Jiang Ling turned and went to the village chief's house. Although the village chief hadn't eaten much, his son and grandson were enjoying their meal. When Jiang Ling arrived, the village chief's wife had already washed her bowl.
"Village chief, how does it taste?" Jiang Ling asked, glancing at the clean bowl.
"Oh my, did you make this, Jiang Shi?" Lu Chengcai, the village chief's eldest son, came over and asked.
"Yes, what does Brother Chengcai think of the taste?" Jiang Ling asked.
"It tastes absolutely amazing! I've never eaten anything so delicious before! Jiang, how did you make this?" Lu Chengcai asked.
"I'm sorry, Brother Chengcai, I can't tell you this. It's our family's secret recipe!" Jiang Ling's words made Lu Chengcai look disappointed.
"Village Chief, I've come today to ask you for a favor!" Jiang Ling said to the village chief.
"Jiang Ling, just tell me what's on your mind!" The village chief suddenly stopped smoking his pipe and looked at Jiang Ling.
"Village chief, could you make me a few of these wooden basins? And a few of these square wooden plates!" Jiang Ling said, taking out the drawings she had prepared earlier.
The village chief took the blueprints and squinted as he examined them carefully. Soon, his expression relaxed, and he nodded, looking at Jiang Ling, and said, "This is simple. It will only take one or two hours to make. How many do you need?"
"Well, let's make five wooden basins and ten square plates for now! Fifteen in total. How much silver will that cost?" Jiang Ling asked.
"Oh dear, why would I need money? We can cut down the wood on the back mountain. It just takes a little time, and I don't have anything to do lately anyway! Forget it!" The village chief quickly refused when Jiang Ling mentioned money.
“That won’t do. Village Chief, you’ve contributed your labor, so you have to pay me. Just name a price. Besides, I estimate I’ll need to make these wooden basins and square plates several more times! If you’re being so polite, how am I supposed to ask for money later?” Jiang Ling said.
"Then... let's just do it one copper coin at a time!" the village chief said after a moment's hesitation.
Jiang Ling took out twenty copper coins from her pocket and placed them in the village chief's hand. By the time the village chief realized what was happening, Jiang Ling had already vanished without a trace!
After returning home, Jiang Ling began to plan what vegetables to bring to Pingxi County for a trial run the next day.
The reason for choosing Pingxi County is that the positioning of this hot pot is different. Pingxi County has a much larger population than Changning Town, and there is also a wharf in Pingxi County.
There are many people working at the docks every day, and many pedestrians come and go. Many people bring some food with them to ensure they don't go hungry while traveling, but those who are better off will choose to buy some food from small vendors and carry it with them.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling secretly opened the system shop and bought a bag of starch and a piece of lean meat.
She went to the kitchen, cut the meat into thin slices, and then mixed it with cornstarch.
Jiang Ling had Jiang Yaojie collect some vegetables from each household, while Jiang Ling herself was also busy at home making some egg pancakes and kneading some buckwheat noodles.
After everything was ready, Jiang Ling went to Uncle Lu's house and asked him to pick her up early the next morning. She also told Uncle Lu not to take anyone else on the oxcart, as they were going to Pingxi County the next day.
He then took out ten copper coins from his pocket and handed them to Uncle Lu.
When Jiang Ling got home, she found that Jiang Yaojie had brought back a lot of vegetables, mostly leafy greens from his own yard, as well as some white radishes.
After washing the harvested vegetables, Jiang Ling placed them in a cool, shady spot.
Having just finished his work, Jiang Zhishan also finished teaching the children. During this period, Jiang Zhishan paid great attention to the children of Lujia Village, and sometimes he would teach them for an extra hour or two each day.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling walked to Jiang Zhishan's side and said with concern, "Zhishan, you seem to be very busy these days. Don't let it interfere with your studies! Although you are staying with me, you still have to go to take the exam!"
Jiang Zhishan smiled and nodded to Jiang Ling, saying, "Big sister, don't worry! But... I have something I want to tell you!"
During this period, Jiang Zhishan rarely spoke to Jiang Ling so hesitantly. Judging from Jiang Zhishan's cautious manner, the matter was probably quite serious.
“Go ahead and say it!” Jiang Ling said.
“I…I’ve been away for a while now, and I was thinking of visiting Mother at the end of this month. Eldest sister, I…I know how Mother treats you, but…”
"Okay, go back for a few days at the end of the month. Here, take this. I was thinking of buying some cloth to make some clothes and some snacks to take back with me!" Jiang Ling took out two hundred copper coins from her pocket and placed them in Jiang Zhishan's hand.
"Big sister...you...what is this?" Jiang Zhishan thought her hot-tempered older sister would scold her, but she didn't expect her to give her money.
Jiang Zhishan quickly placed the copper coin on the table and waved his hand, saying, "No, no, my elder sister has sacrificed so much for the family over the years, how could I possibly accept her money!"
“My money is for you, not for her. Ever since she turned me away that time, I knew that my relationship with her was over. Consider this money as tuition for the three children. Take it and don’t lose it!” Jiang Ling said this with a very firm attitude. Although Jiang Zhishan wanted to refuse, he didn’t dare to say anything more when he saw Jiang Ling’s attitude. He could only carefully put the coins away.
"Zhishan, come with me!" Jiang Ling glanced around and, after confirming that no one was around, whispered to Jiang Zhishan.
Seeing Jiang Ling's serious expression, Jiang Zhishan couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He lowered his head and followed behind Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling went into the bedroom and carefully took out two silver ingots from the jar. She wrapped the silver in a cloth and placed it in front of Jiang Zhishan, saying, "Here, take this!"
"Huh? What? What?" Jiang Zhishan had never seen so much money before. The two silver ingots felt like they weighed ten thousand pounds in his hands.
"Take it! Keep it safe and don't lose it!" Jiang Ling found Jiang Zhishan's appearance somewhat amusing and reminded him again.
"Ah! No, no! Big sister, what are you doing?" Jiang Zhishan threw the silver on the ground as if she were throwing something terrifying.
Jiang Ling calmly picked up the silver and said, "There are still a few months until the New Year. You will be going to take the imperial examination after the New Year. Every expense along the way will cost money!"
“But…Big sister, I can earn it myself…” Jiang Zhishan said this without much confidence, and her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.
"What money can you possibly make? Are you counting on the tuition fees the villagers give you? Even if you go to town, how much can you exchange all that rice and flour for?"
Although Jiang Ling's words were unpleasant to hear, they were indeed the truth. Jiang Zhishan understood that although he taught in the village, most of the villagers only gave him their own crops, and no one had ever given him money.
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhishan shut his mouth completely. He looked at Jiang Ling somewhat awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
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