Chapter 361: Speechless
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
When did she save money? Why was he not aware of that?
At this point, Qiao Xuan chipped in to clear this up.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Dad, we went into the mountains a while ago, right? We found a patch of valuable medical herbs and sold them to the pharmacies in town, earning more than 50 liang, just enough for a new house!"
"What?" The Eldest Uncle's eyes widened as he responded in surprise. "How much?"
"More than 50 liang."
Actually, Ms. Fang had decided to spend 200 liang to build a grand) new house but she cut the number as she said it out loud. Eldest Uncle wasn't good at
counting so he would never know the real numbers.
He was kept away from the truth not because they were afraid of the second and third section of the family. They just wanted to save unnecessary trouble so that everyone could live a happy and peaceful life.
Soon the second and third section of the family would get used to them being ignored.
Eldest Uncle was startled. "Which medical herbs are so valuable?"
Qiao Xuan replied crisply. "Gastrodia, which is required by the pharmacies and that's why they paid us such an amount."
Eldest Uncle said voluntarily, "So many good things in the mountains! You should describe it well so your Second Uncle and Third Uncle could also join you next time to seek it."
Everyone felt silent.
"Okay." Qiao Xuan said with a smile, "Gastrodia is rarely seen and we only ran into it once. When we see it next time, we will definitely bring it for them to learn from."
Eldest Uncle opened his mouth, feeling that something was wrong. But he could not figure out clearly what was wrong. He nodded. "Okay, okay…"
Qiao Xuan really looked down at Eldest Uncle, who considered himself the head of the family. He kept taking unnecessary burdens onto his shoulders but still ended up being looked down upon by everyone.
What did he really want from his actions?
Qiao Xuan did not think that she would ever understand what he wanted in his life.
Ms. Fang said, "Just don't tell them right now about it. The medical herbs aren't found easily. If that was the case, they wouldn't be so valuable. If you tell them now, they may get anxious."
Eldest Uncle felt uncomfortable but replied with a nod.
Shao Sanlang said with a smile, "Mom, we are building a new house, aren't
Ms. Fang looked motivated. "Of course!"
Everyone discussed how big the new house should be, how many rooms, and what kind of construction should be done.
200 liang would be plenty, but Qiao Xuan thought about adding some of her savings to the building so that the wall could be higher and best materials could be used for the decoration.
What was the point of being rich and not use her money for making something good.
This was a major event, and naturally it would not be finalized for a while. When everyone dispersed, they were still excited.
The following day, Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong arrived there early in the morning.
Qiao Xuan and the others all got up early too.
Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao happened to be right on time for breakfast.
For breakfast, there was white porridge that was thick and fragrant, as well as steamed flower rolls and steamed buns.
The homemade kimchi included radish strips, cowpeas, red peppers, carrots, green lettuce which had been placed on the table. Also, there was a plate of crispy finger-sized fried fish wrapped in batter, diced radish, shiitake mushrooms, and diced chili sauce that acted as side dishes to accompany the meal.
In particular, the kimchi had a special fragrance, salty and sour, refreshing and bright in color. Just looking at it made people salivate..
Chapter 362: Into Mountains
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao had never seen this kind of food before. They started to drool when they smelled it. They had eaten breakfast but when Shao Yunduan asked them to join him, they still ate half a bowl of porridge with kimchi.
Yuezheng Xiao still had some lingering taste in his mouth. "Your kimchi tastes really good. I am already addicted to it."
Shao Sanlang stepped forward and said emotionally, "That is true! I also feel so! But my mom stops me from eating much!"
His. Ecu 1b.
She glanced at her dumb son. He ate too much to suffer from indigestion but he was now saying that he could not eat enough?
He was so dumb!
Yuezheng Xiao laughed.
Qiao Xuan said, "It is very easy to make it. I can tell you how to make it, and you can ask your servants to do it for you."
Making kimchi was the same as making pickles. Anyone who could make food could make it. Qiao Xuan had not thought about selling it for money, so she could share the recipe easily.
Taotao and Qiao Xuan often made one huge bowl for the family's consumption.
It was very easy to make, and the ingredients were easy to prepare as well. But the whole thing tasted great, and that added some fun in their food, which was wonderful.
Yuezheng Xiao felt a bit shy and said, "We come to your home to get a lot of things. It is very generous of you to share it all with us."
Xie Jingrong said, "We have some wonderful recipes for making pastries at our home too and I can share them with you."
Qiao Xuan's eyes sparkled and she nodded with a smile. "Okay, okay, that would be wonderful!"
Yuezheng Xiao smiled. "I have some too, and I am happy to share them with you."
Having eaten breakfast, they wrapped ten steamed buns and picked the tools to take along with them. Soon, they headed straight into the mountains.
Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao's servants followed along. They had changed into some comfortable clothes and shoes that were easy to walk in.
They wanted to go deep into the mountains for a great hunt.
Shao Xiaoqi was very excited about being the guide for the gang. He wanted to show what he was capable of, hoping secretly that they could run into some large prey such as wild goats, and deer.
But not as large as wild boars, bears or tigers…
The original ecological forest had beautiful scenery, majestic and quiet, including strange rocks. Sometimes a clear stream flowed past, and occasionally they could see waterfalls of different sizes, autumn chrysanthemums swaying. and the color-changing leaves flying with the wind. There were all kinds of red, and purple wild fruits adorning the branches, a feast for the eyes.
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong had hunted before, but no one ever dared to take them into the real mountains.
They only went to the foot of the mountains or a shallow cluster to have fun.
It was the first time for them to be inside such deep mountains.
Even the air they breathed in seemed to be rather different.
They were quite amazed by this kind of landscape, and spoke highly of it.
Seeing that Young Master Xie and Young Master Yuezheng, who were born in a noble family, were so interested in this kind of place, Shao Sanlang and Shao Xiaoqi could not help but admire them. They kept telling them about the surroundings, and they were engaged in an animated conversation with each other.
Shao Xiaoqi would hunt wild roosters and rabbits when they ran into those animals. Sometimes, he would ask the two young masters to pull the arrow on the right occasion.
Yuezheng Xiao did not know how to shoot. He only did that based on his own instinct and unsurprisingly, missed the target all the time..
Chapter 363: His Skills
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Xie Jingrong was quite a surprise. He managed to hit two wild roosters.
They were shocked but Xie Jingrong just smiled, saying that he had learned a little bit of shooting and riding before.
Shao Yunduan could not help but admire him secretly. A well-mannered man should have six skills, including shooting and riding. Xie Jingrong was really good at shooting and riding after being trained by the Xie Family and he looked elegant when he did it. That was amazing.
Both Qu Shan and Xie Dong were delighted. They barely had this kind of fun before and every time one prey was shot down, they would go to fetch it as if they had hit it themselves.
Yuezheng Xiao was not sad even if he failed. They were just here for fun!
Apart from hunting, Shao Xiaoqi and Taotao even picked some wild fruits to share with them, like wild grapes.
They also came across a few peach trees. The red fruit was not much bigger than a duck's egg. It tasted good, crisp and sweet, with a peachy fragrance. So, they got a few ripe ones to take them home.
Qiao Xuan picked some mushrooms, which drew Yuezheng Xiao's curiosity.
Half a day passed, and there were no large animals seen, but soon after lunch) they ran into a muntjac.
Shao Xiaoqi's eyes sparkled. He rubbed his hands in excitement. "We are lucky to run into such a large dude. Shh, no sound, it is quite cautious…"
Shao Xiaoqi's thick eyebrows were raised, and he looked sharp. He stopped the others from moving, but amongst the shadow of bushes and trees, he moved forward slowly.
At the proper distance, he pulled the bow, aimed with one eye shut at the animal's heart and released the arrow directly. It hit right on the animal's heart.
The animal let out a scream and then collapsed. It struggled for a while and finally stopped moving.
Qu Shan and Xie Dong cheered. "He hit it again, again!'
The two servants rushed to carry the animal back.
"You are great, Qi!" Yuezheng Xiao raised his thumb at Shao Xiaoqi, complementing him sincerely.
Shao Xiaoqi scratched his head and smiled in embarrassment. "It's okay…"
"Very good, not just okay!" Yuezheng Xiao said with a smile, especially when he was hunting the muntjac a while ago, Shao Xiaoqi's whole state immediately became different. He was a bit fierce when he was serious, with that posture, that movement, that expression… those who did not know what was going on would think that he was not hunting, but facing a fierce enemy.
When he thought about how he had hunted the roosters and rabbits, he seemed to be just having fun.
"You can join the army. You will definitely shine there! Right, Brother Xie?"
Xie Jingrong nodded. "Yes, Qi, you are totally professional, and if you join the army, you can stand out very easily. Who taught you all of these skills?"
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan exchanged a look and their hearts sank.
They did not think that it was not the right time to tell the truth, but they had no idea what else to say.
Both of them were quite surprised too that Qi seemed to be an expert. But then who was Hunter Zhao, who taught him these skills? Why did he spend the rest of his life in this village?
Shao Xiaoqi replied casually. "It's not a big deal.. An experienced hunter taught me these, but he passed away a few years ago…"
Chapter 364: Rejection
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The hunter had instructed him to tell this version to those who asked him where he learned the skills. He was asked not to say anything more than that.
"Oh, what a pity!'
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong did not dwell on the matter any longer when they heard that he had learned it from an experienced hunter. They even believed that they had been mistaken.
They were not very professional people, and they might have been mistaken about Shao Xiaoqi.
But one thing was for sure. Shao Xiaoqi would have a promising future if he joined the army.
Shao Yunduan smiled. "Qi is still too young to leave home. If we can support ourselves at home, our parents would not let him join the army."
Yuezheng Xiao smiled. "Yes, that makes sense!"
Xie Jingrong nodded and added. "If you ever change your mind one day, you can tell me about it."
The Xie Family had no direct contacts in the military, but it was easy for them
to help Shao Xiaoqi.
Shao Yunduan thanked Xie Jingrong sincerely. "Thank you so much, Brother
"You are welcome!"
With a lot of load on their shoulders, they finally decided to head home.
They ran into a patch of wild lilies, so they paused to dig some.
Lilies could be first steamed and sun-dried, then dried and put away, to add to soup, porridge, and even in boiled sugar water. They could also be ground into powder and added to cakes.
Fresh lilies were delicious whether they were fried or woked with beef.
They looked like snowflakes of petals, extremely beautiful.
After they went back home, they sorted and processed the goods.
The whole family was used to this kind of work, so everything was settled quickly.
They had many hunted animals at home, including 12 roosters, 6 wild rabbits as well as some other small birds.
Autumn muntjacs were extraordinarily plump, and so was this one. The fur was shiny, and the meat was firm and tender at first glance. It weighed about
The second and third section of the family were all here to check out the spoils from the mountains, so they had to share some with them. They could not put away the meat because it would get rotten, and the villagers would not spend money in buying these animals unless it was for New Year, even though they were sold at a low price.
Ms. Fang gave two roosters and one rabbit to each section of the family.
She even shared 2.5 to 3 kgs meat of muntjacs with them as well.
Ms. Niu did not expect that the two young masters were here again. She regretted deeply inside her heart and kept complaining about Shao Sanlang and Qi. "You went hunting in the mountains? Why didn't you take your Second Cousin and Fourth Cousin as well as Meiling with you? They could have contributed to your hunt! The two young masters would not have been to mountains before and they needed to be taken care of."
She saved some of her face by avoiding saying directly that Shao Meiling would have taken care of them.
She was trying to flatter Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong, and her eyes were rolling and glancing at them as she talked. But neither of them spoke to her.
Ms. Fang added. "They just took a walk around in the mountains. What was the point of bringing so many people alongside? That would only lead to trouble!"
"That is not true, the two young masters are from the city and they are not born like us rural people. They can't stand the pain, right? We could have taken good care of them!"
Ms. Niu was still staring at the two young masters.
But neither of them turned their heads to look at her.
Ms. Fang got so annoyed with her embarrassing behavior that she drove her out and said, "It is getting late, Second Sister-in-law. How about going home to make dinner? The meat is fresh and needs to be cooked well..
Chapter 365: The Jelly Made Of The Creeping Figs
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Ms. Niu could not help but feel greedy. It was getting very late, and the two young masters must be leaving soon. She could not do anything with the first section of the family around, so she had to leave.
But the two young masters did not leave. Instead, they stayed back for dinner.
The freshly hunted animals should be excellent to eat.
Qiao Xuan used all kinds of seasonings and prepared the dinner. They had dried bamboo shoots, fresh mushrooms and she woked them together for some plain yet delicious home-made dishes.
After dinner, Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong left.
Qiao Xuan said to them with a smile, "Remember to come for breakfast tomorrow morning! We can have steamed buns with those meat as fillings."
Both of them nodded in agreement.
They did come for breakfast the following morning.
Qiao Xuan and Ms. Xu got up early to cook breakfast.
The meat of two roosters was removed, and the remaining chicken racks were used to cook porridge. The rooster was chopped, and some chopped green onions and shiitake mushrooms were added to make the bun stuffing.
The muntjac meat was minced for pies.
They added some hot and sour kimchi and chili sauce, making the breakfast look delicious and appetizing.
They ate breakfast and headed into the mountains again.
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong loved the landscape of this place. They were not tired at all.
They were heading back the following day, so they kept hunting more animals and decided to bring them back home.
They were very lucky, because Qiao Xuan finally found the creeping figs she was looking for.
The fruits were slightly bigger than eggs, resembling steamed buns. One bush had many fruits on it.
Qiao Xuan pretended to look surprised. "Oh man, those are the creeping figs, really good things. Pick them and we can make jelly with them!"
The creeping figs were sliced open and there were many thin seeds that could be used to make jelly.
This kind of seed could be preserved for a long time after drying. When they wanted to eat jelly, they could just wrap it in gauze and gently scrub it back and forth in water. Then they could add a little gypsum and it would solidify into transparent jelly. If they could add some almond powder, or bletilla striata powder, they could get jelly with different colors.
"These can be used to make jelly?"
Shao Xiaoqi and Taotao were both very surprised.
Qiao Xuan used grass to make jelly, but did this plant work too?
Qiao Xuan nodded with a smile.
Taotao cheered. "Let's pick them!"
Jelly was a really good thing, and they all loved it. They were so delighted hearing that they could make jelly with this and that it was preservable.
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong had no idea what it was. "What is jelly?"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "A kind of snack, let's go home early today and I can make some for you. If you like it, we can dry the creeping figs and have them delivered to you."
Yuezheng Xiao smiled. "Of course, that must be a good thing!'
They all laughed.
They had more than 50 kgs of the creeping figs, and Qiao Xuan asked Shao Xiaoqi to remember this spot because they were going to return in a couple of days to chop some twigs to bring home.
They would need to have some figs too.
They carried the figs together, so it was not very heavy for them.
Then, they continued with the hunting.
However, they still failed to run into huge animals, except for a gang of wild boars. They were large in size, and had sharp teeth. They did not dare to move until the animals were gone..
Chapter 366: Business
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
There were large animals in the mountains, many of them actually, but they were not to be hunted.
Qiao Xuan found a herd of wild sheep, mountain deer, and muntjacs several times, but the distance was not close, and the mountain road was not easy to walk. By the time they walked over, they would have gone nowhere.
They were not professional hunters and they were not strong enough to run after them.
Shao Xiaoqi might be able to cope up, but not the rest.
No one would allow Shao Xiaoqi to hunt them down alone anyway, what if something happened to him.
Anyways, what they had got was already enough.
Back at home, Qiao Xuan and Taotao started to make the jelly together.
The fresh creeping figs worked well.
When the jelly that was solidified like crystal in the large porcelain bowl was ready, they used a spoon to scoop small pieces into the small bowl to break it, added the boiled honey syrup and a little mint juice, and carried them out.
Everyone from the first section of the family seemed to look forward to the jelly, including the two youngest children who were really eager to eat them.
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong got even more curious about it.
When the jelly was finally served, they saw how it looked and became aware that the waiting was worth it.
They took a spoonful of it quickly. It was smooth, tender, and elastic. The sweetness of honey and the coolness of mint adjusted the taste of jelly, turning it into a delicious snack.
Yuezheng Xiao was surprised. "How amazing! How can the fruits lead to such a thing?"
Xie Jingrong was very impressed as well.
They were born noble and had been offered numerous delicious things, but they were only served when the dishes were ready.
That was the first time for them to pick the ingredients, make them and see how the dishes were prepared. So they found the whole thing really interesting!
The fruits that looked so ordinary had been turned into such crystal-clear jelly after some processing!
It looked beautiful and was delicious too.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Later, I will ask my husband to write the recipe to you, and you should take some of these fresh fruits back! It's too late today, but you can add some chopped walnuts, chopped peanuts, raisins, etc., or even diced fresh fruit to this jelly. It would taste excellent. It's a pity that there is no ice at home, otherwise adding crushed ice makes it more delicious!"
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong thanked her happily.
Yuezheng Xiao looked at the couple and suddenly smiled. "Brother Shao, and Sister-in-law, I have an idea. Why don't we open another store and just sell this jelly? Brother Xie, join us as well. I'll find two reliable dessert masters. Besides this jelly, if I think about a few other things, this shop will definitely be operated well. Brother Xie and I pay the cost, and we share the profit equally. As for the raw materials, Brother Shao and the others provide them here, and the store buys them at market prices."
Qiao Xuan had predicted something like this to happen. She exchanged a look with Shao Yunduan, who did not object, so Qiao Xuan smiled. "That should
work, when it gets hotter next year. We can find some fruits before it happens, otherwise the raw materials would not be enough. But we can't just keep looking for fruits, since their availability is totally out of our control. We can buy land and plant them ourselves."
Yuezheng Xiao smiled vigorously. "You can think about this whilst we can find some suitable store for it.. We should make it work, though it is a small thing, the profits should be huge!'
Chapter 367: Not Aware
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Then they started to have some discussion about the new venture.
In this way, the recipe should not be spread around and Xie Jingrong,
Yuezheng Xiao expressed that they would only ask their most trusted servants to do that, not others.
Moreover, they would never tell anyone that the creeping figs were the original material used for making the jelly.
Qiao Xuan was glad because with Yuezheng Xiao's help, she would be able to open the shop soon. All she needed to do henceforth was to lie still and get earnings, instead of being worried about getting set up by competitors.
Although she did have the plan of opening a few dessert stores after a few years, she also believed that finding a partner would help a lot.
However, one store would not bring in much money. Only a chain of shops would help to bring in a lot of profits. They could serve sugar-water, jelly as the main dishes whilst adding some exquisite pastries and snacks… as for how they should do that in detail, they needed to have some more discussions.
Qiao Xuan did not need to worry about page boys that ran errands, because Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong would help with that. They could arrange someone to do that and there would be no obstacles for them. It was definitely much easier to do the business in a partnership than being alone.
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong staved back at the first section of the family for dinner.
Rabbit meat was fried in oil, the roosters were stewed in water, and a few small grouse were simply marinated and then deep-fried. They were the size of pigeons, and were easy to cook in a pan.
The skin was golden and crispy, the meat was tender and juicy.
They made another pot of sauerkraut and mixed fish, and stir-fried two fresh vegetables.
They were going away the following day, but they would visit them and stay overnight when the new house was built.
Ms. Fang smiled and nodded at the two guests in enthusiasm.
Qiao Xuan and Ms. Fang prepared a lot for them to bring away, including bergamots, roosters, hares, fresh mushrooms, fungus, some fresh fruits… Since they were leaving, the dinner was prepared ahead of time.
They were just about to eat dinner, when Shao Liulang and Third Uncle arrived.
Third Uncle was feeling a bit displeased. "Yunduan, your friends are here, why not ask your cousin to join you, you just don't know what to do!"
Shao Liulang had been studying at the college in town for years and he could figure out people better than his family did. Judging from Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao's manners, he could tell that they were not in a low position and that they were not just some rich people or ordinary businessmen.
Especially Xie Jingrong, who looked so handsome and well-behaved. He was definitely more than just an elegant man.
Shao Liulang let out a sigh of relief. Hearing that the first section of the family was receiving some guests, who were Shao Yunduan's rich friends, he had the intention of coming and seeing what was going on. He did not expect his mother to come with him because he knew clearly that his mother would ruin his face. He did not even want Xiaozhi to come along, fearing that she would cause trouble as well.
Hearing what his father said, Shao Liulang interrupted with a gentle tone. "Dad) don't say such words about your cousin. We are in a good relationship, and his friends are mine too. He probably thought that I would not like joining them in the mountains, thus he didn't tell me about it."
Third Uncle was startled. "But…
"It is fine. Just go home, Dad. Mom is waiting for you at the dinner table!"
Third Uncle had no idea what made his son do so, yet he believed that he had a reason for his behavior. So he had to press down his questions and quietly left in silence.
Shao Liulang walked up in a manner he considered elegant, and greeted Xie
Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao with a smile. "My name is Shao Yunjiang from Minghua College, Yunduan's sixth cousin.. How should I address the two of you Pi,
Chapter 368: Forget It
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Yuezheng Xiao almost rolled his eyes. 'Why should I tell you how I am addressed?'
Shao Yunduan felt very helpless. He did not think that his cousin was leaving anytime soon and he could not drive him away either.
Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao could not just reveal their identity but mentioned their surnames.
"You can call me Young Master Xie."
"Me too, I am Young Master Yue!"
Yuezheng Xiao said inwardly that not everyone would be allowed to call him Young Master Xie, it was already an honor!
Otherwise, they would not even want to look at this young man.
Shao Liulang did not find the attitude of the two of them embarrassing. He smiled and sat down comfortably. "Oh, two young masters, greetings, welcome to our village…"
Shao Yunduan. '
Anyway, he decided to keep a low profile.
The moment Third Uncle left, Ms. Fang asked Taotao to shut the door.
Ms. Fang regretted not having closed the door to avoid the trouble.
Seeing the flattering smile on Shao Liulang's face, Ms. Fang could not help but feel furious.
Soon the sound of door knocking arose, and instead of opening the door, Taotao went to get her mother.
Ms. Fang came to open the door with Yang Xiaoni and Taotao, seeing that it was Ms. Niu at the doorstep.
Ms. Niu glanced at Ms. Fang who did not let her in, so she snapped angrily. "Eldest Sister-in-law, what are the two young masters doing here again? Why didn't you ask our sons and Meiling to join them into the mountains for hunting? You can't possibly be avoiding us just because you have befriended some rich people."
Ms. Fang almost fainted out of annoyance.
"They are Yunduan's friends!"
Ms. Niu pursed her lips. "So what? My sons can make friends with them too,
Those two young men were just slightly richer than they were, so what?
Ms. Niu would never want to befriend them but for their looks.
Those two handsome young masters were just right to become her daughter-in-law!
Ms. Niu was still wondering which young master she should pick for her daughter.
Ms. Fang snorted. "They like quietness, and don't prefer spending time with people they don't know."
Ms. Niu's lips pursed. "They can develop friendship, right? Are they leaving soon? Will they come tomorrow?"
Ms. Fang's eyes rolled as she replied with a sarcastic smile. "Of course they are leaving, but I am not sure if they will come back tomorrow."
Ms. Niu heard that and decided to squeeze in. "I will go and ask them!"
"Save your breath! They are leaving soon!" Ms. Fang said, "You can ask
Yunduan. Don't try to push your way in!'
Ms. Niu was unconvinced.
Ms. Fang sneered. "Those roosters and wild rabbits are not enough for you!'
Hearing the threat, Ms. Niu was still annoyed but did not dare to counter her. "Alright, I will come and ask Yunduan later!"
"Fine!"
Ms. Fang shut the door and kept Ms. Niu outside.
Ms. Niu was not convinced. But she did not want to argue with Ms. Fang so as to leave a bad impression on the guests.
She stared at the first section of the family's house and decided to wait until the guests came out. She would step forward then to meet them. Let's see if Ms. Fang would be able to stop her.
If Meiling could marry a good family, the first section of the family would be honored too, right? What were they trying to hide here anyway? The Eldest Brother kept talking about how united they were as a family!
Chapter 369: Too Annoying
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
They lived separately and they only cared about themselves.
They should not trust him too easily.
In the hall room, dishes were served at the table, and Shao Yunduan, Shao Sanlang, Shao Xiaoqi as well as Shao Liulang were all keeping the guests company.
Shao Dalang and Eldest Uncle were not yet back.
They were not at all shy to talk about everything.
Qu Shan and the pageboys had been provided food as well.
Ms. Fang and Qiao Xuan had not yet started to eat, because they were waiting for Shao Dalang, Ms. Xu and Eldest Uncle to return.
Even though Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao ignored Shao Liulang completely, yet he still behaved as if he were very well mannered and learned so as to leave a good impression on the two young masters. He did not intend to leave when the dinner was served.
Especially when he saw the delicious dishes on the table.
As the strong scent went into his nose, he could not help but swallow down his saliva.
Shao Liulang did not believe that the first section of the family had made those dishes. He assumed that Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao had brought the food from some restaurant from the town.
That made him feel even more envious. The dishes must have cost a lot because they included meat and were delicious, well-made and filled with rich ingredients. These two young masters were so generous. They must belong to really rich families!
As they were seated, Shao Sanlang and Qi also took their seats. But Shao Liulang said, "Third Cousin and Qi, you don't read, what is the point of being seated here? You won't understand what we are talking about, you can leave us here instead."
Shao Sanlang rolled his eyes. Leaving them here? Whose home was this?
He not only came to their home to show off but even behaved as if he were the master of the family.
Shao Sanlang did not want to be talked down to. Before Shao Yunduan said a thing, he smiled. "Sixth Cousin, this is not right. What about you going back home and asking the Third Aunt to prepare a table of dishes to treat the two young masters?
Shao Liulang stiffened and asked with displeasure. "What do you mean?
Xie Jingrong said, "Sanlang and Qi are both very nice."
Yuezheng Xiao laughed. "Let's just eat. We should leave before it gets too dark!"
Shao Yunduan smiled and nodded. "Please!"
Shao Liulang was quite displeased but said nothing more. Seeing that everyone started to eat, he could not stand it any more.
He took a piece of meat and bit it, and found that it was delicious! He added half a golden fried grouse, and it was amazing as well. He wished that he could even chew the bones.
Shao Liulang kept reminding himself to remain well-mannered, still he just could not help but reach for the dishes. He enjoyed it so much that he forgot to suck up to Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao.
As a result, Shao Yunduan and Xie Jingrong as well as Yuezheng Xiao had a nice chat with each other.
It was a good meal, but it was a bit disappointing for some outsiders to get in. Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao didn't eat much but Shao Sanlang and Qi didn't want to let Shao Liulang eat too much so they kept eating.
By the end, Shao Liulang was quite full.
Xie Jingrong, Yuezheng Xiao waved goodbye to Shao Yunduan and Ms. Fang, as they put the things onto the wagon and were about to leave.
Yuezheng Xiao had taken away the 1,500 lipsticks and 500 lip balms. Qiao Xuan planned to make several more lip balms, since they just had this much raw materials..
Chapter 370: Goodbye
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Generally speaking, Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao were very satisfied by what happened. They enjoyed the landscape, hunted, ate good food and started a new business plan.
They waved goodbye to each other at the door.
Xie Jingrong tried his best to go forward just to speak a few words with Xie Jingrong, trying to hold Xie Jingrong's hands. But Xie Dong could not stand it any more and separated Shao Liulang from Xie Jingrong. He said impolitely, "Stay away from my young master!"
Xie Jingrong glanced at Xie Dong and said calmly, "Okay, okay, do not be so rude to Brother Shao's cousin."
Hearing that, Qiao Xuan almost burst out in laughter.
Xie Dong apologized. "Sorry for being so straightforward, sorry!'
Instead of saying anything more, Xie Jingrong gave him an understanding look.
Xie Jingrong was a very outstanding man, and was used to being pestered by outsiders. He knew what to do so as to turn people down.
But he had never run into someone as annoying as Shao Liulang.
Shao Liulang understood clearly what Xie Jingrong meant. He forced an embarrassed smile and his cheeks turned red.
Having said the words, Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao went onto the wagon. At the same time, Ms. Niu rushed forward with Shao Meiling, whose face was flushed.
"Oh, two young masters!" Ms. Niu rushed forward and smiled. "It is getting so late, why not stay for one more night? We have two empty rooms for you to stay overnight!"
"Second Aunt, these two young masters still have business to do and anyways, we can entertain them well. Don't worry about it."
Shao Yunduan had not wanted to start an argument with them, but they were getting more and more ridiculous!
Ignoring him, Ms. Niu shouted seeing the wagons which were ready to leave. "Two young masters, have you both gotten engaged?"
Xie Jingrong was speechless. ' .
Yuezheng Xiao chuckled, lifted the curtain and said, "We are both engaged, and our fiancees are born noble, good at flute, chess, calligraphy and painting. Even their maids are good at reading and writing poetry!'
Ms. Niu.
Yuezheng Xiao laughed, nodded at Shao Yunduan and put down the curtains. They left as the coachmen whipped the horse.
Ms. Fang sneered. "You are older than them, right? How can you ask them such a thing? What would you do if they were not engaged?"
Ms. Niu snapped angrily. "I am just asking, okay? They are my nephew's friends, and they are younger than me. Why can't I ask them about it?"
"Second Aunt." Shao Yunduan threw a cold look at Ms. Niu. "Second Aunt, and Third Aunt, stop being so arrogant in the future. We live separately, so don't try to get involved in our business. Also, don't ever think about befriending my friends, otherwise, I will do something about it next time."
Thank goodness Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao were people with a good temper and had a good relationship with him, otherwise the whole thing would have been so embarrassing!
But what about the future? He might make more friends!
If every time, the second and third section of the family kept getting themselves involved in his business, it would be very troublesome for all.
"What… what?"
"Remember what I said, Second Aunt."
Shao Yunduan said coldly and left.
He wasn't a very talkative person, nor did he get angry easily.
So, when he did get angry, Ms. Niu and Ms. Fang were both startled..
Chapter 371: Son-in-law
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Ms. Fang, who had been holding down her anger for the whole day, finally lost it upon hearing what Shao Yunduan said.
She sneered at Ms. Niu. "Heard that? Stop messing around! Why can't you just live your own life well? Why do you keep causing others trouble? I will not be nice to you any more, if you continue like this!"
"You…"
Ms. Niu told herself that they had never been nice to them.
Ignoring her, Ms. Fang and her family went back to their home and shut the door.
Ms. Niu said furiously, "What are you so angry about? You are just mean people who get lucky! What is the point of being so conceited just because you have got a rich daughter-in-law?
Ms. Niu mumbled and left hesitantly.
She was totally disappointed.
Her son-in-laws were gone!
Why were they engaged? That was such a pity!
Ms. Niu dropped the idea when the two young masters were engaged. It was never easy to break an engagement.
But Shao Meiling looked disappointed.
Shao Meiling felt so ashamed when hearing what Ms. Fang said to her and had almost dropped the idea. But she got totally dumbfounded when she saw the two young masters personally.
The two young masters looked so handsome that she just could not move her eyes off them.
She had never seen such good-looking people before!
Shao Meiling became very excited about getting married, far more than her mother did.
But the dream was broken so suddenly!
When Ms. Niu left, Shao Liulang got startled and brought himself back, as he knocked at the door. "Fifth Cousin, please!"
He had a lot to ask Shao Yunduan regarding the two young masters.
He had never met such characters at the college and he had never heard of them before either.
But they were so outstanding that they would always draw attention.
How did Shao Yunduan get to know them?
Shao Yunduan stood in front of him as the door was opened. He asked coldly.
"What else do you want?"
Shao Liulang could not help but feel a bit timid.
But the next second he got a bit furious and asked with displeasure. "Fifth
Cousin, why do you speak with me like this?"
"I never want to mess around with you, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you can behave arrogantly in front of me!"
Shao Yunduan stared at him coldly. "Shao Liulang, your behavior was way over the top. They are my friends, not yours! I hope you bear my words in mind, and don't try to pretend as if you are the master of the family and speak some strange words."
"You…"
Shao Liulang got so furious that he could not utter a word.
Shao Yunduan shut the door after throwing a cold look at him.
Shao Liulang did not realize what happened after standing at the door for a long while. He clenched his teeth and said, "What are you being so arrogant about? The two young masters did not complain about me, you are just jealous of me having a nice chat with them!"
Shao Liulang always spoke well of himself and he was not even bothered to conceal that. He just felt so ashamed to have his drawback been pointed out. How dare Shao Yunduan speak to him like this? That was so irritating!
Did he think that he was going to turn to him for help?
He should wait and see who would be the beggar in the future!
Chapter 372: No Next Time
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Only his cousin had influential friends? He had friends too! He was going to bring his friends home for him to take a good look at!
Shao Liulang left angrily.
After dinner, Eldest Uncle looked at Shao Yunduan with a confused yet long-sighted look. "Umm… Yunduan!"
Shao Yunduan looked at his father in a composed way, and Eldest Uncle subconsciously stopped himself.
"Dad, if you are going to talk about what happened today, you can stop right here. Brother Xie and Yuezheng are my very important friends, and they can't be troubled. Second Aunt keeps asking about their marital status whenever she runs into them. Do you think that is a proper thing to do? The Sixth Cousin is so arrogant that he thinks highly of himself. They didn't say a thing about it, otherwise it would look really bad on our family."
"If I pass the examination, there will be more such guests in the future. If they keep messing up like this time, do you think that I can afford to offend every guest? Not everyone is so good-tempered like Brother Xie and Yuezheng!"
"I am letting you know there is no next time. If they continue to act like this, will drive them away without any negotiation!"
Having said that, Shao Yunduan left with Qiao Xuan.
If his relatives behaved like that all the time, he would lose all his friends and have his reputation ruined. Also, if he passed the examination, the guests might not be here for real friendship, but just for connection and reputation, which should be regarded with even more care.
If those relatives kept behaving like this, something bad would definitely happen sooner than later.
Shao Yunduan did not care about their behavior in the past, but they kept giving him trouble again and again.
Eldest Uncle realized that his son was very angry this time, and he felt quite guilty and almost didn't say anything.
But when thinking about the whole family, Eldest Uncle felt perturbed so he added. "Yunduan is getting more and more irritable. Second Sister-in-law didn't behave well, but she loves her daughter. Anyways, I will speak with her about it. Liulang is also a learned person, and he was simply sitting there entertaining the guests."
Ms. Fang sneered. "Ms. Niu is totally shameless. If I had not stopped her, she would have taken Meiling straight to the two young masters! She even suggested that Meiling should take care of them. That sounds so horrible! I felt so embarrassed by her! How could she have done something like that? You have totally spoiled her. Let me tell you, if they ruin my son's business, I will kill them all."
Eldest Uncle's face changed. "How could that be possible?"
"Also, Liulang, honestly speaking, is so stupid and old-fashioned. He can't read or do any work, but he pretends as if he has read a lot! Who would even want to talk with him? Letting him receive guests? He came over without being invited and he drove Yunduan away because he thought he was the owner of the house. I got so disgusted by how he tried to suck up the two young masters. They could not even eat a comfortable dinner!"
"They love talking with you privately, so you can tell them that they should stop being so disgusting!'
Eldest Uncle. '
He was both angry and sad. How could they behave like this?
After the guests were gone, Qiao Xuan, Ms. Xu and Taotao started to make lip balms again.
They had little beeswax remaining, and they finished making lip balms within a few days.
After this, they were going to resume making lipsticks after the end of next spring, when they harvested honey and got the wax.
Qiao Xuan was not in a hurry. Rare things were always precious, and she had made it with her own special skills. No one would be able to steal her market even when she ran out of stock. Instead, people would crave for them more than before..
Chapter 373: Tea Seeds
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
She had more than 10,000 liang and when the lip balms were sold out, she would earn 12,000 liang in total.
She had so much savings!
Qiao Xuan also gave money to her family after selling the lipsticks and lip balms. Ms. Fang received 100 and the others obtained more than 10 liang.
Everyone present had made efforts and worked carefully and hard for her. What she needed to do was to teach them how to do the work, so she could let them be on their own. That saved her a lot of trouble, and for that, she offered them good profits.
When lipsticks were done, Qi, Taotao, Shao Sanlang and Yang Xiaoni went into the mountains again, to find the creeping figs.
She decided to buy some more land at the Zhang Village to plant the creeping figs. But the fruits would not be harvested until autumn.
They would need to find some more fruits to open the dessert stores.
If the wild-growing creeping figs were not enough, then the opening of the dessert stores would need to be postponed.
They could sell other desserts to start with, but the first reactions would not be that striking.
The crystal-clear jelly was not only good in appearance and in taste, but also had strong plasticity. It could be paired with crushed nuts, fresh fruits, syrup, milk and many other things.
Even Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao had never seen it before. Therefore, the jelly had to be used as the top selling item for the store.
The creeping figs were climbing plants, and they were growing in a large area.
Qiao Xuan used her superpower and saw a big patch of it.
They spent more than three days getting all the fruits home from the deep valley.
They were all so motivated to get those fruits home because they could be used to produce such excellent dessert!
Finally, they had quite a lot in stock.
Thinking that the tea trees they had planted should ripen by this point, the whole gang went to pick the seeds of tea together.
Qiao Xuan was going to store the seeds for the next spring, so she could cultivate the buddings and do the transplantation.
She was going to use her superpower to make the trees grow faster, better and healthier, which solved all the problems of transplantation that everyone else worried about.
She was going to dig some buds from the mountains for the land, which would need to be expanded.
When the planting was done, they could just wait to receive the money.
They came to the forest of the golden sprouts.
It was not the time for tea harvesting, but the trees grew so well that every leaf seemed to be lush and vibrant.
As they approached the tea trees, they could smell the scent that freshened up their mind.
Qiao Xuan could not help but take a deep breath. The excellent tea leaves were really outstanding.
There were many tea seeds falling down in the bush.
Qiao Xuan ignored those that had not yet ripened on the twigs.
The unripe tea seeds could not be used as the real seeds.
It was not very easy to pick the right tea seeds from such a messy bush.
They had no other tricks except for using their eyes and hands to seek carefully and pick. They needed to be very cautious when they were doing the work, in case they damaged their fingers.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "We are working so hard today.. Let's have a delicious dinner tonight!"
Chapter 374: More Land
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
That cheered up everyone. They laughed and agreed to her proposal heartily.
It was never easy to make a table full of dishes, especially when it came to the people who ate a lot. Qiao Xuan did not cook every day.
Normally it was Ms. Xu and Yang Xiaoni who cooked, and Taotao helped
Now Ms. Xu's cooking skills had improved a little, mainly because she was willing to put seasonings, and knew how to put various condiments such as oil, salt, sauce and vinegar together. In addition to the vegetables in the yard, there were also dried bamboo shoots, various dried mushrooms, and fish. Shrimp, meat, tofu and other delicious ingredients that were cooked over a fast fire, and the taste would be equally good.
Qiao Xuan had thought that the seeds could be picked within one day, but the time was limited, and she had to postpone the work of golden sprouts.
It seemed that they needed to work one more day to pick the lavender.
After around a week, when a new patch ripened, they could come and pick it again.
That was very troublesome, and the harvest was full, so Qiao Xuan made a calculation and found that there should be at least 20 or 25 kgs of it.
The seeds were raven, plumpy, oily on the surface, looking really good.
Qiao Xuan could easily feel that what was hidden under the shell was full of liveliness.
They did not stay late in the mountains. By the time they went home, the sun was just setting.
They gathered the seeds, and after taking a shower, Qiao Xuan started to make the dinner.
She had already put dried shrimps, and dried hairtail in hot water, and now they were ready.
She even put some sea cucumbers and abalones in water, but she was going to leave them until tomorrow, since it was very late to make it this evening.
Dishes like braised sea cucumber with scallion and braised abalone in soy sauce had been made twice before, and her family loved them.
They went into the mountains and brought some things back, including shrimps, hairtails, and one rooster.
The dishes included roasted shrimp in tomato sauce, refreshing and sweet, and pan-fried octopus, which was tender and delicious. The rooster was made with garlic and green onion as the main condiment, so they had one dish made of ginger and spring onion chicken.
Ms. Fang had bought two chunks of tofu. She cut them, fried them and cooked them with mushrooms.
They picked some vegetables from the garden and finally everything was set.
The whole family had not eaten dishes made by Qiao Xuan in days, so they could not help but eat one more bowl of food.
The following day, they brought some seeds of lavender home, they were not as many as those of golden sprouts, but there were not too less as well.
They could do one more round of harvesting.
Qiao Xuan had not expected that they could fill up the five mu of the field at one go.
She had not hired people for this level of project, and they could barely manage it personally, so they would take the amount step by step.
They would plant one more patch in the following year.
Qiao Xuan felt a bit guilty when the whole family was helping her diligently. So, she told Shao Yunduan that she would buy some things in the town when he went to the college, like winter clothes and so on.
"We will go to the agent and buy some more land for the creeping figs! We will plant over dozens of mu!"
"And we will need to find people to open the land in the tea mountains. We can speak with the Land Officer at the Zhang Village. If the villagers are willing to help us, we can hire some from the nearby place so they could also earn some money."
Shao Yunduan nodded and then looked at her. "We are not living there, and Uncle Erzhu is taking care of things for us. We should visit the Land Officer if we need his help."
"I agree!'
Chapter 375: College
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The Land Officer of the Zhang Village was a little greedy, but Qiao Xuan did not care much about it.
But the premise was that no one should not try to trick her and Shao Yunduan as if they were fools.
They reached an agreement. They would go to the town together on the day when Shao Yunduan intended to head to Minghua College.
Qiao Xuan had two large bergamots and decided to take them to Mingren Tang and give them to Manager Qin.
Qiao Xuan already asked Shao Yunduan if he was going to give some things to the teachers at college.
Shao Yunduan shook his head and turned her offer down.
The three teachers at Minghua College were not outstanding in knowledge and they were not the same when treating others. One person called Mr. Zhou was even worse. He treated those students from a rich family in a friendly manner and even inquired about how they were doing, but he always ignored students like Shao Yunduan who hailed from the village.
Before Shao Yunduan became the Cultivated Talent, they did not think that he was promising at all.
It was not until he became a Cultivated Talent and married Qiao Xuan, when they started to treat him nicely and passionately for a while. Later when they realized that the Qiao Family never visited him and he did not talk about his relationship with the Qiao Family, and that Qiao Xuan was just a concubine's daughter, they tried to stay away from him.
But for being the Cultivated Talent, they would even drive him out of the college.
The three teachers had been living in town and they hung out with rich people sometimes. So, they were quite knowledgeable and were different from normal villagers.
They could clearly see how the Qiao Family treated Shao Yunduan.
Qiao Xuan must be a disgraced daughter of a concubine!
Hence, the Qiao Family would not like this son-in-law of theirs.
Therefore, they would not mingle with Shao Yunduan.
As a result, even Shao Yunduan treated them like ordinary teachers. They were given some small presents, and during festivals, they were given a dozen eggs and one or two chickens, that was all.
Qiao Xuan had no idea what was going on at the college, but she followed what her husband told her.
As Qiao Xuan reached Mingren Tang, Manager Qin was extremely cordial to her after not seeing her for a long time.
His eyes were sparkling seeing the two large golden fruits. He could not help but praise them.
Bergamot was one of the best tributes offered to the ancestors of gods and Buddhas. For those who were a little more particular, there must always be a pair of big bergamots served at home.
But it was not easy to get the top-grade big bergamots because in the process of growth, bergamot was easy to get scratches, and the bergamot with scratches could only be used to fumigate the house as a decoration or as medicine.
Madames and ladies from rich people really liked bergamots.
When Qiao Xuan offered the present, Manager Qin decided to take them home to his mother, who would get really pleased.
He would be very happy when his mother was happy.
He could not help but ask Qiao Xuan. "Mrs. Shao, do you have any other similar ones? If yes, please spare some to me and I will buy them at a reasonable price."
It was a great thing as presents!
Qiao Xuan smiled. "You are too late, Manager Qin. It is not easy to get the fruits without scratches. We only had four and the other two have been given to Young Master Xie and Young Master Yuezheng."
Manager Qin was startled. He was very surprised that Qiao Xuan was hanging out with the two young masters.
"Oh, that is a pity. But if you have more in the future, spare some for me too, okay?"
Qiao Xuan nodded with a smile.. "No problem!"
Chapter 376: The Creeping Figs
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Manager Qin laughed and thanked her.
He was not going to steal the fruits from Young Master Xie and Young Master Yuezheng.
They had a small chat and after that Qiao Xuan went shopping.
She went to the cloth shop first, and bought a lot of fabrics suitable for cutting clothes in autumn and winter. The ones she had bought in the province were not meant for winters.
After that, she paid pageboys to deliver them to Mingren Tang, which the pageboys agreed to.
She also bought some skin care products at the cosmetics store.
Lipsticks were already very popular, and Qiao Xuan overheard some rich ladies and madams talking about lipsticks at the store.
The women were greedy for the lipsticks, and they kept urging the manager to see if she could get some samples from the province.
Even paying seven liang for one lipstick was okay for them!
Their housekeepers had been to the province many times but they all failed to buy even one!
The manager smiled helplessly. She would very much like to buy the lipsticks which were famous everywhere by now, but it was the Third Young Master of the Yuezheng Family who ran the business. Moreover, they always ran out of stock as soon as they were placed on the shelf. Where was the chance for finding spare ones for the outsiders?
The lipsticks were precious and extremely short in supply. The manager just could not get the chance to get even one.
Qiao Xuan was quite surprised. She had not expected that such highly-priced lipsticks could be sold in this small town, but the truth was that all women loved to look pretty.
Her lipsticks were the only existing products in the whole world and no one would be able to resist the charm.
They still had many spices prepared at home, and those things did not go bad so quickly. She had bought them from the province
She walked around the market and decided to take some pork home.
Fresh pork would last a few days under such weather.
She bought ribs, pork ribs, pork belly, hind legs, pork knuckles, as well as pork liver, pork belly, spending nearly 300 wen at one go. The butcher sold her the meat with an enthusiastic smile and gave her a pig heart as a present.
Qiao Xuan thanked the butcher with a smile, and began to think about what to cook in her heart. She thought about making stewed pork ribs, deep-fried pork ribs this evening, sweet and sour braised pork the next day, and half of the pork belly would be made of twice-cooked pork and half steamed with noodles. She decided to make stir-fried hind legs, and salted pork knuckles for the day after tomorrow.
Pork belly, pork liver, and pork heart were all prepared for tonight. After processing the remaining ones, she could fry the hot and sour pork belly, pork heart, and pork liver with pickled vegetables. Ginger slices would be used to remove the strange smell from the meat.
Scallops and eels would be added to make it more delicious…
She was drooling for pork which she had not eaten in a long time!
After delivering the meat back to the pharmacy, Qiao Xuan went to the market and bought a few more things. Then she went into a restaurant, ate one bowl of noodles before heading back to Mingren Tang, where she waited for Shao Yunduan.
Shao Yunduan met her at the scheduled time. They went to fetch the agent, rented a wagon and headed straight to Zhang Village.
The agent did not turn down such a huge business deal, though he was very curious about what they wanted to do with so much land. But he knew that he should not ask them about this.
The Land Officer of the Zhang Village did not hesitate to sell them the mountain land which was not that valuable anyways.
Shao Yunduan expressed that he would like to hire someone to clear up the land, which pleased the Land Officer as well. He promised that as long as the staff were properly paid, they would work hard and well.
The villagers had run out of farm work after the autumn harvest. They could do some extra work and save a little money for the New Year. No one would turn such an offer down..
Chapter 377: Tea Mountain
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
After the agreement was reached, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan went to visit Ding Erzhu and Ms. Zhou.
The couple were very pleased to see them, and received them in the main room.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan had paid a visit to them during the autumn harvest, which was a month ago.
Ms. Zhou poured some tea for them and Ding Erzhu talked about what was going on with them these days.
Hearing that they were going to open up the barren mountain, Ding Erzhu became serious and attentive.
"We already spoke with the Land Officer about this. Uncle Erzhu, you can decide regarding who to hire and how to manage it well. It would be best if we can sort out at least 500 mu of tea mountains before the New Year. 300 mu of it should be ready for the planting of tea trees."
"Apart from these lands, there will be another land as large as 100 mu, which
would be for other plants."
Ding Erzhu nodded constantly. "Okay, okay, I will speak with the Land Officer in the afternoon and take over the job. The tenants are available right now, and with the help from the Zhang Village, we can definitely clear through 300 to 500 mu of land."
"That's good." Qiao Xuan smiled. "If anyone asks about the salary, we are offering 30 won a day and lunch included. The lunch will be meat and vegetable steamed buns or rolls."
They could not specify the dishes because there should be at least more than 100 people working together when the project starts, so steamed buns made everything easier.
"Aunt Zhou, you can make some steamed buns with a few women at the village, and they should be paid 20 won a day. You can buy the fillings from town and at least 1/3 of the fillings should be meat."
Qiao Xuan believed that labor should be well-served so that they could be full of energy to work harder.
30 won a day was considered to be a high payment.
Ding Erzhu felt concerned on their behalf, so he said, "The salary is too high, and the competition would be fierce. That would be quite troublesome…"
If it was 15 won a day, that would be a relatively average price for those who craved to earn some money, and those who were selected to work for them would not protest.
But 30 won a day would be really appealing for everyone to come and join them. It would be very difficult to choose whom to hire.
And those who could not be hired would definitely complain.
After all, 70% of the villagers were surnamed Zhang and Qiao Xuan and her husband were outsiders.
They just could not be a match against those who were local residents.
High payment and one lunch which served meat steamed buns… that would be so tantalizing for anyone.
Hearing Ding Erzhu's thoughts, Qiao Xuan was startled.
She had just felt that the work would require a lot of energy and 30 won per day was something within her budget. But Ding Erzhu knew more about how those farmers were thinking.
Shao Yunduan looked at her gently and smiled. He knew pretty well what his wife was thinking.
"30 won a day is a bit much, what about 20 won plus lunch. But we need to set a rule, like two steamed buns with fillings and two pure steamed buns, one steamed roll for each worker. Those who don't take lunch would get extra pay. The size of steamed buns with fillings can be as big as that available in the market while the steamed buns and rolls can be larger.
It should be enough for one adult for lunch.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Okay, that sounds great! As for the workers, each tenant's family can offer one person and we would hire them all.."
Chapter 378: Hiring
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
"Apart from the tenants, there should be at least 100 households in Zhang Village, right? Just see how many of them want to join the project. If everyone wants to be part of it, then we can only divide them into two batches, one for every other day, and only one person is hired from each household."
Shao Yunduan added. "We only need strong young men, and other people can join if a family doesn't have strong, young men."
Ding Erzhu nodded and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, I understand what I should do after hearing your plan. 20 won a day with lunch, that is tempting for everyone, except for those who are too lazy to work."
The three of them talked more in detail, regarding how to separate the groups and exclude those who were lazy at work but active in eating and getting money…
Gradually, everything was sorted.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan would come to them again after three days, when Ding Erzhu and the Land Officer completed the final deal.
If all went well, the project could start real soon.
Qiao Xuan looked at their house and smiled., "This house is okay for the moment, but not for the winter. We need to have someone watch over the tea land, and to have grains stored and the creeping figs planted. We will need to have one place for that. When the tea trees are done, we will build a huge house here and both of you can move in."
Ding Erzhu and Ms. Zhou had been thinking about going into the town and buying some paper to add to the walls of this wooden house. They even thought about saving some money to buy coals and blankets and make some thick winter clothes, but Qiao Xuan started to talk about building a house.
Qiao Xuan had mentioned it once before, but she and Shao Yunduan never mentioned that again, so Ding Erzhu and Ms. Zhou did not take it seriously.
Maybe they had some other plans and decided to leave this one aside.
After all, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan did not owe them anything. They needed to solve their problems themselves rather than wait for the new house to be built.
Hence, they were both shocked upon hearing what Qiao Xuan said.
Shao Yunduan added his view as well. "It is time to have it built, otherwise it would be inconvenient."
"Yeah, I want to dig a pool to raise fish and plant lotus roots too."
Ding Erzhu felt quite embarrassed. "Alright… then, we will move into the new place, thanks to you again… when we have more money in the future, we will build two more rooms."
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Just live here if you want to and we will build the house next to ours, which is very convenient!"
They had a son and they could not possibly just live in the house which Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan built. So for a long-term plan, they still needed to build one for themselves.
Ding Erzhu smiled brightly and nodded.
Ms. Zhou was very glad as well.
Before the couple left, Ms. Zhou asked Qiao Xuan. "Dear Niece-in-law, can I ask my mother to help me with steaming buns? Shitou is still too young to go about by himself, and I need someone to watch out for him in case he runs into something unpleasant."
Ms. Zhou was a mild person but her mother was not so gentle.
Ms. Zhou needed her mother to back her up.
If the women who worked took them at will, or their children came to fetch
them, or even the children from the village offered the eagerness to fetch the steamed buns, Ms. Zhou would be too timid to say no.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "That is a good idea. I was worried whether you could spare more time and energy into it. It would be good that your mother comes over. The Land Officer's wife could help as well. Both your mother, and the Land Officer's wife can earn 30 won a day and you will be paid monthly, which is not included in this.."
Chapter 379: Uncaring
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Ms. Zhou let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I don't work that much and I am still getting paid. Now that I have work to do, I can't get extra payment this time."
Qiao Xuan laughed. "You have helped us a lot! Without your help, we would not have harvested the rice so smoothly."
The tenants had no idea who on earth Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan were, except that they were from outside the village. But for the couple who watched them doing the harvest, they might not have been honest in their efforts. Some might even have harvested some to their own home first.
But during the harvest, there was always someone who was watching them work.
Ms. Zhou and Ding Erzhu were both quite embarrassed. "That is what we ought to do!"
After Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan left, Qiao Xuan still believed that the payment was quite low. She smiled at Shao Yunduan. "If all goes well after we are done, we can even give the red packets to each laborer. I think 50 won should be good enough, what do you think?"
Shao Yunduan nodded and said to her, "You can spread the news around, so they may work harder for that goal."
Qiao Xuan's eyes brightened as she chuckled. "Yeah, they should be motivated enough not to cause any trouble or allow anyone else to cause trouble."
Shortly after Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan were gone, Ding Erzhu went to visit the Land Officer of the Zhang Village.
The Land Officer always believed that Ding Erzhu was Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan's relatives, so he treated him very politely. They had a very smooth and happy conversation during the deal.
Qiao Xuan knew that the local hooligans had some reputation in the village, and the Land Officer of the local area should be given some extra benefits for containing them.
When the Land Officer got the benefits, Qiao Xuan would get him to hire the villagers to work for him so he could be pleased too.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan went back to the town, fetched what they left at Manager Qin i s place and headed home.
Bull cart was a bit slow and Qiao Xuan smiled. "When the new house is built, let's buy a donkey cart for faster traveling."
Shao Yunduan nodded.
When the new house was built, they would have a lot of space to put the donkey cart as well.
They could not think about buying a wagon, since it was quite difficult to obtain.
Even those rich people in town would not be able to afford a horse sometimes.
When they went back home, they shared the presents with the whole family. Those presents were of different categories, including clothes, food, and daily necessities.
Ms. Fang smiled with a sigh. "We all have savings, and we can buy what we need ourselves. You don't have to buy us anything. You and Yunduan should save money for future use."
Ms. Fang firmly believed that her son would make it to the next level and his studying would cost a lot of money.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Don't worry, Mom. We barely spend any money, and we have savings as well. Also, we are making a lot of money too, right?" Ms. Fang chuckled. "True, and that is all because you helped us with it!"
Ms. Xu was very delighted. She had been thinking about making winter clothes, either with her own money or the shared savings. But Qiao Xuan had brought so many materials home, even cotton! That saved her a lot of money.
Yang Xiaoni was glad too. She placed the garment on herself. asking her
husband if she looked nice..
Chapter 380: Unwatchable
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Shao Sanlang nodded and kept speaking highly of his wife's good looks.
Yang Xiaoni felt bashful. Her cheeks were flushed but her eyes were sparkling, and she smiled brightly.
Ms. Fang did not look at them while the rest pretended not to have seen the whole episode.
The couple had always been like this and the rest of the family was used to it by now.
Three days later, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan went to the Zhang Village with the required money.
They finalized the deal with Ding Erzhu, Ms. Zhou, Ms. Zhou's mother, Land Officer and his wife regarding opening the barren land.
All the villagers at the Zhang Village were glad about this project and almost every household applied to work on it. So, they were divided into two batches and took turns in doing the labor work.
The Land Officer received a huge red packet and he was highly motivated. He said that he was going to watch over everybody so that nobody would get lazy during the work hours.
Hearing that there would be an even bigger red packet after the project was done, the Land Officer became even more delighted.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "We would need many more laborers for our tea mountains. Work hard and we will hire more people! Those who don't work hard would have to be excluded, and we would hire people from other villages…"
The Land Officer nodded. "Don't worry, we are all down-to-earth people and we will work hard. I will get rid of those sneaky ones for you!'
The Land Officer and his wife felt energized and devoted when he heard that there would be more money to make in the future. The wife was going to be in charge of making steamed buns, and she would be able to take a few more since she was in charge.
That was such a great deal that should not be let go of.
No one would allow anyone to make trouble about this.
Most of the workers were those who needed such temporary tasks.
Seeing that Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan were able to afford the land, they suspected that they had some mysterious and powerful supporters behind their back, thus not daring to cause trouble for them.
So soon, the work started full-fledgedly at Zhang Village.
The first morning was a bit chaotic, but at noon everyone queued up and got to eat steamed buns. Not only were they big, but the meaty buns were really full of meat when they took a bite. Everyone finally believed that the owner didn't lie, and the wages must be the same. So they were definitely going to work hard to earn the extra red packets of bonuses!
They worked obediently and occasionally, there were a few who got lazy but before Ding Erzhu and the Land Officer's son reprimanded them and everyone slowly straightened out.
Everything went well. No chaos appeared, generally speaking.
Steamed buns were steamed on a temporary stove in front of Ding Erzhu's house. Needless to say, the seven working women and their children who came to have fun ate together at noon. Also, the other children came to the stove as well around lunchtime.
They were all drooling for the steamed buns by the time they were cooked.
Not every household was able to afford to eat steamed buns like these.
Qiao Xuan wasn't an unscrupulous person. Although the flour used to make steamed buns was not the best, it was still quite good. The authentic flour was steamed in a big steamer, and it gave out a strong fragrance.
The Land Officer's wife did not want to offend the fellow villagers, so she could not do anything about the situation. She could not even drive away people who were queuing up for the steamed buns.
Ms. Zhou was not capable of turning them down alone.
But Ms. Zhou's mother used a huge basket to hold steamed buns and rolls and gave them to each child until the basket was emptied. Those who failed to get the steamed buns could queue up the next day..