I'll take you to your maternal grandmother's house."
Yes, the original owner of Song Anxin's family did have a maternal home in Ningdu County. Moreover, her father was a scholar, and her parents doted on her, which fostered her willful nature.
As for why the original owner married into a rural farming family in Linjia Village, it was because her scholar father admired the Lin family's character and felt that they would never mistreat his daughter and would be tolerant of her personality.
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