Chapter 95
As August arrives, the sun remains scorching and the air is as hot as boiling water.
The cicadas outside the window chirped for a long time, continuously ringing in my ears, making my scalp itchy.
Ye Jia expressionlessly rummaged through the room, searching every possible hiding place. As she tossed the items she'd found onto the table, she glanced at the man sitting on the bed, complaining about the bitter taste of the medicine. His dark hair hung loosely over his shoulders, and he wore no shirt, only a bandage barely covering his modesty. He frowned every time he took a sip of the medicine, and she was speechless: "...How much of this stuff do you have hidden?"
"Not much." Zhou Jingchen raised his eyelids nonchalantly, "Enough for five years."
Ye Jia: "...Why don't you eat it and ruin you!"
Zhou Jingchen blinked innocently and downed the medicine in the bowl in one gulp. Ye Jia rolled her eyes at him. She saw that the medicine on the table wasn't much. If it was enough to last five years, it would at least fill the table, right?
I turned my head and looked at the house. Where could I hide in such a big place?
The man on the bed had a face that was completely wrinkled. He usually didn't find medicine bitter or unbearable. But this time, for some reason, the medicine was so bitter that it made him feel like bile was rising. After taking a sip of the medicine, Zhou Jingchen felt dizzy. He covered his lips with a handkerchief and coughed violently a few times before asking in a hoarse voice, "Jia Niang, why is this medicine so bitter?"
"Is it bitter?" Ye Jia dug out three more packets of medicine from a basket under the bookcase. "I added a tael of coptis root."
Zhou Jingchen covered his lips with a handkerchief: "..."
"You're hot-tempered. I'll calm you down if I give you some." Ye Jia dug out three more packets from the cabinet under the desk and threw them on the table. "If that's not enough to calm you down, I'll give you another two taels tomorrow."
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
He couldn't drink any more. Even if he didn't mind the bitterness, he couldn't stand the addition of Coptis chinensis to the medicine.
Ye Jia hadn't expected Zhou Jingchen to be so good at hiding things. She'd lived in this room every day and hadn't even noticed he'd hidden so many medicine bags. Could Zhou Jingchen be born in the Year of the Rabbit? A cunning rabbit has three burrows, or perhaps he had more than three. After collecting all the hidden medicine bags from the room, Zhou Jingchen sat on the edge of the bed, watching Ye Jia. He'd fallen asleep again without realizing it.
He was silent in his sleep, his breathing so soft you couldn't detect it unless you listened closely. His raven-feather lashes drooped over his eyes, casting two dark silver spots beneath them. His face was gentle, his black hair falling in front of him, and he leaned against the bedpost, motionless.
Ye Jia was stunned for a moment, then walked over and waved her hand in front of him. Seeing no reaction, she chuckled and helped him lie down.
As soon as she touched him, he struggled to open his eyes, but when he saw it was Ye Jia, he closed them again.
Perhaps it was the effects of the medication or perhaps he was genuinely tired, but Zhou Jingchen slept soundly. Ye Jia hadn't bothered to bother him at this moment, so she quietly closed the door and left. She had more important things to do, so she let Zhou Jingchen get some sleep.
The days flew by, and tomorrow followed by tomorrow, many things were put off until the very end. Perhaps it was Gu Mingxi's words that gave Ye Jia a subconscious sense of urgency. She always felt that she had to be fully prepared to avoid any accidents. But what exactly was sufficient preparation? At the core, as long as the border defense line was held, they would most likely be safe.
Ye Jia sighed. Her life was one of toil. She worked herself to the bone, struggling to survive in desperate situations.
...Forget it, let's take it one step at a time.
Ultimately, stockpiling grain in Luntai was a relief measure that couldn't be delayed. As long as grain didn't spoil, storing more was always a good idea. When Ye Jia changed into fresh clothes and headed to the flower hall, Old Man Sun and Yuan Chunsheng were already waiting.
Ye Jia had already explained the situation to them yesterday, but because he came back late last night, he could only give a brief overview. Now was a good time to go over the details again.
Yuan Chunsheng actually understood Ye Jia's intention. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Master, I don't think there's that much food on the market in Luntai. Food is in short supply everywhere in the Beiting Protectorate. If the two warehouses are full, we'll probably have to go northwest and make a trip to the interior. If you're not in a hurry, I'll find a way to get some food from Yongzhou."
Yuan Chunsheng used to be the manager of more than ten shops, and he knew much more about many things in Dayan than Ye Jia.
Yongzhou is located in the interior of the Great Wall, and although it is also located in the northwest, it is close to the Hexi Corridor. The growing conditions in the Hexi Corridor are much better than those in the northwest, and the grain output is several times higher than that of the Beiting Protectorate.
Ye Jia frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, Manager Yuan, please take some time to go there."
He glanced at Old Man Sun. Old Man Sun had been following Ye Jia around for a while now, and he was gradually able to handle things. People are always tempered by experience, and Old Man Sun is no exception. Nowadays, many things don't require Ye Jia to explain them word by word, he can also think of a solution. If the food matter was not so important, Ye Jia would not have sent him out: "Uncle Sun, you go with this matter too."
Old Man Sun naturally understood and nodded: "Don't worry, Boss."
That afternoon, Old Man Sun and Yuan Chunsheng set off.
Along with about thirty escorts, they were also transporting tens of thousands of yuan worth of fragrant soap and hundreds of kilograms of fruits. They had already sold some of these last year, but it wasn't the best season, so the sales weren't great. Now is the perfect time for fruits and vegetables, so they should fetch a good price. Furthermore, Qingxuexuan's reputation in Luntai is quite strong, so leveraging this popularity to sell fragrant soap is the perfect opportunity.
Last year, it was Ajiu who sold the winter melons, but this year he handed it over to Yuan Chunsheng, and perhaps the harvest will be different.
Over 500 kilograms of rapeseed had just been dried at the garrison, ready for oil pressing. At the farm, Old Man Zhang had already brought his men in to harvest and thresh the first batch of wheat. While the weight wasn't huge, ten mu of land yielded about 3,400 kilograms.
This yield is considered astonishing today. In ancient times, grain crop yields were limited by the variety and conditions of cultivation. Generally speaking, the yield per mu of farmland was only 260 to 280 kilograms, and often much less. The fact that Mr. Zhang Changli had managed to increase the yield to over 300 kilograms per mu was a testament to his considerable efforts.
In addition, the cotton needs to be dried after harvest, and crops such as sesame, peanuts and corn are also harvested at the appropriate time.
Let the farmhands press the rapeseed oil, and store it all in the cellar. Ye Jia had originally intended to sell it, but considering the unrest in Libei Town and the potential for war, these survival supplies would be in short supply, so he couldn't just sell them off. After all, in times of war, money and other things are less important than survival materials. Furthermore, Ye Jia planned to make all the cotton into winter clothing.
To make winter clothes, you naturally need fabric and an embroiderer.
Although it's the hottest season now, it's still several months before the weather cools down. However, this situation can't be left to chance or last-minute cramming. If something unexpected happens, such as a sudden shortage of survival supplies on the front lines, the consequences will be unpredictable.
Normally, military supplies, such life-saving items, were crucial to the peace of the entire border. The imperial court would not maliciously withhold funds. But with the current situation in Dayan, even the Grand Minister of Agriculture, a veteran of two dynasties, could be imprisoned, as if any outrageous event were not surprising. However, these matters were not something Ye Jia could resolve simply by thinking about them. She simply focused on protecting herself and those around her.
After arranging the grain purchase, many other matters needed to be addressed immediately. The cotton in the Zhou family's Baidiezi fields, or cotton fields, had been sun-dried for about half a month. Weighing it, it wasn't much, about 3,000 kilograms.
Ye Jia originally planned to sell the cotton, but now she has changed her mind and decided to keep it and make cotton clothes.
I don’t know how many cotton-padded clothes can be made from more than 3,000 kilograms of cotton. If one kilogram of cotton is put into a piece of clothing, it is estimated that more than 3,000 pieces can be made.
Ye Jia calculated the weight in her mind. She also needed to arrange for the purchase of fabric. Making cotton-padded clothes took time. It would take Yu-shi at least one or two months to sew a single garment for her; it wasn't something she could just ask for. Besides, embroidery was hard to find in small towns. But if she wasn't concerned with aesthetics, she could delegate the work to the villages below town, where the women could probably do it.
Each of these accounts, when calculated, amounted to a sum of money. Of Ye Jia's savings, two-fifths could be lost just by raising supplies. She was thinking about two things she needed to do quickly: first, find a shrewd and capable accountant, and second, keep making money.
The Wu family's shop's consignment sales were cut short, and the Cheng family's plans to travel to the Western Regions on July 15th were shelved. While Lihua Lane was still receiving incoming goods, the hundreds of taels of silver coming in were still too slow for Ye Jia's current situation. There were over fifty people to feed at the farm, a dozen or so at the workshop, and around twenty at the mansion. Once the business was fully operational, even more people would be needed, and the funds required to maintain operations would only increase.
After much thought, Ye Jia felt that it was time to get involved in the lucrative rouge and powder industry.
She didn't know much about makeup, but luckily, Ye Jia knew quite a bit about how to make lipstick, or rather, lip balm. In ancient times, making rouge and lip balm required relatively natural ingredients. Traditional lip balm was simple: beeswax and homemade plant dyes mixed with various scented essential oils, then cooled and set.
Cochineal insects are not yet available today. They were not used in lipstick production until the 19th century. Cochineal insects are native to Mexico and Central America and live on cacti. They are not found in Dayan today.
Beeswax isn't difficult to make, but the challenges lie with plant dyes and essential oils. Making plant dyes from various flowers wouldn't be as easy as getting the right color. Furthermore, there's currently no mature technology for refining essential oils.
Ye Jia knew there were several methods for extracting essential oils. For example, distillation, similar to rose essential oil, and pressing, similar to citrus essential oils. There were also volatile solvent extraction, liposuction, and so on. She understood the principles, but as a non-biochemist, the equipment and experimental procedures were difficult to master. However, extracting essential oils required a large amount of raw materials, and the cost was likely to be high.
A cheaper way is to use a different oil.
However, no matter how you calculate it, it's still a huge expense. Everything is difficult at the beginning, and going from investment to finished product is a huge undertaking. But perhaps we could ask Yu to try it out at home first. If she succeeds in making the finished product, we could consider expanding production.
After sitting in the hall for a while, Ye Jia turned around and went to Yu's room. Yu was sewing clothes in the room.
She no longer had to teach the children herself; Rui Jie'er and Sun Jun were both learning to read and write with Lingdang. Yu only occasionally tested the children, but mostly kept an eye on the business at the workshop. In her free time, she enjoyed embroidery.
She originally picked up embroidery to support her family, but later she simply wanted to find something to do when she was idle. Plus, she had a daughter-in-law who was pretty and good-looking, so she would often make clothes for Ye Jia. Seeing Ye Jia come in, she quickly put down her needlework and asked, "Why are you here at this hour? How's Yun An?"
"I took the medicine and went to sleep." Ye Jia walked over to the soft couch beside the bed and sat down. There were trees planted outside the house. Under the green shade, a gentle breeze blew into the house, making it less hot.
When Yu heard that Zhou Jingchen had fallen asleep, she felt relieved: "It's good that he has fallen asleep. Let him have a good sleep."
Ye Jia thought so too. As soon as the two sat down, Yingtao came over with some cold tea. Ye Jia drank a cup and, after pondering for a moment, said, "Didn't mother want to try her hand at this kind of business?"
"Hmm?" Yu had recently ordered people to collect medicinal materials for pear blossom paste, and just collected a batch of medicinal materials, so she had some free time.
"Is Jia Niang planning to expand her business?"
"Yes." Ye Jia then gave a rough account of the family's recent expenses. "There's still unrest in the northwest, so we have to be fully prepared. Just storing food and finding people to make cotton clothes...it's a considerable expense. Now that the Wu family has cut off our source of income, and the Cheng family's business has been hindered, we have to find another way out. Otherwise, we'll be trapped here and our family will be left with nothing."
Yu Shi wasn't the kind of old woman who didn't know what was going on. After a quick calculation, she naturally understood Ye Jia's anxiety: "...That makes sense. Besides food, I'm afraid we need to prepare some medicine as well. Otherwise, if a war really breaks out, one, there won't be enough food to eat, and two, if you get injured, there won't be any medicine to save your life."
This remark actually struck Ye Jia in the right place. A person always makes mistakes. "Indeed, medicinal herbs are also of paramount importance."
As the two were talking, Yu no longer had the heart to make clothes.
She pondered for a moment and said, "Mother does know a lot about how to make lip balm..."
Yu Shi really knew, and she wasn't lying. Having lived a life of luxury for over thirty years, Yu Shi not only excelled at concocting various nourishing and skin-care remedies, but also specialized in creating the most beautiful makeup, rouge and powder. She had no idea what essential oils Ye Jia was talking about, but she did have a unique, ancient recipe: "If our family decides to go into business in this area, we could try making some finished products at home first."
"Of course you can. Money sitting in a vault is useless. Only by putting it into circulation can it generate money."
Ye Jia had previously thought that Yu Shi had a very good aesthetic sense in this area, but Yu Shi had little confidence in this aspect. Furthermore, with many things going on at home, Yu Shi always put Ye Jia first, so naturally, she was delayed.
After Ye Jia said this, Yu was still excited: "Since Jia Niang said so, then mother will be bold and make trouble this time."
Yu has always respected Ye Jia's decisions and would listen to whatever Ye Jia said.
Since they were going to make the traditional lip balm, Ye Jia didn't get involved. The worst thing to do is to have two people make the decision, otherwise things would get messy due to different ideas. Ye Jia simply gave her 500 taels as the cost, regardless of whether it would work or not. "Mom, give it a try first. If it works, it's fine. If not, I can think of a way."
Even though the matter was settled, Ye Jia still felt a little uneasy.
Before it got dark, she asked Zhan Lin to take her to the farm.
The wheat had been harvested, but the fifty-plus mu of rice in the valley remained unharvested. Rice wasn't in season yet, and harvest wouldn't start for another month or two. Ye Jia took a look around and sighed. Old man Zhang Changli, wearing a straw hat, wandered along the ridges of the fields. He was tanned, thin, and small, like a dead log. Hearing Ye Jia was coming, he staggered over, his hands behind his back.
"Don't be anxious. You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry." Zhang Changli could see that Ye Jia was anxious at a glance and spoke slowly.
"I'm not in a hurry, I just came to take a look." This valley is far from the village and town, and the location is secluded. Even if a fight breaks out, it's unlikely to be destroyed. Of course, if someone deliberately brings people here to destroy it, that's another matter. Among Ye Jia's concerns is the Wu family. She always feels that the Wu family will not be so easily calmed down. If anyone tampers with this matter and destroys her crops, Ye Jia will really vomit blood.
Zhang Changli looked at the vast expanses of rice, his eyes full of pride. "I'll be watching over it here, don't worry."
Ye Jia thought for a moment and decided to tell Old Man Zhang about the burning granary in Libei Town. Ye Jia didn't say much else, but the granary burning alone was enough to make Zhang Changli's face change. After all, he was a veteran of two dynasties. Although he was an official in charge of farming, he had seen and thought a lot in the court. He immediately frowned, understanding the reason for Ye Jia's behavior.
"...Where is that kid Yun'an?" Old Master Zhang asked with a gloomy sigh.
"The injured are recuperating at home." Ye Jia came to see him and then planned to go back. "Luntai said they would send someone, but there has been no movement in the past two days. Perhaps they will be transferred directly to the city. There should be some food and fodder supplies."
Old Master Zhang seemed to be hesitant to speak, glanced at Ye Jia, and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"Forget it, I will go back with you today."
The old man claimed to no longer care about Dayan's affairs, but he couldn't help but show concern whenever there was a slight disturbance. Ye Jia had originally not wanted to tell anyone about this, but thinking that Zhang Changli might have some new ideas after learning about it, he did so anyway. Hearing that he wanted to go back with him, Ye Jia didn't refuse. He let the old man get in the car and returned to the Shen Mansion before dark.
At night, Old Man Zhang and Zhou Jingchen talked in the study for half the night, and it was almost the second watch before they returned home.
No one knew what they talked about in the house, but within two days, four or five strange men came to the Zhou family. Zhou Jingchen saw a gleam in their eyes, and then they hurried back to the city.
Before leaving, Ye Jia stuffed him with several large bags of medicine.
After much deliberation, he ordered the purchase of the vacant land behind the courtyard at the base. While the house was being renovated, he expanded the courtyard. He also ordered the construction of three warehouses on top and a large cellar underneath. Furthermore, Ye Jia was more thoughtful about the workshop, purchasing a warehouse in the courtyard adjacent to the workshop.
Yuan Chunsheng was incredibly efficient. Within ten days of his arrival, a steady stream of grain arrived from Luntai and the Anxi Protectorate below. He was extremely careful about his grain purchases to avoid causing a disturbance, and the delivery of the grain was a relief.
Old Man Sun had been working alongside Yuan Chunsheng for a while now, learning as he watched, and gaining a lot of experience. In less than a month, the warehouse Ye Jia had purchased at the workshop was full. He had originally thought that two thousand taels would only fill two warehouses, but Yuan Chunsheng was quite capable, spending half the price to buy the grain Ye Jia had estimated. Not only was the weight sufficient, but it was all fresh grain.
Not only that, but the melons sold for a price Ye Jia couldn't have imagined. Last year, Ajiu only sold them for 300 taels, but Yuan Chunsheng tripled that price, netting Ye Jia over 1,100 taels.
"What a talent! Manager Yuan is truly capable!"
Not only did the 1,000 taels of silver flow back to him, but Yuan Chunsheng was also inspired by Ye Jia's marketing gimmick. He drew inferences from his experience and made up stories for the various scents of the scented soaps being shipped to Luntai.
He made up a story for each flavor and sold them in a very convincing manner.
Although Ye Jia never underestimated the wisdom of the ancients, Yuan Chunsheng's first move impressed her. Since he was doing so well, Ye Jia simply relaxed his authority, allowing him to set precise prices based on market intuition. The original price Ye Jia had specified was based on the conditions in Dongxiang Town. In other words, Ye Jia had never lived in Luntai and didn't have a thorough understanding of the area.
With a stable income, Ye Jia's racing heart finally found a respite. Especially with the grain filling up the warehouse and the cellar in the yard, he felt even more at ease.
The battle was sudden, yet expected.
One night, not long after Ye Jia finished reading the account book and lay down, there was a hurried knock on the door.
She opened her eyes dazedly, and the lights outside the courtyard were bright. The knocks on the door were from Yu Shi, and besides Yu Shi, there were also the voices of Ye Simei and others. Ye Jia quickly got out of bed and opened the door, and Yu Shi, who seemed to have just gotten up and had disheveled hair, walked into Ye Jia's room. "Jia Niang, there's a war in Libei Town. Something happened in Yejiazhuang, and my mother-in-law and father-in-law have come with their entire family."
Ye Jia didn't understand at first, and was so confused that he couldn't remember who his mother and father-in-law were. But when he caught a glimpse of Fourth Sister Ye, he suddenly remembered. Aren't the old Ye family of Yejiazhuang the original owner's biological parents?!
"They're coming?!" Ye Jia really didn't expect the Ye family to come. "Didn't they refuse to move no matter what the war was?"
Yu Shi had no way of responding to this.
"Wait, that's not what I meant. I mean, is the situation so bad this time? Did everyone in Yejia Village escape?" Ye Jia had anticipated something was going to happen. After successfully burning the granary, how could the Turks not attack? But the fight caused such a big commotion. Was the fortress defeated? What happened to Zhou Jingchen's people?
Yu shook her head: "It's not clear yet, but Luntai should be able to provide support."
Regardless, let's go over there and see what's going on with the Ye family. Ye Jia and Yu Shi hurried to the flower hall, where a group of people were sitting or standing. Besides Ye Tongsheng and his wife, Ye Qingjiang and his wife, there were also seven or eight children. They were probably a little nervous seeing such a large house for the first time. Except for Ye Tongsheng and Ye Qingjiang who dared to sit down, everyone else huddled in like quails, not daring to look or touch anything.
Ye Jia and Yu Shi hurried over, and Ye Qingjiang jumped up as if his butt was on fire. Ye Tongsheng, who was sitting next to him, didn't move. He ignored Ye Jia in front of him and looked at Yu Shi behind him. He stood up and said, "Mother-in-law..."
After that, of course, there was a round of greetings. Although Maggie Cheung had no other skills, she was good at greeting people.
Yu told him that Ye Jia heard several children growling with hunger. They were all pale and thin, with patches all over their bodies.
Ye Jia didn't say anything, but quietly asked Ye Simei to take Huanpei, Xiaoli and the others to make some food and bring it over.
The elderly couple, including Maggie Cheung, must have endured a lot of hardship. Their eye sockets were sunken, their cheeks tinged with a dark blue hue. Even at this late hour, exchanging pleasantries had exhausted both of them. After such a frightening journey and the long night's journey, they were all exhausted. The younger children leaned against the older ones, their heads nodding, too tired to stand.
After the food was served and they finished eating, Ye Jia allocated a yard for them to stay in and they each went to rest.
After the person left, Ye Jia frowned, feeling a little annoyed.
Ye Tongsheng's attitude made Ye Jia feel uncomfortable.
Although it was just a brief encounter, and the father and daughter didn't even exchange words, Ye Jia seemed to have already anticipated that if the old man stayed permanently, he would be very demanding of her actions. Honestly, she already had enough to do, and Ye Jia really didn't want to deal with a stubborn old man. She could take them in for a few days under special circumstances, but she was afraid that she couldn't take them in permanently.
After thinking for a long time, Ye Jia let out a breath.
"Mom," Ye Jia had just tried to talk to Ye Tongsheng, but the old man had an attitude of "there's no place for a woman to butt in." "Tomorrow I need you to be the bad guy for me. My parents can't stay here for long, they need to be sent away as soon as possible."
Yu was stunned. She didn't expect Ye Jia to be thinking about this matter with a frown on his face for a long time. "What do you mean?"
Ye Jia found it difficult to explain the subtlety here, so he just glanced at Yu with hesitation.
Yu blinked, reflecting on how many times Ye Tongsheng had interrupted Ye Jia. While she couldn't completely empathize, she could at least understand what he was saying. Yu always took Ye Jia's opinions as their own.
After thinking about it, she nodded immediately: "You arrange it, I will be a bad guy."
After Yu said this, Ye Jia finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Forget it, mother, I will tell you about this matter in detail tomorrow."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law talked for a few more minutes and then went back to their rooms to rest.
…
At the same time, in the Libei Town garrison camp, Zhou Jingchen narrowed his eyes as he looked at Cheng Yi standing in front of him.
"Captain, I am Cheng Yi." Last time, Ye Jia had politely declined Cheng Yi in front of Old Master Cheng, and Cheng Yi finally couldn't hold back. Without telling his family, he packed a bag and ran to the fortress. It just so happened that the Turks arrived quickly this time, and the troops from Luntai hadn't arrived yet. To hold the first line of defense, Zhou Jingchen naturally mobilized the strong men from Libei Town to defend the city, and Cheng Yi took the opportunity to join the army.
This man was truly brave, having killed thirty people by himself, becoming famous in one battle. He was led directly to Zhou Jingchen.
"Yeah." Cheng Yi finally joined the army.
Zhou Jingchen had expected that Douhuanhuanhuan would join the army, so he wasn't too surprised: "From now on, you will work by my side."
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