It was only then that Marquis Mu came back to his senses, watching Xiao Bei lift his lip a little: "Hmm, it reminds me of some past events."
"Oh..." Xiao Bei nodded somewhat ambiguously.
He was young and didn’t yet understand the unspeakable meanings hidden in the term "past events".
Ji Xinhe looked at Marquis Mu: "I had assumed you were a wealthy young master, detached from worldly concerns. I wouldn’t have thought that you’d know how to pick cost-effective stationery."
Ji Xinhe was quite surprised himself. Before asking the price, Marquis Mu had easily selected inexpensive and practical writing materials, which showed that he has had some experience in this area. How could a man of wealth know about such things?
"Is it that strange? Do I look like a profligate spendthrift to you?" Marquis Mu raised an eyebrow.
Ji Xinhe looked at his handsome face: "Maybe."
Marquis Mu just gave a faint smile without saying any more, merely waving the whip in his hand to urge the ox to move a bit faster.
When they reached the place where they had agreed to meet Zheng Xiaocui and Hong Qin, they were already waiting there.
"Over here!" Ji Xinhe waved at them.
Hong Qin and Zheng Xiaocui immediately noticed their arrival and ran over to get on the bullock cart: "Where have you guys been? Why didn’t you come from the morning market?"
"The stalls were closed early. We went to buy some stuff for Xiao Bei. Did you wait long?"
"Not really, we just got here." Hong Qin waved her hand with a smile, then quickly glanced at what Xiao Bei was holding and asked, "You went to buy stationery? Xin He, are you planning to send Xiao Bei to school?"
Ji Xinhe nodded: "Yes, Xiao Bei wants to study."
Hong Qin clicked her tongue: "You guys are really making money now, even affording to send Xiao Bei to school. There are only two households in our village that can afford education, one is Li Zheng’s eldest son, and the other is Gao Zhiru..."
When Hong Qin mentioned Gao Zhiru, she paused, looking interested, and leaned in to say, "Hey Xin He, has Gao Zhiru run off without coming back yet? Does he plan never to return?"
"Who knows? I sure don’t care." Ji Xinhe huffed dismissively.
"We don’t even know if he passed the civil service exam yet. The results won’t be out for another month. But if he’s run off now, does that mean he doesn’t intend to take care of Ji Xiulan? If so, who will Xiulan marry?"
"We’ve separated and live our own lives now. I have no idea about their family’s affairs. But if Gao Zhiru doesn’t want to marry her, of course the arrangement should be cancelled. Could they still force him to marry her?"
"Ji Xiulan used to be so pompous, acting as though she was superior to others. I always found her distasteful. Now it will be interesting to see what she can be proud of." Hong Qin snorted.
While Hong Qin and Ji Xinhe were conversing, Zheng Xiaocui didn’t interrupt as she was naturally a quiet girl.
After a while of discussing Ji Xiulan’s situation, Hong Qin switched the topic to Xiao Bei’s education. The time passed quite fast because of the conversation, and before they knew it, they were home.
Zheng Xiaocui and Hong Qin said their farewells and each went home.
The first thing Ji Xinhe did when she got home was to take out the account book and record the earnings. They earned seventy-three cents, but spent fifty taels on Xiao Bei’s stationery. Most of the money earned over these days had been spent.
Nevertheless, Ji Xinhe was not sorry. She believed that money that needs to be spent should be spent. She could always earn more if it’s not enough.
After finishing the accounting and storing the book, she locked the money in a small box and prepared to cook.
It was already noon, and Ji Dong hadn’t returned yet. But he should be back soon, so Xinhe couldn’t afford to delay.
"Xiao Bei, Xin He, I’m back." Ji Dong called as soon as he entered the courtyard. Then he dumped the big bundle of firewood he was carrying onto the pile of wood in the yard before going inside.
Xiao Bei had already excitedly dashed over: "Big brother, do you know how popular sister’s fermented tofu is? Everyone who tasted it loved it, we made a lot of money!"
Ji Dong’s eyes lit up: "Really?"
"Of course! We made three and a half taels of silver today!" Xiao Bei paused, then said somewhat hesitantly, "However, we spent fifty taels on my stationery."
Ji Dong laughed and patted Xiao Bei’s head: "You love studying, of course we have to buy it. We used to be poor, so we didn’t dare to dream, but now we can afford it. If your sister thinks you should study, you definitely should."
Ji Xinhe’s thinking has become the most important thought in the whole family. For some reason, everyone trusts her.
"Hmm! Xiao Bei will definitely study hard!"
"Ji Xinhe carried a dish into the room: "Hurry up and wash your hands, it’s time to eat."
"Okay!" Xiao Bei agreed, immediately running off to wash his hands and help lay out the bowls and chopsticks.
While they were eating, Ji Xinhe couldn’t help asking: "Brother, how are those shoes?
Last time when the stranger had given them three pairs of cotton shoes, Ji Xinhe had checked them and given a pair to Xiao Bei and Ji Dong.
Ji Dong smiled: "They fit nicely, but they’re so new, I don’t dare wear them for all the rough work I do. I’ll save them for the Chinese New Year."
"It’s a thoughtful gift from someone else, if you don’t wear them, they might think you don’t like them. Don’t wait for the New Year, just wear them right away." Ji Xinhe urged.
"We don’t even know who sent them..."
"If they sent them in secret, it means they’ve been observing our family. If you don’t wear them, how will they know that you accepted their kindness?"
If Ji Dong doesn’t accept their kind intention, how could she possibly continue to receive their gifts?
Of course, she wouldn’t say this out loud.
Ji Dong is a straightforward person who couldn’t imagine Ji Xinhe’s roundabout thinking. He found her argument reasonable and nodded: "Alright, I’ll put them on this afternoon."
"Good!" Ji Xinhe replied happily, joyfully tucking into her meal.
Who knows, they might actually get a sister-in-law, right?
Over the following days, Ji Xinhe brought fermented tofu and sour bamboo shoots to sell at the town. As expected, more and more people became familiar with the fermented tofu, and its market gradually opened up. Now they could sell out thirty jin of it in just one morning.
The curd’s popularity wasn’t just due to its taste, but also the fact that they were the only ones selling it in the whole town. Even if other families wanted to sell it, they wouldn’t know how to make it.
Ji Xinhe’s was earning money hands over fist, full of energy every day.
Today, she arrived at the market early before dawn. Having just set up her stall, a middle-aged man of decent appearance approached her.
"Miss, how much fermented tofu and sour bamboo shoots did you bring to sell today? I’ll take them all."
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