Chapter 130 is even better written than her scholar mother…
Early the next morning, Mingsheng prepared to take Ming'er to town to sell things.
"Grandma, why don't we go to the county town to sell it again? The game we brought back is so good, the fur isn't even damaged. Who knows, we might be able to get a higher price in the county town?"
As he continued, Ming Er lowered his voice, "If the old ginseng is sold, the price offered in the county town will probably be higher."
If it's Ming Er now, Ming Sheng will still seriously consider it.
Mingsheng had also been to the county town. The restaurants there did offer higher prices for game, but the county town was far away, and it would be completely dark by the time he got back.
Under normal circumstances, Mingsheng would still choose to go to the town. The money from hunting wouldn't be much different, and going that far would just be a hassle.
Things are different now. She touched the ginseng in her arms, and Mingsheng nodded, "Okay, then let's go to the county town to sell these things today."
Most of these prey were captured alive and tied up tightly. Among them was a fox with truly beautiful fur.
Once we get to the county town, we might be able to sell it for an even better price.
Especially that ginseng; it would surely fetch a good price if taken to the county town.
Thinking this, Mingsheng felt incredibly warm inside.
Ming Er couldn't help but yawn. He had gotten up too early, and after traveling for a while, he was so sleepy that his head was nodding off next to A Zu.
Mingsheng simply let her lie down on the cart to sleep, and would wake her up when they arrived.
Looking at Ming'er sleeping next to the basket, Ming Sheng draped a coat over her shoulders. The child had been working hard these past few days, having to get up so early to travel. He planned to wake her up when they reached the county town.
Because the decision to go to the county town was made on short notice, they arrived when the sun was high in the sky.
Ming'er had woken up early and wanted to help Azu pull the cart, but Azu refused.
Before entering the city, Mingsheng repeatedly reminded Ming'er not to wander off, lest he be kidnapped and never be able to return home.
Ming Er obediently followed Ming Sheng. It was his first time in the county town, and he was curious about everything.
Whenever she was in town, during the Lantern Festival, her family would go to the town to celebrate, and it was very lively.
The county town felt even more lively than the town. Ming Er stared at the freshly baked steamed buns by the roadside and almost drooled.
"Once Azu sells this game, I'll bring you here to eat it," Mingsheng said, patting Ming'er's head as he looked at her longing expression.
Mingsheng had been to the county town a few times and knew which restaurant there offered the highest prices. She went directly to that restaurant and made the deal with them at the back door.
"Wow, your fox's fur is quite nice, it looks shiny and smooth."
The plump manager of the restaurant stroked the fox, which was tightly bound, with a very satisfied expression.
"Next time you have something this good, remember to send it to our restaurant."
Mingsheng readily agreed, and the two sides had a very pleasant conversation.
After taking inventory of the items and collecting the money, Ming Sheng took Ming Er to the pharmacy.
After taking the ginseng to the pharmacy, she realized that she had misjudged its age; the ginseng was not a few decades old, but clearly a hundred years old.
He initially regretted selling it, but upon hearing the pharmacy owner's offer, he quickly gritted his teeth and agreed. Selling this ginseng might provide his family with a lot of new things.
Mingsheng wasn't completely clueless; he discussed the matter back and forth with the shopkeeper, and in the end, he added another ten taels.
Surprisingly, the shopkeeper readily gave him about a hundred taels of silver.
This overly swift action almost made Mingsheng think that the shopkeeper was trying to trick her, and that the ginseng was even more valuable.
Ming Er, however, seemed to be looking at something and said calmly, "Auntie, this price is very good."
Since Ming Er had already spoken, Ming Sheng didn't dwell on the matter any longer, took the money, and left.
After everyone left, the shopkeeper immediately processed the ginseng and handed it to his subordinates, saying, "Quickly, send this century-old ginseng to the capital. Be fast."
The shopkeeper was also looking for this century-old ginseng, so he didn't bargain with Mingsheng.
But of course, these words couldn't be said to the grandfather and grandson.
Mingsheng specifically asked the shopkeeper to give her small change, since a hundred-tael silver note was too large, and she was afraid that taking it out would attract attention.
Furthermore, he divided the silver into two portions, keeping one for himself and tying the other to Ming Er.
Ming Er's money was taken away by Xiang Bei again. If they lose the money, it will be a huge blow to the Ming family.
Knowing that the silver was in the hands of the female tutor, and that she shouldn't tell Azu, Ming Er obediently kept quiet.
With the money, Mingsheng took Ming'er out to eat.
I ordered one serving each of steamed buns and wontons.
Don't let Ming'er's small size fool you, he has a huge appetite.
Mingsheng didn't plan to tell his family about the ginseng. He had made a lot of money from the sale, and he was afraid that too many people would gossip and the news would leak out.
It's enough that only she and Ming Er know.
“Grandma, the female teacher said that good children should not lie.”
Mingsheng paused for a moment, then said, "If you're not going to lie, then you're not going to lie. I didn't ask you to lie. Anyway, since we didn't ask about ginseng, let's not bring it up. Got it?"
"Yes, I've got it." Ming Er nodded vigorously.
After the meal, Mingsheng took Ming'er to buy some grain, and then went to the study to buy writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones.
I used to feel the pinch when I bought these things; they're the most expensive items.
Thinking about the money he had just received, Mingsheng didn't feel much heartache when he bought it.
On the way back, I also bought two packs of pastries to take home, thinking of letting my family try them.
Ming Er specially bought two more expensive pastries, saying he wanted to give them to his female tutor. Ming Sheng naturally wouldn't object; in her view, these were offerings for the gods, so they couldn't be taken lightly, and it was only right that they were a bit pricey.
The system was so touched when it heard that Ming Er had even bought some snacks for it. It grabbed Xiang Bei's arm and wiped its tears with a small handkerchief. "Host, did you see that? Did you see that? What a wonderful child, thinking of me so much. What have I done to deserve teaching two such smart and beautiful students?"
The response it received was a merciless iron fist from Xiang Bei.
"Don't make a sound."
The system grumbled and walked over, thinking that its host must be jealous.
I envy and am jealous that it has two good students.
Hmph, it has its own rules and doesn't bother with its host.
Xiang Bei ignored it. The system couldn't be indulged; if it was, it would start to get arrogant.
If you praise it a couple of times, it'll probably end up riding on its head and dancing around.
You absolutely must not praise it.
On the way back, Ming Er let A Zu sit on the cart, and she pulled the cart back.
Mingsheng wanted to say no, but Ming'er was so small that he wasn't even as tall as the cart wheel.
But she couldn't argue with Ming Er, so she had no choice but to sit on the cart.
She had originally planned to take over if Ming Er couldn't lift the cart. But to her surprise, Ming Er, with his small frame, easily pushed the cart down and then pulled it along very quickly.
Ming Sheng stared at Ming Er's retreating figure, lost in thought for a long time.
She felt that Ming Er's strength seemed excessive.
She was still on the cart; Ming Er pulled it effortlessly, even moving quite quickly.
"Ah Zu, sit tight, I'm going to run." Ming Er felt that this was too slow, and if they didn't hurry up, it would get dark.
Thinking about having class that evening, Ming Er quickened his pace.
Otherwise, even if Zu were still on the cart, Ming Er could have carried the cart and run home.
After Mingsheng got a firm grip, Ming'er started running.
The two finally made it home before descending the mountain.
Ming Er wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. "Luckily, I made it in time. I won't miss my evening class."
"Why is this child so honest?" The system looked at Ming Er with a pained expression, clutching its little handkerchief. "Take a rest if you're tired."
The system turned to look at Xiang Bei, "Host, let's change this course. Let's have five days on and two days off from now on. How can we have classes every day? There's still no time to rest at all."
"Five days on, two days off? Commander, are you crazy? There's no such thing as five days on, two days off right now. You need to follow Mingzhuo's schedule and set a day off for Ming Er."
"That's true."
Xiang Bei rubbed her forehead, but before she could speak, the system started yelling again, "This won't do! Ming Er is still too honest. If he goes back to that family, won't he be bullied to death?"
The system clenched its fist. "No, absolutely not. We can't let Ming Er continue like this. Honesty has its limits. Some shameless people deserve a beating or a pinch. We shouldn't indulge them."
Xiang Bei did not interfere with the system's education of the child. As a system, it could completely tailor a learning program suitable for Ming Er.
When Mingsheng returned, his family was quite surprised. "Why did Mother only come back now?" Mingren and his two younger sisters helped carry the things from the cart into the house.
Logically, once you go to town and have lunch, you should come back.
Mingsheng led the sisters into the house, and her eldest grandson quickly poured tea for her and Ming'er. Mingsheng picked up the teacup and gulped it down.
Ming Er drank a little slower, but everyone's eyes were on Ming Sheng.
"We didn't go to the town, we went to the county seat."
Mingli couldn't help but ask, "Mother, you went to the county town, why are you back so soon?"
“Ming Er is quick on his feet, so he’ll be back quickly too.”
She hadn't expected Ming Er to be so fast, but the ride was really bumpy, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Ming Sheng felt like his bones were about to fall apart from all the jolting.
Thinking that Ming Er must have had a hard journey, she didn't say anything.
She told her about selling wild game, and her family was quite happy to hear that they had made a lot of money from it.
Mingsheng also brought back some things: writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for Mingda and Minger.
She even brought back a box of rouge for her husband. Old Man Ming was quite embarrassed, saying, "At my age, why would I still wear this? People will start calling me an old monster."
Seeing the rouge reminded him of how his former wife would always bring him back a box of rouge when she went to sell things, and the old man couldn't help but laugh.
One of the two packets of pastries was given to Old Man Ming for safekeeping, and the other was distributed among everyone.
While having snacks, Ming Ren, the eldest son of the Ming family, and Ming Li, the third son, also shared their plans. They felt that they had learned a lot during this period and decided to go to town the next day to see if there were any accountants available. They planned to try their luck.
Mingsheng heard this but didn't stop him.
Ever since Ming'er was chosen by the gods, the family's life has gotten better and better. Thinking of the money from selling ginseng, Ming Sheng also knew the principle of making a fortune quietly, but he swallowed the words back.
She also had other plans. Now that she had the money, she sent Ming'er to school as well.
It's unspeakable that the divine instructors taught him, but Ming Er still needs to come out into the open. He can't very well say that Ming Da was tutoring him at home when he takes the imperial examinations in the future.
The main issue is that Ming Er is clearly smarter than her older sister Ming Da, so this excuse won't hold water. It's safer to send her to school; if asked, she can say she learned it there, which would provide a reasonable explanation for Ming Er's intelligence.
During the day, he attended classes at the school, and in the evening, he studied with that female tutor. It seemed like there was no problem with that.
In any case, apart from their own family members, no one knew that Ming Er had a divine female tutor.
When Mingsheng came up with this idea, he had already made up his mind, so even if others objected, it would be useless.
As for letting the other granddaughters go to school together, they're still too young. We'll talk about it in a few years.
They are all her granddaughters; she wouldn't favor one over the other.
Mingsheng arranged everything, and the others just listened without saying anything.
Ming Yi, the second son of the Ming family, looked somewhat disappointed. She also wanted to be an accountant, but she was simply not cut out for it.
Her older sister and younger sister comforted her, but she still felt bad.
Xiang Bei rested her chin on her hand and looked at the Ming family. Each of them had their own little schemes, but they weren't bad people. No matter what happened, the family was still very united.
Regarding Ming Er's matter, Ming Sheng, the head of the family, spoke up, and even the youngest child knew that it couldn't be told to anyone.
As long as the family works together, life will not be bad.
Mingyi isn't good at math, and her sisters can advise her to think more positively about it, but ultimately, it's up to Mingyi herself to come to terms with this.
Xiang Bei also wanted to improve the living conditions of the Ming family. Although it certainly couldn't compare to the Marquis's mansion, at least they wouldn't have to worry about food and drink.
Based on the Ming family's current situation, she gave Ming Er a recipe. It's hot now, so why not have some cold noodles or jelly?
However, cold noodles are made with flour, and flour is quite expensive these days, so it's probably not easy for ordinary families to make them in large quantities.
Liangfen (a type of cold noodle) is better because it's made from mung beans, and it should be easy to find mung beans at home.
If all else fails, we can sell some bean sprouts.
Xiang Bei pondered the paths to wealth she had read in time-travel novels, and then asked the system to select recipes that fit this world.
Which one they choose is up to them.
Mingsheng sent Ming'er to school that same day. When people asked, he explained that Ming'er usually studied with Mingda and already knew quite a few characters at such a young age. The family felt that they couldn't let their child's talent go to waste, and that he might become a top scholar in the imperial examinations. With this in mind, they sent their child to school.
This was just a humble way of putting it; in reality, the Ming family all felt that since Ming Er had been chosen by the gods, how could he possibly fail to become the top scholar?
They just didn't want to be too flashy.
Then, the deity turned around and gave them a recipe for cooking, which seemed to mean that they should start a business and make money.
It was just a coincidence.
However, Mingsheng felt that it was his act of letting Ming'er enroll in school that pleased the gods, which is why they gave their family this recipe for making food.
Looking at the prescription in his hand, Mingsheng thought for a moment and then gave it to his second son, Mingli's, husband.
When the men of the other two daughters found out, they couldn't help but feel resentful.
Old Man Ming looked at them with displeasure, his expression also unpleasant. "Why don't you know your own limitations when it comes to feeding your second son? You yourselves know how bad your cooking is."
That's because the second son's husband is the best cook; he can make even the most ordinary meals taste delicious.
The other two daughters' husbands used this excuse to shirk their responsibilities and push all the cooking work onto the second daughter's husband.
Mingsheng didn't want them to harbor resentment, so he simply said, "Since you're not convinced, then the three of you should make the food according to the recipe given by the immortal and see who makes the best-tasting dish. The recipe will be given to whoever makes the best-tasting one."
Boss Ming and Boss Ming quickly pulled their men back.
How could you not know your own husband's cooking skills? It's one thing to argue about things normally, but it's really not a good time to argue about this kind of thing.
When it comes to food, people will definitely eat food made with good skills. If the skills are not good, it will be a waste of money, time, and food.
Mingyi looked at his mother with emotion, never expecting that his parents would think of him.
I used to feel upset because my mother wouldn't let me learn accounting.
My parents had five children. Two of their sons are already married, and they have three daughters. The eldest is the eldest daughter, and the youngest is the youngest. She has a sweet tongue, but she is the only one who is not loved by her mother and father.
But I never expected that my parents would value me so much and entrust such an important matter to my man.
They even let her help out. If Mother didn't trust her, why would she entrust such an important matter to her?
“Mother, I…I…” Mingyi’s eyes were red.
Mingsheng looked at her with disdain, "Alright, alright, do you think I'm that kind of fool? It's no big deal. A daughter doesn't easily shed tears. Look at you, so pathetic."
"Mother, I'm just happy." Mingyi quickly wiped his tears with his sleeve.
Mingsheng patted her on the shoulder, his stern gaze sweeping over the rest of the family before he spoke, "Don't think I'm senile. I know exactly what everyone in this family is like."
“Now that Ming Er has received great fortune, the gods have also taken a great liking to her as a student, bestowing upon her a name and granting our family such great blessings. You should not have any improper thoughts. Don’t forget, the gods can give us these blessings, but they can also take them back.”
Except for Ming Er, everyone else lowered their heads and dared not make a sound.
Mingsheng was a shrewd person, and she kept her words to themselves. They weren't so stupid as to not understand what she was saying. If they weren't united and angered the gods, even she, as the head of the family, wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Could she possibly go against the gods?
Seeing that they all understood, Ming Sheng gave a look, and Old Man Ming handed over the items.
“Second son, this flour is very precious. I’m afraid we can’t make cold noodles now. Why don’t you try making this jelly first? If it tastes good, we can take it to town to sell and bring in some extra income for the family.”
"Okay." The second man quickly took it.
He has recently started learning to read, but there are still some parts he can't understand.
After receiving the items from Mingsheng, he began to ponder how to make this jelly.
For the parts he didn't understand, he asked Ming Er, then asked Ming Da again, and pondered it several times before finally getting a grasp of it and managing to make it.
It's not difficult, just the process is quite long. The beans need to be ground and dried into powder. With the help of the eldest and third sons, it's not too bad.
When he finished the project and saw the results, he was quite satisfied.
Finally, the jelly was made and served to the family. The mother respectfully said to Mingsheng, "Mother, it's all ready."
"This is what you call jelly?" the others asked, looking at the translucent substance on the plate with a puzzled expression.
No one dared to pick up their chopsticks first, all staring expectantly at Ming Sheng, waiting for her, the head of the family, to speak.
Mingsheng picked up his chopsticks and took a bite first, then frowned. "This stuff doesn't taste like anything. Can people really buy this?"
“Mother, I saw in the recipe the fairy gave me that it said to add ingredients. I made two kinds, one sweet and one savory.”
If it's sweet, you need to add sugar, and it still tastes alright.
But the adults in my family clearly prefer salty flavors.
Children prefer sweet jelly.
Family members also have different preferences for the flavor of this jelly.
“It’s not up to us to decide; it only counts if people eat it and think it’s delicious,” Mingsheng said, stopping them from arguing further.
Those who come to eat have to pay, so they can just buy whichever one they like. It doesn't matter if they think it tastes good; they don't have to pay. They're just there to taste it.
Putting everything else aside, the second brother's cooking skills are undeniable. The jelly itself doesn't have much flavor, but when paired with the sauce he makes, the taste is completely different.
Ming Sheng wasn't in a hurry to think about selling things. She thought that since the gods had blessed their Ming family, they should first worship the gods and let them see their family's sincerity.
However, she still didn't know what the fairy looked like, so Mingsheng called Ming'er over and asked her carefully about the appearance of the fairy female tutor she mentioned. He then asked the eldest brother to find the carpenter in the village to carve out the fairy's appearance.
If others ask, just brush it off; you definitely can't talk about things related to immortals.
The tiny wooden puppet, no bigger than the palm of your hand, does look quite a bit like Xiang Bei.
Next to her was a puppet that was half a head shorter than Xiang Bei; it resembled the system.
Looking at her doll-like appearance, the system chattered incessantly in Bei's ear, "Why is the host so beautiful, and I'm so ugly?"
“What’s ugly about it? It’s actually quite nice. At first glance, it’s actually quite pretty,” Xiang Bei said, resting her chin on her hand.
"Can't you take a closer look?" the system muttered.
"Up close, it's alright, I guess," Xiang Bei said, turning her gaze away.
The system snorted loudly and went to the corner to draw circles.
After the Ming family enshrined the wooden carvings of Xiang Bei and the system in their home, Ming Sheng led everyone in kneeling and bowing before arranging the next steps.
The second son and his wife went to make this thing called liangfen (cold jelly).
“Alright, second brother, you prepare a small amount first, take it to town and see if it sells well. If it does, we’ll go find someone to buy some more mung beans and make more.”
"Mother, the recipe says that the jelly will spoil if it's hot and left for too long, so we can't make too much," said Ming Lao Er's husband.
"Then let's prepare a smaller batch, sell them all and come back. We'll make whatever profit we can," Mingsheng said after thinking for a while.
"Okay." Mingyi and his wife were both very happy. They never expected that their family would be so fortunate as to have their mother entrust them with such an important task. They were even happier.
Mingyi also planned to do it well. Although she was not very good at accounting, she was not completely bad at it. She could still keep accounts. She would take them home and check them carefully with her mother.
Mingsheng was also a little worried about the couple, so he planned to go with them in the next few days to see if the business would sell well. If it did, the deal could be finalized, and the family could have an extra source of income.
Thinking about how good life will be in the future warms Mingsheng's heart.
Ming Er was doing quite well at the school. The female teacher at the school was also surnamed Ming. She was from the same clan as Ming and had passed the county-level imperial examination. However, she had never been able to pass the provincial-level imperial examination, so she opened a school in the village and taught some students.
Ming Xiucai's daughter was also in the same school as the children. She was surprised to see Ming Er writing his name on a piece of paper.
I had heard that Ming Er was studying with Ming Zhuo at home, but I never expected that she could write her name so beautifully.
Her handwriting is so beautiful, even better than her scholar mother's.
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