"What? No way? How could the Liu family buy grain? Where did they get the information?" Spicy Flower said.
Zhao Qian patted his wife's hand.
"Hey, although Liu Zhangshi seems to be in charge of the Liu family, Liu Qiquan is actually the most shrewd."
Didn't you see that Liu Zhangshi always took the lead in everything in the Liu family, which resulted in Liu Qiquan being portrayed as someone who had no choice in the matter?
He was quite shrewd, to say the least. In fact, besides paying taxes and grain each year, the Liu family...
They never sell their grain, and they buy more grain every year to store.
The entire Liu family starved to death when they fled the famine, leaving only Liu Qiquan. Think about it, if he was the only one who survived, how old was he back then?
You can't survive without clever ideas. Naturally, he was quite obsessed with stockpiling food.
Do you know what that 10 taels of betrothal money was used for back then?
He buys grain, sells this year's grain next year, and then buys new grain; this has been his consistent practice over the years.
As for food and drink, his family raises 3-4 pigs every year, plus chickens, ducks and geese, so they have enough to eat and drink and can even save some money.
So, do you still think you should have stood by and watched someone die?
"What? Old man, how come I don't know any of this? Who told you this?" Spicy Flower felt like her brain wasn't working properly.
"Who told him? Of course, it was his own words. I remember when Xia Zhi got married, his whole family came over for the wedding banquet."
He's a big drinker, but he's usually reluctant to buy wine for himself, so when he gets free wine, he naturally drinks it to his heart's content.
When you've had too much to drink, you start talking without thinking. Before I knew it, I'd spilled all my secrets. That's how I found out.
Zhao Qianhe said with a smile.
Spicy Flower glared at the old man. "Then why didn't you tell me?"
Zhao Qian was helpless.
"What's there to say? It's just the ramblings of a drunkard. Besides, why would I talk to you about other stinking old men?"
I received a disdainful look.
Recently, quite a few wives from Zhao Family Village have been coming to their maternal families to freeload; this incident involving Uncle San's family is just one example.
Several families in Zhao Family Village are arguing about divorcing their wives.
Recently, what village chief Zhao Jinfeng fears most is someone standing outside his door calling "Uncle Jinfeng".
Whenever someone shouts, it's never a good thing; they're definitely there to adjudicate someone's case, which annoys Zhao Jinfeng to no end.
But we can't leave it unresolved.
And so, Zhao Qingyan's entire family went missing for half a month without anyone noticing.
The reason why the Zhao family's collective disappearance became known to everyone was because when the refugees attacked the village, the people of Zhao Village fought back bravely and defeated the refugees.
This prevented nearby villages from being disturbed by displaced people.
To commend the bravery of Zhao Family Village, Magistrate Qiu Daqian presented the village with a plaque inscribed with "Heroic Village".
The substantial reward was that Zhao Family Village would be exempt from grain tax for one year.
When Zhao Jinfa reported to his superiors, he specifically mentioned Zhao Minggeng and his family, with particular emphasis on Zhao Minggeng.
The county magistrate believed that such a brave man should come to the county office to protect him. He made it clear that he wanted to bring Zhao Minggeng to work in the county office.
Zhao Jinfa thought he had misheard.
He immediately led everyone to Zhao Qingyan's house.
The result was that the door was locked.
When asked, the villagers had no idea where the Zhao family had gone.
Zhao Jinfa looked unwell, and County Magistrate Qiu Daqian looked even worse.
"Your Excellency, it is getting late. Please come to my humble abode. A simple meal will suffice."
After Zhao Minggeng returns, I will have him go to the county government to give you a report, is that alright?
Zhao Jinfa felt like he was in a real bind.
If Zhao Minggeng could become a yamen runner or constable, then Zhao Family Village would have someone who could earn a living from the government.
It may not bring glory to one's ancestors, but it certainly provides direct benefits.
The prerequisite was that there were no scholars in the family, since working in the county government meant being a minor official.
According to the regulations of the Divine Dragon Kingdom, anyone who works in the county government office, along with their descendants, cannot participate in the imperial examinations until three generations later.
Zhao Jinfeng couldn't guarantee whether Zhao Minggeng would agree to work in the county government.
It would be a bit embarrassing if the county magistrate came in person and they couldn't see him.
The fact that his entire family has disappeared also shows that he is an incompetent village chief.
Qiu Daqian was a glutton, and he knew exactly what the village chief's family was like—they didn't even have a chicken, just a dog.
I heard that the dog army of Zhao Family Village played a significant role in resisting the refugees.
Of course, it's impossible to kill the dog and eat it; it's better to go back to the county government office and eat your own food.
When the magistrate returned, Zhao Family Village was in an uproar again, as this was a major event requiring the opening of the ancestral hall to worship the ancestors.
The ancestral hall was opened and the ancestors were worshipped, but Zhao Qingyan's house remained locked up tight.
In the valley, the Zhao family men built mud-brick beds in every stone house. They also tidied up the valley thoroughly.
Previously, there were two fruit trees of the same variety, one on the east side and one on the west side, which were moved together.
They also transplanted a lot of bamboo from outside.
For no other reason than that bamboo is different from trees; it grows quickly and is highly practical.
Planting a few bamboo trees is enough for firewood, not to mention they can also be used to weave baskets and mats.
What made Zhao Qingyan happiest was that
She found wild grapes in the valley. They were small and sour, and none of the Zhao family children liked them, but Zhao Qingyan treasured them.
"Ah, Grandma, I'm going to come down from the mountain! We're going to make a lot of money!" Zhao Qingyan shouted excitedly.
"What good ideas does my dear girl have now?" Mrs. Huang asked cooperatively.
Zhao Qingyan ran over and pulled Huang Shi towards the vineyard.
"Grandma, do you see these fruits? These fruits are called grapes."
Although this fruit is sour, it is an excellent ingredient for winemaking. The saying goes, "Fine wine in a luminous cup."
"It's very valuable; only a few kilograms are ever sent as tribute from foreign lands each year." He finished speaking and looked at Madam Huang with sparkling eyes.
"What? Wait a minute, tribute? That's it?" Huang always knew how to get to the point.
In her eyes, it was absurd that such a small fruit could be brewed into wine, and even more a royal wine presented as tribute from a foreign land.
But who is the granddaughter? The granddaughter is a person with great fortune, and everything the granddaughter says is true.
Zhao Minggeng's eyes lit up when he heard Zhao Qingyan mention wine.
He'd had that stuff before, even though no one else had, it was given to him by his daughter.
I was immediately overjoyed.
"What's so great about being an emperor? He's never seen the world. He has to pay tribute to drink wine. If you share it, there's hardly any left. He's not as good as a peasant like me."
Of course, no one knew what Zhao Minggeng was thinking, since he would get beaten up if he dared to say it.
Especially during the imperial era, what the hell? You, a farmer, are enjoying more than me, the emperor? This is outrageous! You should be dragged out and beheaded.
After Huang confirmed with Zhao Qingyan repeatedly that she could indeed brew wine,
I was so excited! What are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and buy jars and candy!
As for the best white sugar for brewing, that's not a problem for Zhao Qingyan either.
Who told her to have stockpiled goods and know how to refine white sugar from brown sugar?
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