Chapter 97
"You hired a lot of people in the village. Did you bring them to Dunzi Island to build houses?"
Sitting in the main hall, Village Chief Wu poured tea for Gu Ran while asking, "So, when the time comes, will you and Pei Liuniang move to that island?"
"I haven't explored the situation on Dunzi Island yet, so I don't dare move there rashly." Gu Ran took the hot tea, warmed his hands with it, and explained, "I built that house thinking I could do the work there myself when the time comes, or hire some help. If I can't get back in time, I can stay overnight on the island."
Village Chief Wu felt relieved to hear that Gu Ran wasn't moving from the village. Then, when he heard she was hiring a worker, he asked curiously, "Are you planning to make a living on the island?"
Gu Ran nodded.
"Can I ask what kind of business you plan to do?" What kind of business can't be done in the village or in the city? Why do you have to spend a lot of money to buy an island?
"I'll tell you the truth, but can the village chief keep my secret until next April?"
"You said, I won't tell anyone else about this."
"I'm planning to plant orange trees on Dunzi Island."
Village chief Wu was indeed surprised, but after thinking about it, he immediately understood.
Something happened to the orange orchard of the Liu and Zhu families in Donglin Township. The problem was discovered by Gu Er Niang. Now that Jianzhou has lost two large orange growers, is Gu Er Niang planning to fill the vacancies herself?
I heard that the disease was caused by soil problems and that it could be transmitted by lice. That's why Gu Er Niang had to stay away from Donglin Township and just buy an island to grow crops?
Thinking of this, Village Chief Wu's admiration for Gu Er Niang increased even more.
Since she could spot the lesions on the orange tree, she must know a thing or two about growing oranges. She was also so bold and resolute. Before Gu Er Niang, she had never seen such a capable woman.
Bayberry juice, roasted grass jelly, are you planning to make a living by selling oranges today?
If they took an island to grow oranges, they would probably have to plant hundreds of trees, right? It wouldn't be enough for her and Pei Liuniang to take care of it alone. After the Liu and Zhu families' orange orchards were built, they hired a lot of managers and servants.
Village chief Wu's thoughts began to move.
"You're planning on hiring someone to take care of the orange tree, right? Have you chosen someone?"
"Yes, I want to ask the farmers who previously took care of the orange trees at the Liu and Zhu families if they are willing to hire a few of them to come to the island to help me take care of the orange trees."
After planting hundreds of orange trees, it will be a full orange grove. She and Pei Liuniang will definitely not be able to handle it alone. One of the reasons for building houses now is to provide a place to accommodate the farmers who will be hired later.
"Do you know them?"
Gu Ran shook his head. "No rush. I haven't thought about telling anyone about my orange planting yet. I'll go to Donglin Township and ask after I actually buy an orange tree after the New Year."
"That's right." Village Chief Wu seemed to be thinking about it. "Then do you want me to ask for your help?"
"It would be great if you are willing to help, Village Chief." Gu Ran smiled and took a sip of hot tea.
"Also, look, when the time comes, will you also need to hire a manager or something for your orange orchard?"
"Village Chief, do you have any recommendations?"
Village Chief Wu didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Look, how about our Erlang go to Dunzi Island and work as your servant?"
Gu Ran was stunned, and then surprised: "Village Chief, are you serious?"
"I think you are capable. It would be okay if my Erlang could learn some skills from you."
"Brother Lin is helping me plant oranges. How about the farm work at home?"
"There's me and your second sister-in-law." Village chief Wu said frankly.
"But, you are the village chief?"
Aren't village leaders supposed to be busy with village affairs? If they're busy with farm work, what about village affairs?
"What's wrong with being the village chief? Doesn't he have to work? Besides, our village is so small, there aren't many things that require the village chief's intervention, and I don't have much work to do." Village Chief Wu sighed, "Do you know how I got the position of village chief?"
The original head of Xiaxi Village was Mr. Lin, the husband of Village Head Wu.
The Lin family is also from Xiaxi Village. Mr. Lin is the only child in the family. He has been smart since childhood and is the only person in the village who has received an education. Naturally, he was elected as the village chief by the villagers.
It was only when Mr. Lin was seriously ill and died that Village Chief Wu became pregnant with Xiaolan. In the one or two years after Mr. Lin's death, the village was in a situation where no one was in charge.
But firstly, the people of Xiaxi Village live far away from each other, so there is no friction that needs to be mediated by others. Secondly, the villagers are self-sufficient, the government is stable, and life is peaceful. There are no troubles such as conscription and tax increases. Even if the county government or the township has any requirements, they can quickly resolve them themselves. Therefore, it doesn’t matter much whether there is a village chief or not.
Later, when the village head Weng learned about it, he felt that this was not a good idea. The people of Xiaxi Village saw that since they had to elect a village head, no one would do such a thing as running around to the township or county government office. They were naturally afraid of being involved with the government office and were afraid of trouble. Later, they remembered that Lin Langjun's wife used to go in and out with Village Head Lin, and must be more familiar with the officials than they were, so they asked her to be the village head.
So Xiaxi Village had its first female village chief.
"You've been in our village for quite some time. Have you seen anything major happen?"
Gu Ran shook his head.
"So, as the village chief, I usually just run errands. There's really nothing important to do. I also do the farm work at home."
Village Chief Wu gave birth to three sons for the Lin family, and they were all experts in their own fields: Lin Dalang and his wife liked to make a living, so he used his savings to buy them a shop in the county town and started a rice business; Lin Erlang liked farming, and it was just right that someone was farming the dozens of acres of land at home; as for Lin Sanlang, he was most like the deceased Lin Lang, with a quick mind and a good study, so Village Chief Wu let him continue his studies.
Village chief Wu treated his last daughter, Xiaolan, equally and sent her to a private school in Donglin Township. If she could read well, that would be good. If she didn't like it, then learning a few more words would be beneficial to her in the future.
"Now, the Lin family has another grandchild. It seems good now, but it was not easy to give birth to him. It also costs money to raise him."
The Lin family was not originally a wealthy family. It was just because they only had one son that their financial situation seemed better than others. But in this generation, with more sons, the expenses naturally increased.
Relying on the crops to make a living is not enough to support the students in the family, but fortunately, Lin Dalang opened a rice shop, which barely maintains a balance between income and expenditure.
But Lin Sanlang wants to go to school, and he said that he is going to take the entrance exam to Shenglin Academy in Damao City in the future. Xiaolan also wants to go to school, and going to a private school also costs money. The other day, because Lin Ersao had a difficult delivery, a lot of money was spent. And there is also the little boy to raise in the future. When he grows up, if he is as smart as his grandfather and uncle, sending him to school will also cost a lot of money.
So when Village Chief Wu saw how capable Gu Ran was, and that she had earned hundreds of silver coins and even bought an island in less than two years after coming to Xiaxi Village, he naturally wanted Lin Erlang to follow her.
As a father, he naturally has to make plans for his son. Is it possible that when his son and daughter need to go to school in the future, relying on the land for food is not enough, and he has to rely on his uncle's family for money?
Since Village Chief Wu had already said it, Gu Ran naturally had no choice but to agree.
The day before yesterday, when she was interacting with Lin Ersao, she also came into contact with Lin Erlang. The few acres of land she had reclaimed were also managed by Lin Erlang. It could be seen that he was a capable person. Anyway, her orange orchard on Dunzi Island was short of people, and Gu Ran was happy to see more people who knew her well as helpers.
With that, it was settled that Lin Erlang would follow Gu Ran to Dunzi Island to work. Village Chief Wu was even more kind to Gu Ran. "By the way, didn't I tell you at the beginning of this year that when I report to the county government on the performance of the new households in the village, I would try to give you a good evaluation?"
"uh-huh?"
"I've reported to you again about the windmill we built in our village, which can dispel miasma and protect the village. The county magistrate recently heard that you've made some great contributions and will be promoted and transferred to another place after the New Year. He was in a particularly good mood and approved it immediately this time."
"Really? What's the reward?" Gu Ran had heard from Xu Sankou a long time ago that the county magistrate sent the secret letter of collusion between the Zhou family and Lord Du to the capital. He guessed that this was the great achievement.
"Originally, you had to wait three years before enjoying the same tax system as us. Now, starting next year, you will be subject to the same tax rate as us, 30% of the tax!"
"That's great, you've been a great help, Village Chief."
In other words, she can store a few more stones of rice grown in the fields!
It just so happened that she had an orange orchard and also had to consider providing food for her employees, and now this problem could be solved!
Gu Ran smiled as he and Village Chief Wu returned to the courtyard where the banquet was being held. He saw Pei Liu sitting at a table in the corner. Many young men from the village were sitting next to him, all scratching their heads and cheeks and trying to show their courtesy. However, Pei Liu had a cold and gloomy face, as if he was keeping people at a distance. He smiled and walked towards the table, "Sixth Lady!"
"Is it done?"
Pei Liu was already impatient to stay at the table, but seeing that Gu Ran had been called away by the village chief, he could only hold his temper and wait. Now that he saw her coming back, he wanted to ask her to leave.
"It's done."
When Gu Ran walked over, someone made room for her.
"Second Aunt Gu, please don't be polite. Stay and eat more!" Village Chief Wu, who had sent Gu Ran over, saw that the dishes on the table were getting cold. He casually asked his eldest daughter-in-law to bring some hot dishes to the table. Before he could say anything else, he saw his eldest son at the gate shouting with a smile, "Hey, Azhe, you're finally back!"
"I have to come back to celebrate my nephew's full moon banquet."
"Oh, you brought so many people here!"
"Ah, the county school is closed, so I brought a few classmates to visit my home."
"These ones too?"
"Both."
"Shen Erlang, you're back too?"
"He must be back. Azhe's nephew is also my nephew. Look, I even brought a generous gift especially for my nephew."
As soon as Lin Sanlang and his classmates from the official school came in, they immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Village Chief Wu also said something to Gu Ran and went to meet him.
"Hey, Lin San, you brought so many scholars to show your support to your nephew?"
"Your nephew is quite impressive! Who knows, there might even be a scholar in the Lin family in the future!"
Lin Sanlang bowed his hands and greeted the villagers with a smile. When he saw Village Chief Wu, he took a few quick steps, then stopped and turned back: "Junior Sister He?"
He Qinghuan, who had followed Lin Sanlang to Xiaxi Village, was curiously examining the various banquets with another female student. When they heard Lin Sanlang's call, they stepped forward, "Brother Lin! Your house is bustling with activity! We're lucky we made it!"
"Mother, this is Junior Sister He from our county school." Lin Sanlang explained to his mother with a smile, and then introduced to He Qinghuan with a smile: "Junior Sister He, this is my mother, and she is also the village chief of our village."
"Hello, Aunt Lin." He Qinghuan bowed politely to Village Chief Wu. "We are here with Senior Brother Lin as guests at your home. Sorry to bother you."
"do not bother!"
Village Chief Wu and Lin Sanlang said in unison, looked at each other helplessly, but He Qinghuan on the side laughed, and the other students who followed behind also hurriedly saluted Village Chief Wu.
Village chief Wu greeted Lin Sanlang's classmates one by one with a smile, and arranged a table for them to sit. When he went to the kitchen, he couldn't help but look back at that table. He happened to see Lin Sanlang pulling out the table for Junior Sister He to sit down. The young lady's eyes were full of light, so bright. What else could she not understand?
Sister He from the county school? Does that mean this lady is also a scholar?
Village chief Wu smiled slightly and went to help his eldest daughter-in-law with satisfaction.
Gu Ran was also at his table, and he saw every scene of Lin Sanlang showing his courtesy to He Qinghuan. He nudged Pei Liuniang, who was also glancing over, and said, "Liu Niang, you and Lin San are really not meant to be together!"
Pei Liu's face darkened, and he glanced at Gu Ran: "I don't care."
But some people care.
Today, the Yang sisters who also came to the banquet had been keeping an eye on this group of people since Lin Sanlang brought his men back. Anyone with a discerning eye could see how Lin Sanlang and He Qinghuan were getting along.
Yang Yinling couldn't help but secretly look at her elder sister's expression, but the more Yang Jinling looked, the gloomier her expression became. Finally, she said goodbye in a hurry and left.
Gu Ran and Pei Liu were also preparing to leave. When they stood up and walked out, the people at Lin Sanlang's table noticed them.
"Gu Erniang, Pei Liuniang, you are here too?" It was Shen Erlang who spoke loudly.
"Yes, we came early and have finished eating now, so take your time!"
"Sister Gu, where is your home? I'll come to find you later!" He Qinghuan also said.
"As for the small house in front, just ask Lin San."
Gu Ran and Pei Liuniang returned to the cottage and lit a charcoal fire. The big orange cat and the three little ones - it's not appropriate to call them three little ones now, they can only be called grandchildren - had been staying motionless in the nest, but when they felt the warmth of the charcoal fire, they slowly came over and lay down beside them one by one.
"Looks like we need to prepare another charcoal brazier to keep our grandchildren warm!"
The weather outside was getting colder, so Gu Ran rarely stayed in the courtyard and usually returned to the main hall.
Uncle Wu has now taken his men to Dunzi Island to build a house. Today they have stopped working because the young man from Village Chief Wu's family is having a one-month banquet, so one person is working. Tomorrow they have to go back to Dunzi Island to continue working. Pei Liuniang will go with them. As for herself, she plans to visit a few more counties and stock up on some citrus fruits that are on the market today.
Just in case, if the harvest of the tangerines she grows next year is not good, she will buy them now. If Xu San or other customers come to buy the early-ripening tangerines like this year, won’t she be able to deal with them then?
Moreover, she estimated that orange marmalade and canned oranges also had great potential, but these products could not be made on short notice. Moreover, even if they were made on short notice, they had to be made before the first batch of early-ripening oranges came on the market next year. Otherwise, where would there be enough manpower and time to make a batch of orange products?
If you want to make another steady profit, of course you should start planning now.
However, you must not let anyone else know that you have purchased a large number of oranges and then stored them in the space grid. Otherwise, if others see that you have bought so many oranges but have never taken them out, they might become suspicious.
Speaking of space, Gu Ran hasn't upgraded the other space compartments in the space cabinet for a long time.
There were too many things that took up her energy this year. She had to raise a litter of kittens, and she had to be careful not to be discovered when Liu Niang moved in. There were also many other matters that made it impossible for her to take care of the affairs of this space.
Besides, she now has a complete space, so even if she occasionally sees that she has enough points to upgrade and open an extra space slot, she is not in a hurry to draw cards.
But now it's different.
If she wants to do orange business seriously with Xu San and other customers, then she has to stock up more oranges, right?
The best time to buy tangerines is only a few months before and after the New Year. If you miss the opportunity to purchase during this period, there will be no place to replenish the stock in the entire Dasheng Dynasty.
So she had to open an extra space specifically for storing citrus fruits.
This way, they won't repeat the same mistake as Liu Dong's family, where the oranges of the season had problems but they couldn't find other citrus varieties to replace them, resulting in a huge loss.
If she makes a new space grid like space grid No. 8 to keep the freshness, the oranges bought this year can be used next year. Is she still afraid that she will make a loss in business?
Gu Ran was calculating quickly, just waiting for the time to go into the workshop to get points to exchange for a chance to draw a card.
Pei Liu was sitting across from her, holding Xiaohua and sipping hot tea. Her expression was sometimes solemn, then excited, and he didn't know what she was thinking. When he saw her finally come to her senses, he asked her, "The weather is getting colder. When you and Uncle Wu go to Dunzi Island tomorrow, remember to bring your fur coat and bedding. If you can, bring your quilt too, otherwise you might catch a cold at night."
"It's okay. Uncle Wu and his team built two small houses just for those staying overnight on the island." Pei Liu shook his head. "Besides, there's plenty of firewood on the island. We can burn firewood at night and stay warm."
"Two small houses have been built?" Gu Ran was surprised. "I have to go and see it for myself someday."
She had only been there twice after Uncle Wu San came to the island to build a house. The first time was when the helpers hired by Uncle Wu San came to the island for the first time with tools and materials. The second time was when the foundation was initially built and Uncle Wu San asked her to go and inspect it.
"Want to go together tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, it's not impossible. I think..." Before Gu Ran could say anything else, He Qinghuan's voice rang out from outside the cottage: "Sister Gu, are you there?"
"Yes, the door is not locked, just come in."
"Oh, okay."
The big orange dog and several of his grandchildren, who were crawling on the ground beside the charcoal fire, heard a strange sound and were about to get up when Gu Ran held them down and stroked them: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, they are grandma's guests!"
Big Orange seemed to understand and was unwilling to leave such a warm place, so he lay down again. But Little Orange and Little Black couldn't stay there any longer. They meowed and jumped out to find a place to hide.
Xiaohua in Pei Liu's arms poked her head out, saw that her brothers and sisters had run away, glanced at her mother, and continued to lie down with peace of mind.
He Qinghuan came with Lin San and Chen Er. When they entered the main hall and sat down, Chen Er started yelling, "Didn't you say you set a trap in this courtyard? How come we're fine after we came in?"
The story of a thief who broke into the house but was caught in a trap had already spread throughout the village, so Shen Er also knew that his father and brother were witnesses.
"Is there really a trap?" He Qinghuan was surprised as it was the first time he heard about it.
Gu Ran nodded.
"No wonder Shen Er was in a dilemma when he pushed the door open and came in, fearing that he would step into a trap and break his leg." He Qing laughed.
"Like a mountain monkey." Lin Sanlang glanced at Shen Er and mocked him.
Shen Er was about to make a threatening gesture towards him, but when he saw Pei Liuniang's look, he sat up straight again.
"How come we are okay after coming in?" Lin San had never seen this before and asked curiously.
"When people are at home during the day, the trap is set. It will only be effective when no one is at home." Gu Ran stood up, brought out food and pastries, and also filled a cup of hot tea for each visitor.
"Hey, Sister Gu, you have a cat at home? One? Two?"
"I know. She originally only had one cat, and that cat later gave birth to three more, making four in total." Chen Er said as if he knew everything. He looked at the big orange cat lying on the ground, not letting him get close to it, and then looked at the cat in Pei Liu's arms. He couldn't help laughing, "Hey, Liu Niang, you're so kind. That cat is willing to get close to you?"
For the first time, Pei Liu realized that Shen Er was not so annoying. He nodded slightly, looked at the corner of his mouth and stroked Xiaohua's head with a smug look.
"What about the other two? Where did they go?"
"Maybe he's shy and ran off somewhere else?"
After talking in a low voice for a while, He Qinghuan finally explained her purpose to Gu Ran: "Sister Gu, I came to Xiaxi Village this time to talk to you about something."
"What's up?"
"You've just been to the store in the city, right? You know how popular our He's Grass Jelly is, right?"
"Yes, in recent months, the money given to me by the store has been increasing." Gu Ran smiled.
"And that konjac? More and more customers are liking it." He Qinghuan was also happy. If the business was good, the family would earn more money. "Next year, we can make konjac our main dish. What do you think?"
"Then you should ask Mai Jiaxiangxiang if they can grow as much konjac as your store wants next year."
"I asked, and Xiangxiang said it's okay." He Qinghuan nodded. "However, if we open a store in the city market, then the konjac grown by Xiangxiang alone may not be enough in the near future. Sister Gu, can you plant more here?"
"Drive to the city market?" Gu Ran clicked his tongue. "You guys want to?"
"We, Senior Brother Lin, Junior Brother Shen, and I, want to open a He's Herbal Roasted Grass in Jianzhou City together." He Qing smiled and looked at the two gentlemen on his left and right.
Lin Sanlang and Shen Erlang both smiled at Gu Ran.
He Qinghuan is trying to win over partners and open another store!
Gu Ran was also convinced.
"Sister Gu, the three of us are opening a shop together, so your share is definitely essential. My grandfather can grow more grass jelly, but the konjac will depend on you and Xiangxiang. What do you think?"
"I still have three acres of land that I haven't planned to plant anything on, so I'll plant konjac first!" said Gu Ran.
Lin San coughed dryly and said, "If you, Gu Erniang, are too busy, my second brother can help plant some. He's an old hand at farm work and will definitely be able to grow konjac well."
Lin Sanlang probably doesn't know that his mother asked his second brother to follow her to Dunzi Island to grow oranges.
However, since Village Chief Wu didn't mention this to Lin San, Gu Ran pretended not to know and nodded: "Okay, if I'm too busy, I will definitely ask your family. That is, you all need to go to school, right? If you open a shop in the city, who will take care of it?"
"My uncle and aunt can both run the shop at the port, so I plan to let my mother be the head chef at the shop in the city." He Qinghuan explained immediately.
"Then shopkeeper, I can just ask my father to borrow a manager." Shen Er said.
"Guys in the store, first ask who in the family is willing to go. If there are not enough, just look for someone in the city." Lin San also said.
Since they could explain the matter of opening a shop in a clear and coherent manner, and they were all scholars who had studied in the official school in the county, Gu Ran believed that they were all smart people and did not interfere, letting them handle it on their own.
The four partners drafted the cooperation agreement for the second herbal jelly shop in the small house and signed and put their thumbprints on it.
When the three of them finally left the Gu family's cottage, they were all filled with joy.
When Gu Ran was carrying Daju and seeing them off from the cottage, she happened to see Aunt Yang coming to give her the account book.
Aunt Yang is now responsible for the food of all the people who go to Dunzi Island to build houses. The rice, grain, meat and vegetables are all arranged and transported by her. As for the money to buy food, she comes to Gu Ran to ask for money, so it is not surprising to see Aunt Yang coming to her house. What surprised her is that Aunt Yang came alone the first two times, but this time she brought Yang Jinling, the second daughter of the Yang family, with her.
Aunt Yang came in, and Gu Ran and others came in and closed the door. But Yang Jinling stood there, watching He Qinghuan and his group walk away, then slowly turned around and went into the small house.
Gu Ran glanced at her and saw that she looked pale and distraught, so he couldn't help but look at Huanhuan and her group.
What's going on?
After entering the small house, when Aunt Yang came into the living room to yell at the cat, Yang Jinling reached out and pulled Gu Ran.
Gu Ran turned around and looked at her:?
"Third Brother Lin, why did I bring Junior Sister He to see you?" Yang Jinling hesitated, not daring to look at Gu Ran, and asked softly with her head down.
Gu Ran immediately understood what Yang Jinling was thinking.
It seems that Uncle Yang once said on the island that he had to find a husband for his second daughter. Does this mean that the He family has set their sights on Lin Sanlang?
"It's about the He family shop, which is located in the city, so Huanhuan—Junior Sister He—came to ask for my opinion."
Yang Jinling breathed a sigh of relief, "Nothing else?"
"That's all."
Yang Jinling finally dared to look up, quickly glanced at Gu Ran, then looked at her own mother's voice in the hall: "I, I remembered that there is something else. Tell my mother, I'll go back first."
"good."
Gu Ran smiled and watched Yang Jinling leave. After returning to the living room, he told Aunt Yang what he had said. Aunt Yang didn't care and told Gu Ran item by item according to the bill about the food she had bought for the island recently.
Gu Ran looked at the bill. The handwriting was crooked and marked with symbols she couldn't understand. At first, she had to ask Aunt Yang to explain each one. For example, a small circle represented corn (small grains), a large circle represented flour (mainly used to make steamed buns or flatbreads, round), an oval represented taro, and a wavy line represented fish...
In short, it is the writing system used by Aunt Yang, who can hardly read, to keep accounts. It is also the unique culture of many families who have never been to school and learned to read.
The first time Aunt Yang compared this special bill with the actual item one by one, Gu Ran understood it. Later, when he saw this bill again, he no longer found it strange.
After checking the bills three times, Gu Ran found that Aunt Yang was honest and had not committed any fraud, so he gave her the money with confidence and let her make her own decision.
Aunt Yang happily took the money and went straight back to her home without delaying for long.
The Yang family in Xiaxi Village is located not far from the village entrance. It is a large earthen house that is quite old, with mottled moss growing on the outer walls.
Aunt Yang returned to her own courtyard and first went back into the house to put the silver away. Then she went out and called out, "Girl Jin, Girl Yin?" and went to the kitchen.
She had just seen smoke rising from the kitchen outside, and guessed that the two girls in the family were preparing dinner. When she walked into the kitchen, she found that it was the girl Yin who was busy, while the older girl Jin was squatting on the ground burning firewood. She looked dazed, holding the dry firewood but not looking at the fire. She didn't even notice that the fire in the stove was almost out.
"Oh, girl, what are you doing?" Aunt Yang snatched the dry firewood from Jinling's hand, squatted down and blew on the stove with her lips pouting. When she saw that the fire in the stove was blown up, she added the dry firewood little by little.
Seeing the firewood burning brightly, she glanced at her second daughter and said, "Look at you, you're not as smart as your sister. Just now, you said you wanted to ask Mrs. Gu if you could find a job on the island, but you ran away as soon as you walked in. What's going on? Warming up by the fire?"
Yinling listened to her mother scolding her elder sister, looked at her elder sister with sympathy, and lowered her head to continue picking vegetables.
"You're old enough to start a family. Your father and I are busy earning more money for you. If you don't want to save money, just stay home and don't cause trouble."
Aunt Yang stood up, opened the pot and looked at the rice cooking inside, then she pulled the vegetables that Yinling had picked out to her side and started to pick them. "During the New Year holiday, come with us and visit a few more households to see which husband is suitable. After the New Year holiday, pick a good one and settle down. When you get married in the future, it will be like your sister..."
"Can I just marry someone in the village?" Yang Jinling suddenly interrupted Aunt Yang and asked.
"In the village? Which family have you taken a fancy to?" Aunt Yang was surprised. She stopped and looked at her daughter.
Yinling also pursed her lips, glanced quickly at her elder sister, and lowered her head again.
Yang Jinling opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"You silly girl, if you have someone you like, why don't you tell your parents and expect us to guess for ourselves?" Aunt Yang was furious. She grabbed a piece of vegetable and threw it at Yang Jinling. "If you don't tell us, we'll arrange a marriage for you. Don't blame us for not arranging it for you."
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you." Yang Jinling was also angry. She pinched the vegetable in her hand and gritted her teeth. "I, I want to marry into the Lin family."
"Which Lin family?" Aunt Yang roared.
"Which other Lin family is there in our village?" Yang Jinling also shouted.
Aunt Yang was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. "There's only one Lin family in our village. Are you thinking..." Aunt Yang looked at her daughter. "Oh, the only unmarried man in the Lin family is... Are you interested in Lin San?"
"Is it not possible?" Yang Jinling said angrily.
"If you had mentioned this yesterday, your father and I would have told you, but today..." Aunt Yang had also been to the Lin family for a banquet. Lin San brought back those scholars from the city, and everyone saw it. Lin San personally brought a beautiful junior sister to his mother. Even if Lin San didn't say anything, everyone understood 70% of it.
Now that my daughter says she wants to be Lin San’s wife, isn’t it obvious that this won’t work?
"You little girl!" Aunt Yang sighed. "He's an educated man, and none of us can even read. We're not a good match, so I'm afraid they'll look down on us!"
"You haven't asked in person, so how do you know he wouldn't like it?" Yang Jinling's eyes reddened, tears nearly falling. "If you haven't been educated, you can't expect to marry a good man? Why didn't you send me to school in the first place?"
"What do you mean? Your father and I raised you all with good food and drink, and you're blaming us?" Aunt Yang was furious. "Then who told you not to be smart enough to be reborn in the city, but in my belly? Who in the village sends their daughters to school? Even in the county, there aren't many!"
Yang Jinling burst into tears.
"Cry, cry, cry, just cry!"
Aunt Yang suddenly became anxious. She put down the dishes and walked out cursing. She returned to her room and sat on the edge of the bed. She didn't know what she was thinking about, but she reached out and wiped the corners of her eyes.
In the kitchen, Yang Yinling pushed Yang Jinling's shoulder and said, "Don't cry, mother is angry."
Yang Jinling's body twitched, but she said nothing. She silently pulled the vegetable basket over and started picking vegetables, wiping away tears from time to time.
Yang Yinling had no choice but to stand by and sigh secretly.
My elder sister has always liked Brother Lin San. When she saw that Brother Lin San became a scholar in the village and was able to go to school in the city, she liked him even more.
But they did it secretly and didn't dare let anyone know.
I was thinking that I could get married when I reached marriageable age. But the other day, I heard the second sister-in-law of the Lin family say that the beautiful Miss Pei Liu wanted to marry Brother Lin San. My sister felt like she was facing a great enemy, but she didn't expect that Lin San actually had a beautiful junior sister.
Seeing that Madam Pei Liu and Brother Lin San couldn't reach an agreement, my sister was secretly glad. But when my junior sister showed up today, she knew from Lin San's enthusiasm that my sister had no hope at all.
Yang Jinling was just feeling worried when Aunt Yang came back to the kitchen.
"You want to marry into the Lin family. I'll find time tomorrow to talk to Village Chief Wu about it. Don't say your parents didn't agree with you."
Yang Jinling raised her head suddenly.
"But if this doesn't work out, don't worry about them anymore. We can't force someone to do something if they don't want to!" Aunt Yang sighed, "Your father and I don't have the ability to do that."
Yang Jinling wiped her tears and nodded.
Aunt Yang went to the Lin family to look for someone the next day.
Village chief Wu of the Lin family was very happy, not only because he saw his third son bringing his favorite woman home, but also because he brought so many scholars from the city back to attend his grandson's full moon banquet, which gave his family enough face. Moreover, Lin San told her that he wanted to go into business together with this Junior Sister He and the Second Young Master of the Shen family, and open a shop in the provincial capital to sell the roasted grass jelly that Gu Er Niang had made at that time.
It was at this time that Village Chief Wu realized that Junior Sister He was the He family in the city who had cooperated with Gu Er Niang, and that the business had even spread to the port of the provincial capital.
I heard from my youngest son that the small shop at the port was very popular and made a lot of money, otherwise they would not be jealous. When they learned that Junior Sister He wanted to open a shop in the city's commercial market, they were very eager to invest and work together.
Village chief Wu fully agreed with his youngest son's proposal.
The things that Gu Er Niang made were already hot-selling. Since Miss He had already started this business, she naturally had experience. On top of that, there was also Shen Erlang joining in the fun. Even if Shen Erlang was not familiar with business, didn't he have Master Shen behind him?
How could Mr. Shen not care about such a big thing as opening a store in the capital city?
Village chief Wu felt comforted when he saw his youngest son was smart and had figured out how to make money.
"Mother, I can get a 10% share of the shop's profits. When I have more money in the future, I won't have to spend so much money at home all the time." Lin Sanlang also said, "Maybe I can even save up some money for my travel expenses and tuition at Shenglin Academy."
"Okay, since you've all made the plan, I don't mind." Village Chief Wu nodded with a smile. "When the time comes, just ask me for your share of the money."
"Just take some of the money you saved for my salary, so you don't have to ask big brother for more money."
"Don't worry, I have my own score."
When Village Chief Wu and Lin San were looking forward to the next year, Aunt Yang came to visit them.
"Village Chief Wu, oh, your Sanlang is here too!"
"Hey, what do you want to talk to me about?" Village Chief Wu was in a good mood. He waved Lin San to greet the classmates he brought with him, and then turned back to greet Aunt Yang. "You just asked our Dalang to buy rice, right? What's the matter? The rations sent to the island are not enough?"
Most of the food that Aunt Yang sent to the island was bought from households in the village.
Firstly, it is convenient. Secondly, when you buy things from someone in the village, you can also help that person make some money.
However, not every household has enough surplus food. Now that the New Year is approaching, of course they will prioritize their own families. So if we were to say who has the most surplus food in the village, wouldn’t it be the family of Village Chief Wu, whose eldest son runs a rice shop?
So Aunt Yang buys her staple food from Village Chief Wu.
"Hey, let me discuss this with you first. We'll have the rice sent to the island next time so you can prepare it first." Aunt Yang smiled. Looking at the courtyard outside where Lin Sanzheng was walking out with his classmates, including that so-called junior sister, she casually asked, "Hey, how long will your Sanlang be home this time?"
"It's been two days. I haven't officially had my day off yet. I have to go back to the county town this afternoon."
"Well, I won't stay for a few more days."
"It's okay. Isn't the New Year coming soon? Then I can come back and stay longer."
"Well, how old is Saburo? He's old enough to get married, right?"
Village chief Wu was watching Lin Sanlang and a group of classmates leave the courtyard one after another, just like Aunt Yang. When he heard Aunt Yang ask this, he looked away and looked at Aunt Yang.
Aunt Yang waved her hand and said, "Don't look at me, look at your Sanlang. The junior sister he brought back is very beautiful. Isn't she the one he plans to marry?"
Village Chief Wu smiled and said, "It's still early!"
"It's still early, not too early. If you want Sanlang to be happy, you have to settle down quickly." Aunt Yang asked tentatively, "If it weren't for the fact that your Sanlang is already in love with his so-and-so junior sister, I would have wanted to marry you!"
Village Chief Wu was stunned for a moment, then he understood: "Your daughter Jinling is old enough to be married."
"What do you think of our Jinling?"
"It's a good one."
"Then?" Aunt Yang looked at Village Chief Wu expectantly.
"It's not my turn to decide my Sanlang's marriage. He's always had his own ideas. He'll marry the kind of woman he likes." Village Chief Wu smiled. "I only found out yesterday that he likes someone like his Junior Sister He."
In other words, Lin San has actually already taken a fancy to Junior Sister He?
Aunt Yang understood what was going on, but she forced a smile to hide her disappointment.
Village Chief Wu grabbed Aunt Yang's hand and patted it. "Your daughter Jinling is looking for a husband, right? I often travel around the villages and know many families. Do you want me to help you find one?"
"That's great." Aunt Yang sighed.
Others have made it so clear that it is impossible for them to like her daughter. What else can she do?
Shouldn't that girl give up this time?
After hearing what her mother had told her, Yang Jinling was stunned for a long moment, her heart growing cold. "Wu, was it Village Chief Wu who said that? Wasn't it Third Brother Lin who said it himself?"
"You little girl, do you really need to ask Lin San directly about this? Do you have any shame? If you really ask him like that, where will you put your face in the future?" Aunt Yang was very disappointed. "Do you know that Lin San has made an appointment with Junior Sister He to go to Damao City to study together in the future? That will take several years. I'm afraid Lin San won't stay in our village anymore. Can you go with him?"
Yang Jinling bit her lip and her eyeballs drooped.
"The village chief said it all, Lin San only likes his apprentice sister He. Otherwise, if there was a woman he liked in the village, he would have been arranged to marry her long ago," Aunt Yang said. "Didn't they have Pei Liuniang a while ago, but Lin San didn't like her either! Look at you, you're not as pretty as Pei Liuniang, not as smart as apprentice sister He, and not as capable as the lady from the Gu family. Why would Lin San like you?"
"Mother!" Yang Jinling roared in shame and anger.
"What? Did I say something wrong about you?" Aunt Yang also glared at her daughter.
Yang Jinling suddenly stood up and ran out crying.
"Come back, you little girl! Why did you run away? Where else could you have gone?" Aunt Yang was so angry that her chest hurt. She changed her tone and shouted, "Silver girl! Silver girl!"
"Mom, what's the matter?" Yang Yinling poked her head in from outside.
"Go, go, keep an eye on your sister, to prevent her from doing anything stupid!"
"Why!"
Aunt Yang just felt a terrible headache.
We have to go to Dunzi Island today, otherwise there will be no one to cook lunch for those who set out to build houses on the island. But this kind of thing happened. When Yinling calls people back, she will definitely teach this little girl a lesson.
Aunt Yang was just thinking about how to teach Yang Jinling a lesson when Yang Yinling's voice came from outside the house: "Mother, it's bad, mother, my sister, she ran into the miasma forest!"
Aunt Yang, who had just stood up, felt dizzy and staggered back to sit.
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