"Grandma, here, here."
Li Lanzhen turned her head and was surprised to see three black heads peeking out from the alley entrance. It turned out to be her eldest grandson Han Yinan, Gou Dan, and the other one was her eldest daughter-in-law's eldest brother's eldest son Da Niu!
How did these three little guys get into the city? They must have gotten into trouble and are too scared to come over. Hmm, they're probably afraid I'll punish them.
Sigh, now that they're all inside, are we going to grab them and bring them to the guards to tell them that these three little guys fell from the sky?
Afraid of startling them, Li Lanzhen waved and smiled kindly, calling out, "Yi Nan, come here, come to Grandma's. All three of you come here."
The three little ones came running over, their faces covered in sweat, and gave her a fawning smile.
He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from the three little ones' brows. "How did you get in here without being spotted by the guards?"
Han Yinan said proudly, "Grandma, Gou Dan found a dog hole, and the three of us crawled in through it."
Han Mingjiang wasn't as easy to talk to as Li Lanzhen. He frowned, his face stern, and said, "Did you come in and tell the adults? How worried they must be if they can't find you! What if something happens while they're frantically looking for you? I'll spank you when we get back! You're all such a handful!!"
The three little ones then became worried. They had been so excited that they forgot to tell the adults. However, if they had told the adults, they wouldn't have been able to enter the city.
With their heads down and not saying a word, Han Mingjiang wanted to curse a few more times, but Li Lanzhen stopped him, "Alright, Mingjiang, take them with you. Keep an eye on them, don't lose a single one. Let's go."
The three little ones were overjoyed to see that Li Lanzhen didn't scold them, and they followed closely beside Han Mingjiang. Before long, they were attracted by the lively scene in Linshui County.
Li Lanzhen was also puzzled. Wasn't the Le Dynasty in a state of economic downturn? Why were the streets here still so lively? Small vendors and shops on both sides of the road were bustling with people. It seemed that the grain shops must also have grain for sale.
The aroma of food wafting from both sides of the road made the children's stomachs rumble, and Han Mingjiang silently swallowed his saliva.
Li Lanzhen walked up to a stall selling sesame cakes, took out a little over a pound of white rice from her basket, and discussed with the owner about exchanging it for sesame cakes.
This sesame seed cake is probably not made from pure wheat flour; it contains soybean flour and cornmeal. Each one is about the size of an adult man's outstretched palm, about a finger's thickness, golden brown on both sides, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It should be crispy and fragrant when you take a bite.
"Shopkeeper, we don't have any money, but the children are really craving it, so we were thinking of trading this with you. What do you think?"
The shopkeeper didn't wait until Li Lanzhen finished speaking, even though she said she had no money. He took the cloth bag she handed him, opened it, and stared wide-eyed at Li Lanzhen in surprise.
Fearing that Li Lanzhen might change her mind, he hurriedly said, "Sister, are you sure you want to trade this for sesame cakes? Okay! I'll trade with you, how about I give you twenty-five sesame cakes?"
Seeing that Li Lanzhen didn't speak, he quickly added, "How about this, I'll give you twenty-five of these sesame cakes, and ten more of these, okay?"
As she spoke, she took out a winnowing basket from behind the stall, which contained flatbreads made from a mixture of wheat flour and cornmeal. Han Mingjiang tugged at her sleeve, and Li Lanzhen nodded, "Okay, pack it up for me."
After saying that, he took out two mixed sesame seed cakes, broke them in half, and gave them to the three children and Han Mingjiang, saying, "Have some to fill your stomachs."
Everyone quickly packed the sesame cakes, carefully separating the two types. Han Mingjiang took them and put them into the basket on his back, which was covered with a cloth.
"Shopkeeper, I have another question. Is there anywhere in this county where I can get water?" Li Lanzhen asked the shopkeeper as she watched Han Mingjiang pack the sesame cakes.
"Oh, young lady, you must be passing through here while fleeing famine. There are three wells in the county town, but they are all guarded by the county government, and you have to pay to draw water. Luckily, there is a well in the backyard of my shop, otherwise, this business would not be able to continue."
The shopkeeper shook his head and said helplessly.
"How about this, shopkeeper, I'll change the water for you, okay?" Li Lanzhen took out a small cloth bag from her basket.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, "Sure, how do I exchange it?"
“Look, I have three jin of this grain. I’ll trade it for fifteen buckets of water that are this big and tall. And you’ll have to help transport them out of the city. We’ll be in the woods about half a mile outside the city.”
Li Lanzhen gestured to the shopkeeper the size of her water bucket and told him her requirements. She was confident that the shopkeeper would agree to the trade. He didn't want water from his well, so trading with her would be a win-win situation.
As soon as Li Lanzhen finished speaking, the shopkeeper nodded in agreement, "Okay. No problem. I have a water truck at home, enough for three trips, more than enough, to get you out of town."
"Mingjiang, you stay here and oversee the water delivery. First, fill all the buckets for our four families, and then fill the buckets for Gou Dan's family as well. The rest can be distributed by the village chief."
Li Lanzhen thought that since her family's water bucket was the largest and the other families' buckets were smaller, there should be enough water for every family in the village to receive. Otherwise, if only her family had water, they would face constant troubles on their journey to escape famine.
Gou Dan spoke up, "Grandma Li, Uncle Mingjiang and I went out to deliver water, and we can talk to the three families about it."
Quickly look at Han Yinan and Da Niu, and say, "You two should go back together too. The adults will worry if you come out."
Li Lanzhen was thinking about her plan. It was inconvenient to take several children with her, so she thought about sending them all back.
The three children readily agreed and waited with Han Mingjiang. Li Lanzhen pretended to take the food she had exchanged for water with the shopkeeper out of her basket and put it into Han Mingjiang's basket.
"Go out and fill up the water tank, then give out the grain. If you need to deliver the water in several batches, then give out the grain in batches, understand?"
Han Mingjiang stared blankly at Li Lanzhen's basket, then looked up, nodded rapidly and vigorously, and told Li Lanzhen to be careful on her own.
Li Lanzhen wandered aimlessly through the mall. She had glanced at the mall last night and noticed some changes, but hadn't looked closely. Now, she saw that it had indeed become exactly as she had requested.
That's right, this is what an online store should be like.
The mall is a large LCD screen displaying shops. Currently, only the shops on the first floor are lit up; the rest are gray and gloomy.
The shops are filled with various goods displayed by merchants, as well as the types and quantities of materials to be exchanged.
It's easy to see what you need and what supplies are available at a glance. Convenient.
"System, why are only the lights in the first row on?"
"Host, this result is the result of my best efforts. If you are still not satisfied, I will leave you and find another host."
Li Lanzhen sensed Tongzi's helplessness and sadness, and chuckled.
"Alright, I was just kidding. You want to leave me? You want to die? Let me tell you, leaving me is a dead end. If you come back to life, you won't be yourself anymore. You'll be a completely new system reassembled and rebuilt by your system company!"
Tongzi: Do you have to be so clear about our fate? Hmph. I'm not saying anything more. Go ahead and mutter to yourself.
Seeing that Tongzi was silent, Li Lanzhen earnestly lectured him, "So, serve me well, and we'll be best friends here."
"Li Lanzhen, you damned old hag! How did you sneak in here? I'm going to call my brothers to arrest you and take you to the county yamen for trial."
Li Lanzhen is heartbroken!
How did I end up with such a scoundrel on the street?
"Oh, so it was you, you scoundrel. You thought the county government was run by your brother? Oh dear, has the county magistrate been sidelined by your brother? Otherwise, how could the county government be under your brother's control?"
"Everyone come and see! This guy's a real power in the county government, even more powerful and influential than the county magistrate. The magistrate is nothing but a fart in his eyes."
"Shut up! Shut up! I told you to shut up. I didn't say anything, you're the one who said it!" Old Mrs. Wu was anxious. If the county magistrate heard these words, her brother would be in big trouble.
Her eyes darted around, and then she heard her shout, "Help! She has a very powerful weapon. If it gets stuck in someone's body, they'll die. This is outrageous! Grab her and make her hand over her secret weapon!"
The magistrate's men, who were standing at the back of the crowd, had heard their conversation long ago. It wasn't until Old Lady Wu shouted that Li Lanzhen had a secret weapon that they stepped forward, ready to escort her to the county government office.
"Wait. This is the person I'm looking for; no one is allowed to touch him."
A man in black stepped forward and blocked their path, showing them his waist badge. Upon seeing the badge, the magistrate's men immediately bowed respectfully with clasped hands.
"My apologies, I was blind and ignorant. Please forgive me."
Old Mrs. Wu watched helplessly as the burly man dragged Li Lanzhen away, and she was furious.
"Pah! Li Lanzhen, you're in for it now."
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