After Zhang's body was beheaded, no one claimed it, so it remained in the county morgue.
No one in Zhang's husband's family was willing to accept her into their ancestral home, and her own family had fallen silent. She had been convicted of a crime and beheaded, her body lying in the street. No one in the village wanted to bury her!
Later, the village chief couldn't stand it anymore. He discussed it with the clan, added some money, and asked the coroner to wrap the body in a straw mat and bury it anywhere.
When a person dies, the matter is closed. I hope that Zhang will be reincarnated and reform himself into a good person.
Before we knew it, it was the end of August, and now it's the beginning of September.
Although Wujia Village's reputation has been somewhat affected, people still have to live their lives as usual.
Business was pretty good last month. We added a cold noodle dish, and our income doubled again.
Big Stone and Little Stone, each of us received 620 copper coins last month.
Little Tiger and Little Horse each received 420 copper coins.
After deducting all expenses and money for purchasing goods, the net profit for August was 45 taels and 800 copper coins.
Half of it went to the public treasury, and the other half went to Qingshan and Qingsong. Each person received eleven taels and four hundred and fifty copper coins.
The two brothers are winning so much they're getting more money every month; their secret stash is overflowing with cash, hahaha~
"Yaoyao, here are two hundred copper coins for you as pocket money."
"Little sister, your second brother will also give you two hundred copper coins to spend."
Both brothers dote on their sister; once they have money, who would be stingy?
By the way, their third brother hasn't been home for almost a month and a half. Is the academy really that nice?
"Alright, all of you, stop showing off your treasures. I have something serious to tell you. After you hear this, you should all think about your plans."
After checking the ledgers, Jiang Yue closed them. Last month, she had earned nearly thirty taels of silver from the public account. She was thinking about buying land, but such a big matter required her to discuss it with her sons, since they were the ones who had put in the effort.
"Mother, please tell me."
The two brothers sat down obediently and listened to their mother.
"We have a sum of money in the coffers now, which is just sitting there. I'd like to ask you brothers for your opinions: should we buy land or buy an oxcart first?"
Jiang Yue calculated that she had 22 taels of private money, and a little over 43 taels of public funds allocated over the past three months. Each plot of fertile land cost 5 taels, and the public funds were enough to buy eight acres of fertile land!
“Let’s buy land. The vegetables we eat now are all given to us by my grandma and the grain we buy in town. If we had our own land, we could grow our own grain and vegetables.”
Qingshan still loves the land at heart, and he supports his mother in buying land first.
“I’ll listen to my brother. Once the season for our cold noodles and jelly is over, we’ll probably have no business left. We won’t need to run to town every day anymore. Buying an oxcart is too expensive.”
Qingsong wholeheartedly agreed, feeling that buying land was a more reliable option.
"Alright, then I'll go see your village chief tomorrow to discuss buying the land. But, I want to ask you, whose name should the land deed be registered under?"
Jiang Yue nodded, then posed another question to see her sons' reaction.
"Since it's public money, it naturally goes to Mother."
Aoyama and his younger brother exchanged a glance, and then they made their decision.
“That’s what I think too. It’s all going to our mother, so she can use it for her old age. We brothers are still young and have plenty of energy to build up our family business.”
Qingsong is much more enlightened now, not as stingy as before.
Since starting his business in town, he has become more active and has many ideals and ambitions. He doesn't want to stay in the village and toil in the fields for the rest of his life.
"Okay, it's settled then."
Jiang Yue was overjoyed; her two sons' performance had not disappointed her!
However, she told her two sons:
"I estimate that the cold skin noodle business will stop selling by the end of September. Qingshan will be getting married then, so we'll put it on hold. After the wedding, when it gets cold, I'll tell you a new idea. Don't worry about not making money."
The two brothers, Qingshan and his brother, smiled at each other. They knew that their mother was omnipotent and always had a way!
"Qingshan, after you finish delivering the goods, go to the academy to see your third brother. It's been so long, why hasn't he come home yet? I wonder if he has enough money. Mother has put a thousand copper coins in this purse, take it to your third brother tomorrow."
Jiang Yue rambled on, explaining that she had neglected her youngest child because of all the various things that had happened last month.
Give them proper care and attention, and don't raise them in the wrong way!
"Yes, Mother."
Qingshan nodded and accepted the purse.
Speaking of his third brother, he hadn't seen him in a long time and didn't know how his brother was doing or whether he was eating well.
The next morning, Jiang Yue woke up because of the heat.
Feeling utterly hopeless, she took a shower and changed into a breathable linen shirt. When she came out, her sons had all gone out diligently, leaving only her daughter at home mixing wheat bran to feed the geese.
On the stove, there was a bowl of thin porridge for breakfast, and in a ceramic jar, there were pickled cucumbers.
After eating, my stomach was full, and I felt much more awake.
"Yaoyao, come with me to the old house and give your grandparents some money."
"Okay, Mom."
When Qingyao saw the little bug, she stopped breaking off the vegetable leaves and threw them directly in front of the gosling.
Big White is a goose that stays at home with a flock of goslings to guard the house.
Little White, on the other hand, followed the mistress and the young master out of the house with a smug look on its face.
It barked softly every now and then, but upon seeing the old ox being led by someone, it would hide behind its mistress in fright and peek out.
"Woof woof woof~"
"A dog relies on its master's power," isn't that exactly what they mean?
"Qingshan's mother, thanks to the fertilization method you taught me last time, my medicinal plants are growing so well now!"
"Not at all, it's all thanks to your hard work and excellent service, Uncle!"
"Haha, my medicinal plants will be ready for harvest at the end of the month, then I'll have to trouble you again."
"Not at all, it's mutually beneficial!"
......
The road to the old house wasn't long, but compared to half a year ago, Jiang Yue was clearly treated better.
Villagers who passed by, regardless of age, all liked to chat with her for a few minutes.
Jiang Yue was happy to interact with them, answering every question and earning widespread praise.
Amidst the praise, Qingyao held her head high, even though she was missing a front tooth.
So this is what Mother meant by unity and friendliness.
She seems to understand a little.
Upon arriving at the old house, the mother-in-law was feeding the chickens with a clucking sound. When she saw the mother and daughter, she smiled and pulled them to sit down.
Inside the house, the eldest and second sisters-in-law arrived shortly after, one carrying tea and the other snacks.
Jiang Yue was surrounded by admirers, receiving the undisputed center-of-the-table treatment.
Unable to resist her enthusiasm, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, she took out the money she had earned from selling kudzu root powder last month and explained:
“Mom, starting in October, let’s not let Dad take Uncle and Uncle to the mountains. Large animals come out then, and it’s more dangerous. Let’s continue digging kudzu roots next February or March.”
You can never earn enough money, but you only have one life.
Jiang Yue's words were very straightforward, and the three women, including Old Zhou, took them to heart.
Holding the six taels and eight hundred copper coins, Old Zhou's brows relaxed.
We can earn enough for another month, that's more than enough. Thanks to the leadership of the third son's wife, we've saved a lot of money this year. We'll use it to arrange a marriage for Da Shi and Xiao Niu. That's settled!
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