After tidying up a bunch of things, Chen Tong and Chen Ning took advantage of the early hour and ran up the mountain to dig pig feed. All three children were busy and never idle.
Thinking of a walnut flower and pork bun and a seafood soup, Cheng Yue went to the kitchen to get busy.
Now she doesn't need to make braised dishes every day. She makes a big pot every few days and puts it in the storage space. Since the space keeps the food fresh and maintains a constant temperature, she might as well use it.
Just as Cheng Yue finished preparing the dough and was about to chop the meat filling, she heard a group of people shouting outside the door.
Her home is on a mountain, and usually no one comes up here, let alone a group of people. I don't know what happened.
Cheng Yue put down the kitchen knife, wiped her hands and went outside. She saw the village head in the lead looking eager, followed by a group of villagers, mostly men.
"Wow, Chen An's family really has gained another cow!"
"That's incredible! I knew that the old man came with an ox, but it was gone when he left. It really was given to Chen An and the others!"
When Uncle Chen inquired about Cheng Yue's family at the village entrance, they were all startled, thinking that Cheng Yue had offended someone in her business dealings.
It's no wonder they thought that way; none of them had been to town much, so how could they have ever seen a wealthy gentleman driving a horse-drawn carriage?
Even if they had seen them before, they wouldn't have dared to imagine that someone would come to their poor mountain village. They couldn't think of any other connection except that they must have offended someone.
As it turned out, the man went to Chen An's house, and the ox he was leading disappeared. He knew it was a good thing, so he came to see what was going on.
Hearing the villagers' exclamations of surprise, Cheng Yue finally understood; they had all come to see the cattle.
It's no wonder they're making such a fuss; the excitement of someone getting a cow is like the excitement of someone buying a luxury car in the 1970s.
The village headman stroked the big yellow ox with affection and exclaimed, "This ox is a fine-looking one, with thick legs and a big rump. It looks strong! Chen An, what's the deal with this ox?"
When the village head asked, Chen An didn't try to hide anything and truthfully explained about Third Master Chen giving away the ox. He concluded by saying, "So this ox was a special gift from Madam Chen to thank A-Yue."
As soon as Chen An finished speaking, the villagers' gazes towards Cheng Yue changed.
They all knew that Cheng Yue was in business, but they never imagined that her skills were so good that she could catch the eye of a wealthy woman in the county town.
The village headman smiled broadly, his face crinkling with wrinkles. "Good, good, very good."
With Chen An's wife's abilities, their family has finally made a living.
With such an outstanding person emerging from the village, he, as the village head, is truly proud!
The villagers were extremely envious, but they knew nothing about doing business. How could everyone have such a skill?
A group of people surrounded the big yellow ox, looking at it from all angles, and the more they looked at it, the more they liked it.
Suddenly a man shouted, "Hey? Brother Chen An, you need to build a cowshed, otherwise the cows will get sick from the rain!"
The man may not care about getting wet in the rain, but it would be terrible if the cow got sick.
The cowshed needs to be built, but we haven't had time to find anyone yet. If it weren't for his leg condition, it would have been built in just one afternoon.
Just as Chen An was about to speak, the man continued, "Since so many of us are already here, let's just set up the cowshed for you. It'll only take a little while, saving you the trouble of looking for people!"
"Yeah, let's help each other out!"
Chen An thought it didn't matter who took care of the cowshed, so since they had asked, he agreed.
"Alright, then I'll trouble Brother Tie Niu and everyone else. Building this cowshed wasn't easy either. We'll calculate your wages as you see fit, so as not to waste your time."
Li Tieniu waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, why should we pay for building a cowshed? We're all from the same village, aren't you just making fun of us?"
Other villagers chimed in, "That's right, there are many of us, we'll get it done for you in no time, what trouble could it possibly cause?"
"Yeah, we're all from the same village. It's just a small favor, why be so fussy?"
Seeing the villagers getting along harmoniously, the village head was pleased and jokingly said, "I know what you're thinking. You can't stand seeing the cattle suffer, can you?"
Everyone chuckled sheepishly. Although the cow wasn't theirs, they all felt the same way about cherishing it.
The village head said, "Alright, hurry up and get it done, lest it really rains tonight."
After saying that, the village head led the other villagers away, and Li Tieniu and seven or eight men got to work enthusiastically.
Cheng Yue went into the kitchen and made some sugar water, one bowl for each person.
The men took a sip, smacked their lips, and their eyes lit up. Chen An's wife was so generous; she actually made them sugar water!
The sweet taste in my mouth gave me even more energy to work.
Cheng Yue saw this and, after thinking for a moment, went into the kitchen again. She didn't care about the wages, but she could make something to eat.
Since she was going to make steamed buns anyway, she might as well make more. If she didn't have enough walnut flowers, she could make some pure meat ones and pack a few for each of them.
Meanwhile, the villagers who came down the mountain were also sighing.
"When Chen An's family was separated from the family, we thought we would suffer in the future. Look at us now, it's really unexpected!"
"That's exactly right! They even have an oxcart, and Chen An's wife is capable of so much. She's about to turn her life around!"
One of the women asked in bewilderment, "Why is it that we never noticed Chen An's wife had this skill before? Has she become so amazing after the family split up?"
"What else could it be? In my opinion, it's because Chen An's wife is smart. Think about it, if she had shown it before, would they still be living such a good life after separating from the family?"
"How could her brain not work? Her father was a scholar who passed the imperial examination. Scholars are different from us. It's only a matter of time before she turns her life around."
As they talked, the topic turned to reading. They had seen Chen Lin and his two siblings being literate and good at math when they weighed sweet potato flour last time.
Unlike them, who are all illiterate, their children have to toil in the fields for a living their whole lives. Ah, being literate makes all the difference.
"Speaking of which, Chen An is lucky to have found such a good wife."
“We were all wrong before. We thought the old lady was a butcher and didn’t dare to ask for her hand in marriage. Otherwise, this good fortune would have been ours.”
After he said that, the women laughed. Oh well, even if they were lucky, they might not be able to keep him. They could only secretly envy him.
Besides, they weren't entirely without good fortune; they benefited from Cheng Yue exchanging sweet potato noodles.
Cheng Yue is capable and kind-hearted. She thinks of them when good things happen. Isn't that a blessing?
Thinking this, the group happily descended the mountain, hoping that Cheng Yue's abilities would grow stronger.
Cheng Yue, who was being discussed by the villagers, was unaware of all this and was busy steaming buns over a fire.
The men over there worked quickly, and in no time, a makeshift cowshed was almost finished with just a roof.
The aroma of meat from the steamed buns wafted out in waves, and the stomachs of several men instantly growled. What is this smell? It smells so good!
The group swallowed hard and tacitly quickened their pace.
We need to get the shed ready before dinner, otherwise it will seem like we're deliberately trying to freeload, which would be so embarrassing.
But the aroma just kept getting into their noses, and their limbs almost went weak.
It's still early, why is Cheng Yue already making dinner? This is really torturous!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com