Chapter 28 "Hmm..."
"Um"
Before leaving, Zhu Mingyue kicked Da Huangya squarely in the buttocks, saying, "Let's see if you dare to be so lewd again."
That kick was quite forceful; if nothing unexpected happens, the damage to that function will be severe, and he'll be unable to harm others even if he wants to inflict pain later.
Having done what she had always wanted to do, Zhu Mingyue was in an exceptionally good mood. Before leaving, she didn't forget to take the few copper coins that Da Huangya had on him and put them in her pocket.
"Xie Pei, do you think he'll retaliate against us?" He quickened his pace to reach Xie Pei's side and asked.
Xie Pei was carrying four bags of rice by himself and had no time to pay attention to him.
Zhu Mingyue then answered his own question: "Probably not, that kind of person is always bullying the weak and fearing the strong." He felt that now that he was assertive, there was no way that Big Yellow Teeth would dare to provoke him again.
The road ahead was extremely bumpy, and the carrying pole on Xie Pei's shoulder creaked and groaned, severely bent and showing signs of breaking down. Zhu Mingyue threw the flour in her arms into the basket on his back and supported the rice from behind to share some of the weight with him.
Back home, both of them were exhausted. Zhu Mingyue felt she hadn't done much work, so she only rested for a short while before getting up to cook.
Half an hour later, Xie Pei sat at the dining table, looking at the dishes on the table with a hint of disbelief: "This is braised pork?"
Zhu Mingyue: "Braised pork? When did I say I was going to make braised pork?" After saying this, Zhu Mingyue finally felt that she had gotten her revenge. With a satisfied expression, she picked up a piece of roasted taro and put it in his bowl, and even urged him to eat more in a very annoying way.
He ate rice with taro, and then had a bowl of rice soup to help him digest the food. He was so full after the meal.
Xie Pei had shot himself in the foot this time. Realizing he was in the wrong, he didn't say much. He could still down three bowls of rice with a little sauce on it, but this vegetarian meal wasn't as enjoyable as eating meat.
The braised pork belly eventually made its way to dinner. It was made with the finest pork belly, simmered over low heat until each piece was soaked in the rich sauce. The dish was served in a large bowl, with tender skin and meat that melted in your mouth.
This time the meat was cut into large pieces. Zhu Mingyue ate two bowls of rice with the broth and two pieces of braised pork, still wanting more. However, his appetite was not as good as Xie Pei's, and he would have indigestion if he ate too much. After hesitating for a while, he put down his chopsticks.
The days of being busy making money always fly by, and in the blink of an eye, the Beginning of Spring has arrived, and all things are about to revive.
That day, Zhu Mingyue stood at the gate of the courtyard and sneezed several times in a row, muttering, "This awful weather, it's already the beginning of spring and it's still so cold, is it even possible for a person to live?"
Turning to look at Xie Pei, who was carrying steamed buns, she saw him wearing only a short brown shirt and tapered trousers, looking neat and tidy. Meanwhile, she herself was still dressed in her winter clothes, as if she wanted to wear all her warm layers, making her look bulky like a fat penguin.
Zhu Mingyue: ...It's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy!
He rubbed his eyes, which were itchy from the stray hairs on his forehead, and stuffed the hairs that had come out through the seam back into his handkerchief.
He had been growing his hair all winter, and it was now at an in-between length, neither long nor short, but he couldn't tie it up properly. In order to tie up his long hair as soon as possible and blend into the crowd, he couldn't bear to cut a single hair.
This is quite awkward. He looks like a wild man with disheveled hair all day long. If it weren't for his good looks, he would be extremely ugly.
He was ugly as he was, and more importantly, difficult to manage. His hair was fine and soft, and a slight breeze would leave strands sticking to his face, greatly affecting his work efficiency. So, he came up with a solution: he tore off a piece of floral fabric and made himself a triangular headscarf. He tied the two ends of the headscarf with a string, and then tied the string down his chin. Surprisingly, it actually gave him a unique charm. These past few days, quite a few girls have been eyeing his steamed buns and have specifically asked him where he bought them.
Zhu Mingyue was delighted by this for a long time. He never expected that he could turn an ordinary triangular piece of cloth into a fashionable item with just a casual gesture.
Their steamed buns now have a stable customer base and sell out quickly. If you arrive a little late, you'll see a group of people spontaneously waiting there.
Most people buy them to take home and eat with their families, so most orders start with five or six. He only makes about two hundred a day, so he can sell them all and go home in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
After work today, the two of us went to Jufangzhai together. It's the most famous pastry shop in the county, catering mainly to wealthy families.
As soon as Zhu Mingyue entered, she smelled a strong aroma of oil. It smelled quite nice at first, but after a while, it became cloying.
He used to love desserts, but cake shops were expensive, so he rarely bought any to save money. He had originally wanted to see what was different about these ancient pastry shops and buy some of his favorites to try, but now it seems he should pass.
"Shopkeeper, how much is this Poria cocos cake?"
The shopkeeper gestured and replied, "Sixty-five coins a pack."
Zhu Mingyue nearly coughed up blood. Good heavens! Seventy coins! He'd have to sell dozens of buns to earn that back. He knew this shop was expensive, but he hadn't expected it to be this expensive.
This bag looks only slightly larger than an eraser and costs less than twenty yuan. You don't even need to lift it to know it definitely doesn't weigh a pound.
It's ridiculously expensive; could it be made of gold?
Zhu Mingyue remained silent, exchanged a glance with Xie Pei, and both saw a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.
He quickly changed the direction of his finger, randomly pointing to the yellow pastries on the other side and asking, "How much are these?"
The shopkeeper glanced casually in that direction, his words laced with disdain as if he already knew the other party couldn't afford it: "Heh, that one's more expensive, seventy coins. If you can't afford it, don't ask."
Xie Pei's face suddenly darkened, and he gently pulled Zhu Mingyue's wrist, intending to lead him away.
Zhu Mingyue stopped him and gestured for him to wait outside the door, telling him to be patient.
If it were him wanting to eat pastries, he would have turned around and left without saying a word after seeing the shopkeeper's attitude. The problem is that this is not something he bought for his own consumption.
It's a long story. With the arrival of spring, everyone will soon be busy with spring plowing and planting vegetables.
The Xie family has been squandered by Xie Hong, and now all that's left is a tiny plot of land and vegetable patches, which, to put it bluntly, isn't even enough for him to practice on.
He had made a lot of money selling steamed buns lately, but the two of them were reluctant to spend it and wanted to save it up to buy back the land before spring planting.
Buying land not only requires money, but also getting the village chief to help with the arrangements. He was considered a jinx in the village and had no say in anything. Xie Pei was just as bad as him, equally unpopular.
After much thought, he decided that rather than humiliating himself by putting in verbal effort, he should spend some money to bribe the village chief.
He didn't know much about the village chief, only that he didn't get involved when the villagers came to besiege him. He wasn't necessarily a good person, but he figured he was probably someone who cared about his reputation. Later, he learned from Xie Pei that the village chief's youngest son worked in the yamen, which made him even more certain of his thoughts.
People who care about their image love to be treated with respect. If you give them rice or flour, they might not give you a good look. But if you give them something that wealthy people use, they might be pleased.
So Zhu Mingyue thought of this pastry shop; it was expensive, but it would be impressive to give it as a gift.
It's just too expensive; it hurts to buy it.
When Zhu Mingyue came out, she was carrying two boxes of pastries and a package of something that was not clearly visible, all wrapped tightly in oil paper. One box contained peach shortbread, and the other contained cloud-shaped cakes. The wooden boxes were carved with patterns, and upon closer inspection, they were indeed much more exquisite than those from other pastry shops.
Back home, Zhu Mingyue handed two boxes to Xie Pei and said, "Go and give these to the village chief. Tell him that if anyone in the village wants to sell land, please ask him to put in a good word for them."
Xie Pei nodded and was about to leave.
“Oh, right,” Zhu Mingyue called out to him, opening the remaining bag, which contained a small pile of rock candy. “His family has many grandsons. Keep this rock candy in your pocket. If you run into them at the door, remember to give one to each of them and say that Brother Xie treated them to it.”
"Okay," Xie Pei replied as usual.
As Zhu Mingyue rewrapped the oil paper, she picked out a larger rock candy from inside and, taking advantage of Xie Pei's unpreparedness, quickly stuffed it into his mouth.
"Hey, sweet talker, you've worked hard these past few days." He blinked his big eyes and smiled憨厚ly.
Xie Pei held the hard rock honey in his mouth, feeling its sweetness melt and spread between his lips and teeth.
"Is it sweet?" Zhu Mingyue asked him.
“Sweet.” Xie Pei said in a hoarse voice, looking at him intently.
Xie Pei has been eating well these days and is no longer as thin as before. His face is no longer gaunt, and he can vaguely see some handsome features. Especially his eyes, which are as deep as a bottomless pool. If you look into them for a long time at close range, you will be unable to help but be drawn in and unable to extricate yourself.
Zhu Mingyue felt uncomfortable being stared at, so she pushed him away and urged, "Go quickly!"
Once everyone had completely disappeared from sight, he patted his burning face, thinking to himself that it was truly terrifying to be stared at so intently by Xie Pei for the first time.
When Xie Pei returned, he was making lunch. He looked up and saw that Xie Pei's hands were empty, and his face lit up with joy: "Did the village chief agree?"
Xie Pei nodded: "Agreed."
When he arrived at the village chief's house, he indeed encountered several children playing under a tree outside the courtyard. Xie Pei walked over with a cold face and almost scared the children to tears. Fortunately, he took out some rock honey and gave one to each child so that no one would make a fuss.
In the countryside, almost every child loves candy, and they would excitedly call him Brother Xie as soon as they received it.
Xie Pei handed out candy and then ignored them, knocking on the door of the village chief's house.
The village chief's wife opened the door again. She was surprised to see him. Although she didn't like him, she didn't show it on her face. Especially when she saw that he was carrying something, she let him in.
Xie Pei met with the village chief and explained his purpose directly. The Xie family had a falling out with the villagers some time ago. He originally did not want to get involved in the Xie family's affairs, but his grandsons were unusually unruly and clung to his legs, insisting that he agree to Xie Pei's request.
When the village chief saw that each little boy had bulging cheeks, he thought they had been bribed in advance, and sighed as he agreed.
Zhu Mingyue stuffed some firewood into the stove: "Then won't we have land right away?"
Xie Pei hesitated for a moment, then dropped a bombshell: "No one in the village wants to sell their land yet."
Zhu Mingyue felt a chill in his heart. He had been too naive. He knew that farmers didn't buy land easily, and people like Xie Hong were a minority. Unless someone was in dire need of money, they wouldn't sell their land.
Xie Pei could sense his disappointment and didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only say, "There will be some. If you really can't buy them, I can clear the land."
Land reclamation also costs money, but the difference is that the land is sold by the government. Not only does reclaiming wasteland require effort, but the soil is too barren for normal crop cultivation in the first two years. If possible, he would still prefer to buy existing land.
Zhu Mingyue forced a slightly strained smile: "It's okay, I was just too impatient. We can wait a little longer."
"Are you hungry? Come and eat!" He then changed the subject and brought the freshly cooked food to the table.
As Zhu Mingyue ate, she completely forgot about the unpleasant things and transformed back into a diligent and happy little bee after the meal.
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