There were few people to begin with, and there wasn’t much fertilizer. Now that someone had taken the manure, there was no hope for next year’s harvest.
He didn’t know what to say to Li Feng. How could Da Feng also steal manure?
Li Feng told him, “We went to the county to steal it. We couldn’t steal it in the village because everyone kept it in their own yards and had dogs. In the county, even using the outhouse cost money, and emptying your own manure bucket required payment. So we’d sneak into the county to get it. For a little fertilizer, we went to great lengths, hiding everywhere.
“We’d leave in the afternoon, find an alley at night, wrap ourselves in a mat, and wait until dawn. Then we’d race against the county’s night soil collectors for the best timing. Once they left the city gate, we’d follow a bit later, pretending we were with them, and then sneak out the gate. After all that trouble, we couldn’t just leave with one cartload. We’d find some荒地 near the official road, dig a pit, empty the cart, pile up the fertilizer, cover it with soil and grass to hide it, so no one could steal the fertilizer we’d collected.
“The county officials aren’t stupid. If so many manure carts pass through at once, they’ll definitely suspect something. So not too many people can go to steal manure. Others also want to steal it and will compete with us. We’ve even fought with several families in the village over this, and it’s something people laugh at when we tell them. Others fight over water sources, but we fight over manure. Later, I stopped doing this.”
Lu Liu grew even more dazed.
He could have gone to the county seat to steal manure—why hadn’t he thought of that before?
If he had known, he would have gone too.
That way, the fields could yield more grain, and life at home would be a little easier.
Li Feng thought he was disgusted by the matter. The water had cooled down, so he took Lu Liu’s hand out of the water and carefully dried it with a cotton cloth, making sure there was no moisture left between his fingers.
“Do you still make pickled radishes?”
Lu Liu snapped back to reality: “Yes, pickled radishes are delicious. I’ve been craving them for a long time.”
Li Feng: “…”
Weren’t we just talking about stealing manure?
Since Lu Liu didn’t mind, he went on to explain the method for stir-frying mountain mushroom and pork mince sauce: “Your brother asked you to try making the sauce. We’ll find people in the village to partner with, make a lot of it, and if it turns out well, it could be a business.”
Lu Liu was instantly full of enthusiasm.
I wonder if the wealthy people in the county eat pickled radishes. This is really delicious.
The sounds from outside couldn’t be heard for a while. When Shun came to knock on the door, Li Feng opened it directly. The two of them were still sitting in the main hall, fully clothed.
Young people have thin skin, and those who have been through it like to tease them.
As soon as the door opened, someone asked them what they were talking about inside.
Lu Liu wanted to make money, so he said, “I was discussing with Dafeng about bringing some pickled radishes to the county next time to see if we can sell them for money.”
Money is a serious matter, so everyone immediately forgot about the matter on the bed and instead asked how to sell the pickled radishes for money.
It was hard to say, as they had never sold them before. Besides, every family dried their radishes, which turned them yellow when fried, unlike Chen Guizhi’s pickled radishes, which were white and tasted like fresh radishes, with a special sour, sweet, crisp, and refreshing flavor. Many people wanted to learn how to make them, but she never taught anyone.
Chen Guizhi finally spoke to Li Feng, asking him, “Has your father-in-law’s workshop opened yet?”
The people sitting in their courtyard had various expressions on their faces.
In the past, many people said that their family had spent twenty taels on the dowry, pretending to be wealthy for the sake of appearances.
Now, however, the father-in-law had opened a workshop, the husband had an older brother running a shop, and the family was also doing business in the village.
In the past, they only sold mountain goods in small quantities, but now they can buy in bulk.
Wild game no longer needs to be sold daily; it can be stored in a shop.
Even pickled radishes can be sold.
The silver was well spent.
Even Lu Liu’s temperament is fine in their eyes. He doesn’t seem fierce at all. He smiles every day, does everything efficiently, doesn’t complain, doesn’t compare himself to others, and makes everyone feel good when they are with him.
Someone asked Chen Guizhi, “Who said your family had arranged for you to marry a fierce husband? This one is quite good!”
Chen Guizhi didn’t dwell on the past, focusing instead on paving the way for her two children.
That’s the truth.
No one would bring trouble upon themselves.
Yao Fulang said, “It was Er Tian’s wife who said it. She even told others that this marriage would never work out.”
If it was Er Tian’s wife who spread the rumor, then it couldn’t be trusted.
As the sun set in the west, everyone packed up their things and returned to their respective homes.
They chatted idly about their family affairs, all praising Chen Guizhi for having good judgment in finding Li Feng a good husband.
They also said that Lu Liu was capable and considerate, treating Li Feng so well that his eyebrows seemed to float to the sky, and when he smiled, he looked just like Er Sha!
They also talked about their family life, and everyone envied them.
Having someone in the family who knows how to manage things makes all the difference.
It hasn’t been that long, but good days are already on the horizon. Just walking around, one can earn enough to fill one’s hands with gold and silver.
Lu Liu took a bowl of mountain mushroom and pork cubes sauce, heated it up, and served it as a dish for everyone to taste.
Lu Yang’s stir-fry sauce was rich in flavor, and he was generous with the soybean paste, aiming for that moment when the aroma hits your palate.
Since it was a sauce, the flavor was naturally richer, making it flavorful enough to go with rice. However, he had pre-treated the mountain mushrooms and pork cubes, allowing them to absorb the sauce without becoming overly flavored. Upon closer inspection, the freshness of the ingredients shone through.
The family of four couldn’t stop eating. Midway through the meal, Lu Liu took a spoon and scooped out two more servings.
Lu Liu wanted to try making the sauce, and no one in the family objected.
A sauce this delicious would be a shame not to sell.
In the evening, Chen Guizhi came out to pour out the foot bath water and ran into Li Feng.
She said to Li Feng, “Keep some silver with Liu Ge. You two need to learn to manage your household. He cares about you, so you don’t need to be so cautious.”
Li Feng protested, “I gave it to him, but he told me to keep it. I only keep a few copper coins for spending. He doesn’t go out often, and when he does, he goes with me, so he doesn’t want to take money.”
Chen Guizhi: “…”
“Let him learn to take it. How long can I help you manage the household?”
Li Feng agreed. After returning home, they didn’t say much about the money, and the couple ate chicken.
That night, she came across the book recommended by Yao Fulang. Lu Liu pretended to choose, selecting one with very deep illustrations. It was true; Yao Fulang hadn’t been exaggerating. It was indeed very profound.
…………….
The county office reopened on the seventh day of the month, but news didn’t come until the eighth.
On the ninth day, Jin Shiyé came by and told them to prepare for the court hearing.
That night, Lu Yang and Xie Yan couldn’t sleep. They got up in the middle of the night to knead dough and make buns, and ended up running into Zhao Peilan. She hadn’t slept either.
But the magistrate’s office was unpredictable. No one came to summon them on the tenth day, and it wasn’t until the eleventh day that Luo Dayong excitedly came to summon them to court.
Xie Yan had a scholar’s robe, but it was too thin for this season.
Wearing it over his cotton coat looked awkward and pretentious.
Lu Yang had already thought this through. Since this was a lawsuit, he took out Xie Yan’s old cotton coat and had him put it on.
With a clean face, neatly combed hair, and a lively appearance, it was sufficient. Wearing ragged clothes was acceptable, as it fit the image of someone who had been oppressed.
Today, the entire family of three went there. Lu Yang had already informed Lu Lin that he might have to leave for a few days and asked him to watch the store with Zhang Tie.
The county office opened later than the shops on the street. When they set off, Lu Lin had already arrived.
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