Lunch was served in the courtyard, in a shady spot. The whole family sat around a square table, enjoying a delicious meal with three meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a hot and sour soup.
"Girl, your cooking is really good! I was a little skeptical when you first told me about it, but now I believe you completely, hahaha!"
After tasting the sour soup, Wu praised it to Zhang.
“This child, she took a master two years ago. You all know this girl is usually very quiet. She only told us about it yesterday. Tell me, what do you think that master thinks of us as parents? We didn’t even offer him a cup of tea!”
Zhang pointed at Tian Sangui's forehead affectionately and gently scolded her.
Tian Sangui smiled ingratiatingly, lowering his head to eat the meat in his bowl. Why did this matter of his master have to be brought up again? Sigh, I hope they won't ask any more questions. I really have no more words to make up.
"San Gui is a lucky man. I don't think that master will care about these formalities. Don't take it to heart, eat your food!"
Seeing that his sister was blaming her niece, Zhang Qiang immediately took over the conversation to comfort Zhang Shi, telling her to be more understanding and not to blame her daughter.
Tian Sangui glanced gratefully at her dark-skinned uncle; at that moment, he was the most handsome man in her eyes.
“My third sister is amazing!” Xiao Wu said at that moment.
The laughter amused everyone at the table, and they enjoyed a sumptuous lunch in a harmonious atmosphere.
With Wu's help, the cleanup went much more smoothly.
Zhang took over the task of cleaning the pig intestines and followed the steps Tian Sangui had instructed. Tian Da skillfully picked up a wooden bucket to prepare water for them, and Tian Er followed suit.
Zhang Qiang and Tian Laosi began to busy themselves repairing the house and building an earthen stove.
Tian Sangui washed the two large jars, and Wu Shi was not idle either. Following her instructions, she arranged the cabbages and put them into the wooden basin.
There's too much cabbage; two jars aren't enough. Looks like I'll have to buy more tomorrow...
"Mother, are there any families in our village that make earthenware pots?"
This question stumped Zhang. Tianjia Village wasn't big, and everyone there had no skills other than farming.
Ms. Wu thought of a family in their village: "There is a craftsman in our village who makes earthenware pots, but the man in that family has a very strange temper, and very few people go directly to his house to buy earthenware pots."
Wu felt uncomfortable just from mentioning it.
"Strange? How so?"
This statement piqued Tian Sangui's curiosity, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.
"His family makes excellent earthenware pots, so business comes to them automatically, which makes him very proud."
Villagers would go to him to buy earthenware jars, but he wouldn't sell them to them individually unless they bought ten together, and even then, the price was very high.
The other person saw it wasn't a good deal and gave up on buying it. But he, instead, chased after them to their house, verbally abused them, and made everyone in the village afraid to approach his house, much less buy anything from him.
"Huh? I didn't expect someone with such a personality to have business coming to them."
Zhang was greatly surprised. Why would someone not do business and instead chase after people to curse them? What kind of person is that?
Upon hearing this, Tian Sangui couldn't help but gasp; this person was indeed strange.
"Does Aunt know this person's preferences?"
Perhaps we could start by trying this?
“I don’t know. Since I married into Zhangjia Village, I’ve never had a single word with his family. I only heard about these things from the older generation.”
Everyone avoids such eccentric people like the plague; who would dare to inquire about their preferences?
Buying ten at a time is expensive... not worth it. Given her past relationship with her second uncle, buying more would save her at least ten coins, and her attitude would be impeccable.
Tian Sangui pondered to himself that he didn't have much money on hand at the moment, and it was a peak period for cash flow. He decided to put aside the pottery making for the time being and make do with the pots he had on hand first.
While they were talking, a pot of cabbage had been washed. Tian Sangui ran to the kitchen to get the large bag of salt he had bought. Together with Wu, they evenly coated the cabbage with salt. Initially, they needed to cover it for half a day to allow the water in the cabbage to be squeezed out.
Together with Ms. Wu, we carried the cabbage into a corner of the kitchen where it wouldn't get in the way, and we'll move it out to pickle it when we come back tomorrow morning.
Then Wu helped Zhang clean the large intestine, while Tian Sangui made steamed buns.
This makes the process much faster, adding twenty steamer baskets at once, which greatly reduces the time and cost compared to before.
Upon seeing Tian Da return, Tian Sangui hurriedly came out and called out, "Big brother, second brother, help me build another stove with stones, I need it!"
"Okay!" The two brothers carried baskets on their backs and went to the back of the house, where there were many large stones. They quickly built a stove and fixed it with clay.
Before sunset, the side room was repaired and ready. Zhang and Wu were busy hiding the filling, while Tian Sangui was steaming buns, and Tian Da and Tian Er were in charge of tending the fire.
Not long after dark, four hundred steamed buns were steamed. The pot was cleaned up, and the rice was heated up. Since it was all family, no one cared if there were leftovers and it was uncomfortable to eat.
"It's getting dark, and the room is quite spacious now. Why don't you stay here tonight and go back tomorrow?"
"We have an older child and a younger one at home, and we're worried they won't be able to keep an eye on the poultry. We'll head back after dinner. What's there to be afraid of in the dark? It's not like we haven't been there before. Once the busy farming season is over, we'll bring the kids to stay at your house for a while longer. Please don't rush us to leave then!"
Ms. Wu responded with a smile.
Zhang feigned anger: "That's not true at all! I'm so happy to have my family here, how could I bear to send them away!"
Zhang really wished her brother and sister-in-law could live together; it would make her feel more at ease.
"Alright, alright, I'll treat this place like my own home. I'll come whenever I want. Your family's life is getting better and better, so your brother and sister-in-law are at ease. San Gui is a girl with her own ideas, so you should discuss things with her more often. We trust our own daughter more than anyone else."
Wu pulled Zhang aside and began to speak earnestly.
"Yes, I know. Come visit often when you have time. I'm looking forward to seeing you!"
As she spoke, tears welled up in Zhang's eyes. She felt a deep sense of reluctance, as she hadn't seen her sister-in-law from her maternal family for so many years. Now that they were finally meeting, they had to part again, and she felt an indescribable sadness.
"Oh dear, you're a mother now, why do you still cry like a child? Quickly put it away, San Gui is watching!"
Tears welled up in Wu's eyes, but they were not clearly visible due to the dim candlelight.
When Tian Sangui was lifted up, his hands, which were holding the ladle, paused for a moment, and then he turned his face away as if he hadn't heard or seen anything.
Zhang is a sentimental person who values relationships highly, which is why she was bullied to death by the people in the old house.
After dinner, Zhang Qiang and Wu Shi left in an oxcart, much to the dismay of their family.
Unable to hold back her tears, Zhang nestled in Tian Laosi's arms, trembling slightly. He held Zhang silently, letting his wife soak his clothes in his embrace.
At night, the family no longer needed to cover themselves with clothes to sleep; they all changed into the new quilts brought by the maternal family. The family happily praised their uncles and aunts for being kind.
Tian Sangui touched it carefully; it felt smooth and soft, unlike the thick texture of cotton, and guessed that it must be made of poplar fluff.
This made Tian Sangui feel enlightened. In the history she knew, cotton was introduced to China during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and it was not until the end of the Song Dynasty that it began to be planted on a large scale.
From the perspective of this era, there was no such thing as cotton. In the future, cotton can be planted on a large scale, and the price will be determined by her.
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