In a moment of impulsiveness, Lan Yamei suggested that they go get the silver right now and head to Longyang Town to open a shop, aiming to make a name for themselves.
Aunt Guan did not agree. After all, this 10,000 taels was Butterfly's entire fortune. If she won the bet, that would be fine, but if she lost, how could she face Butterfly?
Lan Yatou thought Aunt Guan's words made sense. After all, this was ancient times, and the way the economy operated was different. It would be more prudent to start from the ghost market, take it one step at a time, steadily build up a reputation, and slowly grow stronger.
This excuse could only fool herself for a few minutes. Lan Yamei still felt that with her modern barbecue skills, she could master the ancient tastes and conquer the region sooner or later.
The lotus roots at home are still piling up, enough to sell for at least another week. But the boast I made last night needs to be put to the test today, so Lan Ya Mei decided to visit the surrounding villages to see if she could get some inspiration to create some new products.
…
The Murong family meeting lasted from late at night until dawn, with a tense atmosphere at times. Most people advocated for Murong Bai's death, even though he was the eldest son of the clan leader. Since the jade pendant was involved, he had to die.
The fewer people who know about the jade pendant, the better, because it involves a long-lost martial arts manual, and whoever obtains this manual will rule the world.
Clan Chief Murong Feng has been searching for the key to unlock the secret manual for years. The Murong family has two keys, but the whereabouts of the other two are unknown.
Murong Feng, who personally kept the jade pendant safe, never imagined that his own son would take one, almost ruining a major family affair. Fortunately, his long-time informant, Ouyang Hai, intercepted it and returned it to the Murong family, preventing a major upheaval in the martial arts world.
Some peacemakers suggested giving him a break, since it was his first offense and he was just young and naive.
However, most of the council members remained silent, unwilling to budge. Their futures were at stake; who wouldn't aspire to be a king or general? These jade pendants were crucial to whether their entire family could be remembered in history.
The Murong clan chief wanted to protect his son's life, but the power of silence was considerable. Seeing this, he had no choice but to imprison Murong Bai in the water dungeon and leave his fate to fate.
In other words, no one is allowed to approach during this period. If someone is still alive after three months, it is considered an unavoidable fate, and they will be expelled from the clan. They will not be allowed to be called Murong Bai and will never be allowed to return to the clan.
The battered and bruised Murong Bai was hanging in the water dungeon in his undergarments, half of his body submerged in the foul water.
His mother wept uncontrollably, urging him to apologize to his father and seek forgiveness from the clan to save his life; other matters could be discussed later.
Murong Bai didn't want to live like his parents. Stubborn as an ox, he only told his mother, "Take care. In my next life, I will repay your kindness in raising me by being your ox or horse."
At this moment, Murong Feng, with a dark expression, led everyone in.
The mother, clutching her husband's sleeve, slowly knelt down to plead for mercy. Murong Feng coldly pulled his sleeve away, turned to the side, and said, "This boy is stubborn by nature; he opposes everything I do. Now he's finally caused a terrible disaster. Tell me, how am I supposed to save him? You didn't discipline him strictly enough, and now it's too late. Spoiling a child is like killing him! You've ruined our son." He turned to the maidservant beside his wife and said, "Immediately take Madam back to rest."
Everyone in the Murong family was afraid of the master, after all, this man could kill someone with a single slap. The maid hurriedly pulled the lady away.
The lady, dragged away, cursed loudly, "Murong Feng, you old bastard who favors his concubine over his wife! If it weren't for you spending all your time on that slut and neglecting your son's upbringing, which led to this terrible mistake, you'd blame me now! Do you only feel happy when my son is dead? I've tolerated you for so many years, and now that my son is about to die, I don't want to live anymore. You and that slut can go live happily ever after!" With that, she broke free from the maid's grasp and slammed her head against the wall, instantly bleeding profusely and dying.
Everyone present was shocked. Those who advocated for Murong Bai's death, in particular, were filled with fear, unwittingly becoming instigators of the lady's demise!
Murong Bai, who was determined to die, suddenly burst into tears, then burst into laughter, as if he had gone mad.
Murong Feng gritted his teeth, ordered his men to carry the lady away, and then turned and left the water dungeon.
Aunt Guan changed the dressing on Butterfly's face, but the wound was too deep; even after it healed, there would still be a huge patch of dead flesh. Butterfly always thought she would recover quickly and cooperated fully, waiting for Murong Bai to return to Longyang Town to take her away.
Lan Yamei lives in a rather remote place, with barren mountains behind her and farmland on both sides. The old house was left by her father, and because she is not a member of the same family, she doesn't live in the nearby village. To find new ingredients for barbecue, she has to venture into the village.
In ancient times, being a merchant was considered the lowest of the low among all professions, especially those who worked in such shady markets. So when Lan Ya Mei entered the village, no one paid her any attention, and the younger generation of children didn't even know that such a person existed in the village, staring at her like she was a stranger.
Lan Ya Mei wasn't angry; she was used to being invisible.
Of all the villagers, only Er Gou's mother respected the Lan family father and daughter. After all, it was Lan's father who jumped into the river without hesitation and pulled Er Gou out of the water the day he fell in. So when Er Gou's mother saw Lan Ya Mei from afar, she happily called out, "Lan Ya Mei, it's been several months since you've been to the village. Have you eaten? Auntie has cooked some fresh corn porridge. I'll serve you a bowl with my secret pickled vegetables. I guarantee you'll like it." As she spoke, she was about to go inside to get the rice.
Lan Yamei quickly stopped her, saying gratefully, "Auntie, I've already eaten breakfast. Look, there are still vegetable leaves stuck in my teeth!"
This made the old woman laugh heartily. "You little rascal, you always know how to make people laugh. Don't say things like that again, or people will laugh at you." With that, she pulled Lan Ya Mei to sit down under the eaves, went inside to scoop out a shovel of peanuts, and offered them to Lan Ya Mei.
Remembering how well the peanuts and edamame were selling—someone even asked about them yesterday—I decided to ask the old lady while I was eating peanuts, "Auntie, how was your peanut harvest?"
"The peanut harvest is pretty good. We'll eat some as snacks and press some for oil; that'll be enough for the whole year. Your family doesn't have much land, and your dad even planted a lotus pond for you. You probably don't have enough food, right? I'll pack some peanuts for you later. Next year, you can fill in the lotus pond and plant peanuts; you can sell them for money. You can't eat the lotus flowers, and digging up the lotus roots is exhausting." The old woman was genuinely concerned for the little girl; after all, life revolves around food and drink. The villagers all laughed at the Lan family, calling them a barbecue vendor trying to appear cultured.
"Thank you, Auntie!" As soon as Lan Yamei finished speaking, Er Gou's wife came out of the house with a long face and muttered, "Mom, pack some eggplants for Lan Yamei later, our eggplants are about to go bad."
Er Gou's mother glanced at her daughter-in-law, who was not presentable enough to be seen in public, and said angrily, "You're stingy with just two peanuts! Without Lan Ya's father, would you have had the chance to give birth to Gou Dan! You should know how to repay kindness. You're such a petty country bumpkin. Go, go, go and coax the child."
Lan Yatou wasn't angry, after all, everyone was struggling to make a living in the fields. Besides, she couldn't keep taking advantage of her father's kindness. She immediately asked, "Auntie, how many eggplants do you have left? What happened to the eggplants this year?"
Speaking of eggplants, the old lady sighed and said, "Last year, a traveling peddler came to the village and said that whoever grows eggplants next year will become rich. As a result, every family in the village grew eggplants, but they couldn't sell them at all and had to eat them all themselves. My family also grew an acre of eggplants. If all else fails, I'll dry them and see if I can make dried plum vegetables."
Oh, I see! Thinking that eggplant would be a great ingredient for barbecue, I asked the old lady, "How much would you like to sell the eggplant for?"
"What, you have a way, Lan girl?" The old woman's eyes lit up as if she had seen a glimmer of hope.
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