Zhenniang: The Three of Us (Part Six)
Before Zhao Zhenniang could react, the system reacted first: "You want to win over the villagers?"
"In this era, the lower the social class, the stronger the clan mentality and the more exclusive the women are. How could we possibly let a woman like you hold power!"
Ye Xiqing looked at it speechlessly: "Isn't it precisely because of the excluding women that we want to seize power? If we really wanted equality, why would I bother with all this?"
"This world always likes to give exploiters a chance to conquer, and then enjoy the privilege for generations."
"A group of shameless people took off their pants and urinated everywhere to claim territory, while I, the normal person, had to hide?"
system:……
Whose good are you trying to do by making me hide?
Ye Xiqing smiled.
It was probably for her own good, but while it was for her own good, it also made things easier for the person taking up her space.
It's quite interesting that in the old society, after men took away women's space, people actually advised women to hide away.
Whether it's marrying a man, having a son, or consciously staying away from the power center controlled by men.
After squeezing out women's space, men have become the saviors that women must rely on to survive.
When the men declare the land theirs, the women must leave the place where they were born.
Ye Xiqing didn't have the hobby of sacrificing herself to blow up latrines; most of the time, she preferred to hide.
The energy spent on wrangling is often greater than starting from scratch. Rather than arguing with a bunch of idiots, it's better to build a successful business outside and then come back to dominate the market and cut through the mess quickly.
However, whether it's dodging or charging, these are just means to solve problems, not rules of conduct. Ye Xiqing has never had a fixed set of rules of conduct.
The system's endless loops were really annoying her. This time, she wasn't going to hide anymore. She just stood there, looking at the land where she was born, wondering what reason it had to let her leave.
But you can't say that to Zhao Zhenniang, she won't understand.
Ye Xiqing said directly, "You are no ordinary person. You are blessed with good fortune. In this chaotic world, you are bound to achieve great things."
"However, the ruler's fate is to be alone, and it is better to be in a group. Being alone will bring harm, while being in a group will bring great fortune."
"Spreading goodwill is beneficial to you."
Not only Zhao Zhenniang, but even Granny Wang dared not disbelieve Ye Sangu's supernatural identity.
Zhao Zhenniang had never been to school and couldn't understand Ye Xiqing's refined speech.
Granny Wang, a young woman who often talked about gods and ghosts, was actually quite literate. She translated for Zhao Zhenniang: "Third Auntie probably means that you should spend more money, do more good deeds, gather more people around you, and accumulate good karma."
Zhao Zhenniang: ...
She only has seventeen silver dollars, is she going to give them all away...?
Seeing her blank stare, Ye Xiqing continued, "Wealth flows like water; if it doesn't go out, it won't come in. If it does go out, it will attract great wealth. If you help your neighbor with the millstone, your neighbor will bring you wealth."
Ye Xiqing spoke in a cryptic manner to avoid confusion, not only for Zhao Zhenniang but also for Granny Wang, who looked puzzled and asked, "Third Aunt, what do you mean?"
Ye Xiqing: ...
You're supposed to be a fortune teller, don't you have any insight at all?
Other gods may be sparing with their words, keeping their secrets hidden and leaving believers to figure it out themselves, but Ye Xiqing had to do it all herself.
"If you set up more millstones for your neighbors, you can produce more oil. You can open a shop outside to sell the oil, and the money from the oil will go to your neighbors, thus building good relationships. The profits will go to you, enriching yourself, without causing any harm to others."
Aunt Wang: ...
Zhao Zhenniang: ...
The idea is good, but how can you accomplish a series of complicated activities like providing a millstone for your neighbors and opening a shop outside with only seventeen yuan?
Ye Xiqing remained calm: "If there is no funding, we can raise funds from our neighbors."
Aunt Wang: ...
Zhao Zhenniang: ...
ah?
They talked about making good connections, but first they had to raise funds from the villagers. Granny Wang and Zhao Zhenniang were, after all, half-ancient people, and they didn't know how to describe this operation.
The village wanted to repair the ancestral hall a few years ago, but they couldn't raise the money. Do you think they can raise it by talking to themselves...?
Ye Xiqing said with a mysterious expression, "What others cannot accomplish, you can."
"Your destiny is extraordinary; nothing you desire will be impossible, and any calamity you encounter will be averted."
"With Heaven's help, what is there to fear?"
Ye Xiqing dared to say this, but Zhao Zhenniang couldn't believe it: "Am I really that lucky?"
Ye Xiqing replied without hesitation, "Of course, your family is poor yet you have married into a wealthy family, and you have been blessed with good fortune that I, the immortal, descended upon you when you encountered misfortune. If it weren't for such great luck, how could you have achieved this?"
If that's the case, both Granny Wang and Zhao Zhenniang were starting to believe it.
She, a girl from a humble family, got the opportunity to marry into a wealthy and powerful family like the Song family.
He was clearly an ordinary person, yet he received enlightenment from a spirit who was on the verge of attaining enlightenment.
People at this time were still quite superstitious, and Zhao Zhenniang's timid posture inexplicably straightened up a bit.
"Third Aunt, what should I do?"
"Your destiny is blessed with many women, and you will receive a lot of help from female benefactors. If you convene a meeting with the aunts and grandmothers in the village, this matter can be accomplished."
"How should I tell them?"
"One's fate is in one's own hands; those who follow unorthodox paths should not speak of it."
Zhao Zhenniang: ...
We've already said so much, is this all that's needed...?
...
Zhao Zhenniang, who had originally planned to buy 100 jin of sesame seeds and start grinding 30 jin a day, began to toss and turn, pondering what her aunt had said about leading the whole village in grinding sesame seeds.
Those who sell firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea, especially sesame oil, are sure to make money.
But in this day and age, with lives hanging by a thread, no business is easy to do.
If she were grinding oil all by herself, she would bear all the profits and losses herself; would she still dare to do it?
But would she dare to encourage her fellow villagers to do it together?
Zhao Zhenniang tossed and turned, barely able to sleep, when Ye Xiqing took over her body.
If you don't sleep, I'll sleep by myself.
Zhao Zhenniang, upon waking the next day: ...
Even if you weren't my third aunt, would you still do things like putting me to bed?
Although she was forced to sleep, Zhao Zhenniang didn't feel any sense of rest.
But her mind was unusually sharp after being refreshed that morning, and Zhao Zhenniang took a deep breath and suddenly wanted to give it a try.
In this era, ordinary people were treated like animals.
Men went to work in the city or for landlords, while women, even with bound feet, would still work on the ground with their tiny, pointed feet.
They take care of children, feed pigs and chickens, gather firewood, fetch water, and cook. Those with land tend to their crops, but very few have land.
Although I call him Uncle Zhao next door, he's not my biological uncle.
His family originally fled from the chaos outside, but later, in order not to be treated as outsiders, they changed their surname to Zhao Liu to adapt to local customs, and the younger generation called him Uncle Liu.
This is also why Zhao Zhen's family and their family are related; when the property is divided later, no matter how much they try to take advantage, it won't fall on their heads.
Without any conflict of interest, the two families can actually get along well.
Following her aunt's advice, Zhao Zhenniang needed to find a noblewoman to guide her, and the first person she thought of was Aunt Huang Liu next door.
The ten-year-old child from the Huang family, just like Zhao Zhenniang when she was young, has already started carrying firewood and doing chores.
Huang Qiuju focused on sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) sewing shoe soles. Once she finished a pair, she would have her husband take them to the city to sell, where a pair could fetch 15 cents.
Even a small mosquito is still a piece of meat and can supplement the family income.
This is how ordinary families save their money, penny by penny.
Zhao Zhenniang used to be too busy taking care of herself to notice what others were doing. Now that she was pondering this matter, she noticed every little detail and her heart started to clench.
Aunt Huang had received so many favors from Zhao Zhenniang a few days ago, so of course she warmly welcomed Zhao Zhenniang when she entered the house.
Zhao Zhenniang sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed), took a deep breath, and finally made up her mind: "Sixth Aunt, I have something to tell you."
Huang Qiuju was at first sewing shoe soles while listening to Zhao Zhenniang talk with a smile, but then she stopped what she was doing and asked, "What did you say? You're going to provide our family with a millstone?"
After speaking, Zhao Zhenniang slowly found her footing. Although she was still a little hesitant, she made her point very clearly.
“I… I’m going to observe three years of mourning for my father before I get married. I can’t take anything with me, so I’m thinking of leaving the family’s mill to the villagers.”
“But I had a dream yesterday. A fairy named Ye Sangu appeared to me in my dream and told me to set up a mill for everyone and lead everyone in grinding oil. This would bring everyone a lot of wealth, and I would also be blessed in the future.”
"When I woke up, it seemed to be true, so I wanted to come and fulfill my vow."
“The men in the village have to go out to work during the day. If the women who stay in the village are interested, they can come to work at the mill. It won’t interfere with their family affairs, and they can earn more money.”
"I don't have much money on me, so I'll have to ask everyone to chip in to buy sesame seeds..."
After saying those last words, Zhao Zhenniang was too ashamed to lift her head. How could she possibly ask her fellow villagers, who were struggling so much, for money?
But to her surprise, Huang Qiuju slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Oh my! Aunt! You are such a wonderful woman, one in a million! How can you be so kind-hearted!"
Zhao Zhenniang: ...
What? Aunt Liu, didn't you hear the last sentence?
Huang Qiuju couldn't care less about the last sentence. Giving someone a millstone for free—what an immense favor! Who could possibly listen to anything else?
Even among the poor, there are differences. Zhao Zhenniang's poverty stemmed from her father's gluttony, gambling, and laziness. The Zhao family itself could not be considered poor; rather, they were highly respected artisans.
When Zhao Zhenniang was doing the math, she realized that thirty catties of oil wouldn't even sell for two yuan, and she felt like she was working for nothing.
Huang Qiuju's husband only earns about one yuan a day pulling a rickshaw, and he still has to pay 50 cents to rent the rickshaw to the rickshaw dealership.
The oil mill can not only sell oil, but also the oil residue left over from grinding the oil, which is another source of hidden income.
So why is the oil mill business so good, yet the poor don't follow suit?
The poor cannot afford the costs.
A stone mill costs eight yuan, a good pot costs six yuan, and a hundred catties of sesame seeds costs another six yuan. Before doing anything, you have to pay twenty yuan upfront.
Twenty yuan is a sum that an ordinary family could save up for years, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to afford to make oil.
Information wasn't as readily available in the old days. Things that modern people can easily find online were truly industry secrets back then.
Now that Zhao Zhenniang is providing both the costs and the technology, no one can remain calm.
Huang Qiuju excitedly called her close friends first, and those she wasn't on good terms with, fearing they might interfere with Zhao Zhenniang's affairs, rolled her eyes and called them too.
Zhao Zhenniang gathered everyone in her courtyard to discuss matters.
She had to mention the fundraising several times to calm everyone's overwhelming excitement. Fundraising...
If it were anyone else, people would feel uneasy, but Zhao Zhenniang was different; she was the future young mistress of the Song family.
The Song family is so wealthy and powerful. After Aunt Zhao returned from the Song family, she started eating and drinking well every day, like a completely different person. How could she possibly covet their few coins?
Zhao Zhenniang's crowdfunding campaign is, frankly speaking, about paying tuition fees. Putting everything else aside, she's definitely going to make her techniques public.
There is an information gap between industries. Zhao Zhenniang herself grinds oil, so she naturally knows how shady this industry is. But the people in Zhao Family Village don't know. They only think that grinding oil is like grinding gold, and that once the millstone is turned on, gold will be plentiful.
Therefore, after the news spread, everyone went home and discussed it on their kang (heated brick bed), and they all agreed to grit their teeth and donate a sum of money.
Zhao Zhenniang: ...
It can actually work?
Auntie San spoke in a very mysterious way, and Zhao Zhenniang didn't dare to believe it completely at first, but when things really went so smoothly, she had no choice but to believe it.
Could it be that I am not an ordinary person reincarnated?
However, even if the villagers were willing, there are limits to human resources. The crowdfunding only raised thirty-three yuan, which is a lot for an ordinary family, but far from achieving the strategic goal.
As Zhao Zhenniang pondered how to best utilize the thirty-three pieces of paper, a painting suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Since Granny Wang became the translator, Aunt Ye no longer communicates with Zhao Zhenniang through paintings.
But this information really needs to be delivered to her personally.
Because the painting depicts two small figures, one representing Zhao Zhenniang, holding a tray and presenting it to a small figure of an old woman.
The old woman's arm, which resembled a firewood doll, had a large circle on it.
Ye Xiqing circled the circle tightly and pointed it to the tray.
The meaning is clear: Get your godmother's gold bracelet.
Zhao Zhenniang: ...
ah?
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