Some people didn't know who Jiang Bai was, so they turned to ask the people next to them. Those who knew her identity quickly explained, and in an instant, the threshing ground where the villagers had gathered became noisy.
People who knew Aunt Wang gathered around, wanting to ask about the specific details.
Although Jiang Bai has a terrible reputation, often beating children and supposedly seducing other women's husbands, she has never beaten their children or seduced their husbands. They have no grudges against Jiang Bai, at most they've talked about her behind her back.
In contrast, Aunt Wang's transformation was obvious. She was full of energy, with a full face, fewer wrinkles, and black hair. When she spoke, her voice was loud and strong, a stark contrast to her previous weak appearance.
It's fair to say that in just one week, she has become at least ten years younger.
Aunt Wang recounted the whole story with a smile, praising Jiang Bai's medicinal cuisine as if she wanted to write a short essay: "The first time I ate it, I thought, no matter how much it costs, I have to keep eating this medicinal cuisine, it's so delicious."
"So how much did it actually cost?" the busybody asked.
Grandma Wang stretched out one hand, her fingers spread wide.
"Fifty coins?"
"Five hundred coins a day," said Granny Wang.
The crowd erupted in uproar.
These people who toil in the fields have never seen such a price before. When they eat, they pick some vegetables from the garden they grow at home, and if there are none, they pick some wild vegetables from the mountains. The whole family eats together, and they don't even spend a hundred coins a month!
"And all the ingredients are provided by me," Aunt Wang added.
Everyone gasped in surprise.
Jiang Bai stood behind Aunt Wang with a smile, without saying a word.
When she chose to prepare medicinal cuisine for Granny Wang, she took into account Granny Wang's pride; exaggerating a bit would better showcase her status. You see, she didn't even need to promote herself; the consumer spent such a large sum of money and received such great results, so naturally, they would sing her praises to the heavens.
The higher her status, the more it proves that Aunt Wang's choice was correct; the higher her price, the more it proves that Aunt Wang's family is wealthy. It's a highly profitable deal for both of them.
As this was being described, someone started making sarcastic remarks: "Aunt Wang, you wouldn't happen to be Jiang Bai's shill, would you?"
Jiang Bai looked closely and realized it was Li Chunhua, whom he had fought with before.
Seeing Jiang Bai's radiant face, Li Chunhua gritted her teeth in anger and said fiercely, "How come we didn't know Jiang Bai could make medicinal cuisine?"
If she had this skill, would she have been sold by her family to Zhao Laoda to become a stepmother to two children? Put yourself in her shoes, if it were your own daughter, let alone 500 coins a day, many families would choose not to let their daughters get married for the rest of their lives!
Those around them were also wondering what was going on. It was strange that Jiang Bai could suddenly make medicinal cuisine, but Wang Da Niang's transformation was real!
When Aunt Wang heard someone doubt her, she got angry: "Am I a shill? Why would I need to be a shill? Look at how I've changed. If Jiang Bai didn't really have this ability, why would I lie for her? Besides, we're all neighbors. Even if we're doing business, it's not a one-off deal. Why would I need to lie?"
Li Chunhua retorted, "I don't see any change. Maybe you're—"
She paused for a few seconds, her eyes darting around, and suddenly came up with a plausible excuse: "Are you wearing makeup? I've heard that city people can use cosmetics to make themselves look very beautiful."
Aunt Wang rolled her eyes, grabbed the hand of the person next to her, and put it on her face: "Feel it, do I look like I'm wearing makeup?"
The man rubbed it vigorously, but nothing came out. He honestly replied, "No, it's your own skin."
Li Chunhua was slapped in the face in an instant and blurted out, "Maybe it's just your last burst of energy before death!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Wang objected.
She understood what a "last gasp before death" meant.
She rushed forward, intending to fight Li Chunhua, but before she could even touch her, a man's arm suddenly pierced through her. When Wang Da Niang turned her head, she saw that the man was Li Chunhua's husband, Diao Yi.
Diao Yi had a sleazy appearance. He was about 1.8 meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with muscles all over his body, and weighed at least 200 pounds. He was usually lazy, greedy, and cunning, and made a living by crooked means. Now that he had reached out to stop her, Aunt Wang immediately calmed down.
Diao Yi smiled at her and tried to smooth things over, saying vaguely, "My wife misspoke, ma'am, please don't be angry."
Turning to Li Chunhua, he said, "Don't cause trouble right now!"
Aunt Wang pursed her lips; it wasn't that she wasn't angry, but that she dared not be.
She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the gong at the front was struck three times, and then the village chief's voice rang out: "Quiet, we are about to start drawing lots."
This gathering is for the purpose of redistributing land.
The village land is divided every ten years, according to the number of males over five years old in the family. Zhao Yi has already separated from his family, and his parents live with his two younger brothers. Jiang Bai can only get two plots. Some people who have many children and have not separated from their families can get ten or so plots.
Each plot of land is the same size, but the location and soil quality are different. There are a few better locations that the whole village is eyeing.
Aunt Wang's son is a big boss in the county town, and she has a high status in the village. She pulled Jiang Bai forward, trying to draw lots as soon as possible.
Jiang Bai wanted to say that the probability of drawing a good plot of land was the same whether it was early or late, but after thinking about it, he didn't say it out loud, after all, Aunt Wang meant well.
Zhao Yi was among the first in the village to start a business, leading many villagers to make their fortunes elsewhere. No one stopped them, and soon it was Jiang Bai's turn to draw lots.
She reached into the bucket and swiped it around several times, intending to grab one at random, but her fingers accidentally touched one that felt different from the others—this one was looser.
Jiang Bai had a flash of inspiration.
Back when the original owner was still having an affair with Li Chunhua's husband, Diao Yi, Diao Yi had mysteriously said that he had a way to get good land during the land redistribution. The original owner pressed him for details several times, but Diao Yi refused to tell her.
Could it be—
Jiang Bai remained expressionless, tightly clutching the loosely crumpled paper, swallowing hard, thinking: "Let's take a gamble, and maybe I'll turn a bicycle into a motorcycle."
Thinking this, he took out the crumpled paper, casually unfolded it, and saw that it was safe.
Aunt Wang was beside her, and her expression revealed nothing. Curious, she took the note and looked at it, then couldn't help but exclaim, "My God, Jiang Bai, you're so lucky! This is the best piece of land in the whole village!"
"Impossible!" Before Aunt Wang could finish speaking, Diao Yi's rough voice rang out. He hadn't drawn a lot yet, but he wasn't going to queue up either. He squeezed through the crowd, snatched the slip of paper, glanced at it, and his pupils dilated in shock.
He pointed at Jiang Bai menacingly: "There's something fishy going on here!"
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