Pan-fry the tofu until golden brown on both sides and remove it from the pan. In the remaining oil, stir-fry an eggplant and green beans until cooked and set aside. Wash the pan, add oil and heat it up again, sauté the chili peppers until fragrant, add the golden tofu, salt and water and simmer until flavorful. When the sauce is reduced, add wild scallions and stir-fry over low heat. The aroma wafts far and wide, and the two little girls sniff it in excitedly.
The aroma of wild onions is so strong that it masks the fragrance of tofu, so it went unnoticed by others.
The two dishes, though not meat dishes, were eaten with great satisfaction by the mother and her two children.
Er Ya and San Ya's upturned lips never stopped.
After the meal, Yang Cui told the two women to boil water for a bath, while she went to the village chief's house.
As soon as I entered, I saw the village chief's wife, Zhou Zhuoshi: "Auntie, you're busy!"
"Xiao Cui, what brings you here? Is something the matter?"
This isn't a time for visiting neighbors; it's when everyone in the village is getting ready to wash up and go to bed.
"I need to talk to you, Auntie."
"What's up?"
Yang Cui lowered her voice and said, "My uncle recently made a business deal and needs perilla. If Xiao Tao and Xiao Li are free tomorrow, ask them to get me some. My uncle said he can pay one coin for two catties."
Xiao Tao and Xiao Li are Zhou Zhuo's granddaughters. If Yang Cui wants to establish herself here, she must win over the village chief's family and even the Zhou clan. Winning them over isn't just about empty words; it requires real substance.
While making a little money with the Zhou family this time, it was also a good opportunity to test their character.
Zhou Zhuoshi looked surprised: "Are you serious?"
"Of course it's true! Why would I joke about something like this? But the business is just starting out, and the quantity I need isn't large. If possible, have the two kids bring me fifty catties tomorrow at noon. If they clean it for me, I can give them an extra six coins to buy them a candy to sweeten their mouths."
Zhou Zhuoshi was deeply disturbed; she had never imagined the An family possessed such abilities!
Zhou Zhuoshi immediately beamed with joy: "Alright, I'll have the two of them pick them tomorrow. I'll make sure they get the best and tenderest perilla leaves and wash them thoroughly. You've been so kind to those two girls; if they try to fool you with limp, wilted leaves later, I won't let them off the hook."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Auntie. It's getting late, I'll head back now."
"Thank you, Xiao Cui. If you need anything, just come to my place."
Hearing this, Yang Cui knew that the Zhou family would definitely side with her.
After Yang Cui left, Zhou Zhuoshi immediately told Zhou Daqing about it.
"The An family has this ability?" Zhou Daqing was shocked.
“But if it’s not Anjia, how can Yang Cui possibly make a business deal?” Zhou Zhuoshi said.
Anyway, she didn't believe Yang Cui could make a business deal.
After a moment's thought, Zhou Daqing suddenly said, "She bought so many exquisite jars; it must be related to this matter."
"I heard there are dozens! They're all beautiful, and each one costs forty or fifty coins. Why are they so expensive there?"
Zhou Daqing suddenly laughed.
Zhou Zhuo asked, puzzled, "What are you laughing at?"
"I laughed and said that Yang Cui had become a shrewd woman, and that she had fooled us all."
"What's the meaning?"
"Have you forgotten the thirty taels of silver that Madam Fan gave her?"
Zhou Zhuoshi's mouth dropped open: "You mean the money wasn't lost at all?"
Zhou Daqing nodded: "It's definitely not lost! She's afraid of being watched, so she spread false information to confuse people. This business deal probably isn't just for the An family. The An family doesn't have that much money to buy those things. If the An family were that rich, would their four sons still be bachelors?"
"If that's really the case, then Yang Cui is incredibly clever! She's like a completely different person from how quiet and reserved she used to be."
“If she doesn’t stand up for herself after something like this, where will she find a way to survive?” Zhou Daqing added, “Tomorrow, have Xiao Tao and Xiao Li go pick perilla leaves early so as not to delay her business. Since she’s selling this to our Zhou family for good, we’ll accept it and help her more in the future.”
——
Yang Cui was unaware that Zhou Daqing had already guessed that her money had not actually been lost.
On her way back, she was still planning in her mind that after selling the perilla peaches, ginger, and dried perilla plums, she would buy two acres of land, build a small pig farm, raise ten pigs, raise them for seven or eight months, and then smoke and dry them to make cured meat in the twelfth lunar month.
So engrossed in her thoughts that Yang Cui didn't even notice she was being watched.
Suddenly someone jumped out from behind and grabbed Yang Cui, startling her so much that she screamed.
"Cui'er, your waist is so slender." The lewd man's groping hands even touched Yang Cui's waist twice.
"Let me go! Help! Help! Mmm..." With her mouth covered, Yang Cui struggled and could only make mmm sounds.
The man pressed Yang Cui down onto the haystack and threatened in a low voice, "If you don't want to be humiliated, then don't scream! Think about your daughter. If your reputation is ruined, will your daughter still be able to get married? Let me have my way with you once, and I'll let you go."
The man was certain that Yang Cui wouldn't dare to shout, because even if she was the victim, if word got out, she and her two daughters would be drowned in the villagers' spittle.
Yang Cui indeed stopped resisting.
Seeing that Yang Cui did not resist, he laughed and said, "Isn't this great? In a little while, I'll let you experience the pleasure of being in heaven and death."
Yang Cui composed herself and said sweetly, "Are you really that good? This is my first time, after all. How about... we go somewhere else? There's no romance in a place like this!"
The man's bones went weak the moment he heard that voice.
"Haha, so she's a little slut after all!"
"Is it okay?" Yang Cui asked coquettishly, her voice sweet and charming, which was irresistible to any man.
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