Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 331 The Calm Lake (71)

There was nothing they could do; they couldn't stop the three elderly people's enthusiasm, so they could only let them go. Two mugwort leaves and one calamus leaf cost a copper coin. Some people in the county town liked to shirk their responsibilities, so they would buy a bunch for a copper coin and hang it up to take home.

These things are everywhere on the mountainside; as the old lady put it, it's practically like picking up money off the mountain. We're just doing our part; we're just sitting at home doing nothing anyway.

Uncle Zhang helped push the cart, and Yue Niang helped tie it up.

Xu Chaoyan did a quick calculation and realized that this cartload would only be worth twenty or thirty copper coins at most. Well, considering their enthusiasm, the younger ones didn't want to discourage them.

The old woman, looking worried, muttered to herself as she set up a small stall in front of the shop to sell her wares.

"Why don't these people buy from me? Look how fresh my mugwort is, it's still dripping with water, and I have so many bundles, why don't they come and buy from me?"

Xu Chaoyan noticed that those people had come from the vegetable market. She also inquired about the prices, which ranged from one to three coins.

They set the price at the lowest possible level, and to avoid discouraging the elderly folks, she and Zhang Yueniang called out to them. After all, the three elderly people had been busy for several hours, and they deserved some reward to make them happy.

Several well-dressed people walked past their stall. They couldn't help but mutter, "The mugwort is fresh, but the binding is a bit haphazard. Let's go check out He Ji's stall instead."

Xu Chaoyan overheard his words and quietly went to He Ji's shop to take a look. She found that the mugwort sold there was packaged more elegantly, all wrapped with ribbons and adorned with sachets for the Dragon Boat Festival. It was indeed more attractive, and the price ranged from fifteen to twenty coins per sachet.

She couldn't help but gasp in amazement; the profits had multiplied so easily and suddenly. It was certainly something to see.

She then went to get some ribbons and sachets, and after thinking for a moment, she went to the clinic to get some Chinese herbal medicine. Anyway, tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, so there's still time today.

When she got back, Aunt Qi hadn't sold two of them. But Aunt Qi calmly sat there and started mending the clothes bit by bit.

After Xu Chaoyan shared her idea with Zhang Yueniang, the two of them started working on it.

"Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, so let's hurry up and make some finished products today. I've brought back a lot of Chinese herbal medicines, including mosquito repellents, stimulants, and calming and sleep aids. We'll start selling them after school lets out later."

Then I went to find a brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and wrote a card wishing everyone a happy Dragon Boat Festival on it and hung it up. It would definitely attract a lot of attention.

You know what, when she wrapped that bunch of mugwort more elegantly, it attracted quite a few young girls. Plus, Xu Chaoyan was there shouting that if anyone had a crush on someone, they could choose a bunch to give to their sweetheart for a refreshing and invigorating gift.

The girls blushed instantly, but still rushed to buy a bunch. She cut all the mugwort into shorter pieces and wrapped it into a small bouquet, which looked delicate and petite, making it even more eye-catching.

In her hometown, there is a custom of eating preserved eggs and salted duck eggs on the Dragon Boat Festival. A month in advance, she had already prepared a portion for everyone.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, I saw Sister Xinyi just walk over there. An old woman came looking for her again, and from her tone, she seemed to be asking her for money. Should we go and see?"

Xu Chaoyan was carrying a Dragon Boat Festival gift for Jiang Xinyi. She hesitated for a moment, then, seeing the intermittent sounds of arguing coming from the other side, she could no longer stand there.

“Jiang Xinyi, no matter how much I try to persuade you, you just won’t listen. Right now, I’m willing but unable to do anything. You should go back and take good care of the children. The land in my hometown is all rented out, and it doesn’t give me much food in a year. It’s better for you to go back and take good care of the children than for you to be out here and face the world.”

Jiang Xinyi felt a surge of disgust at the old woman's arrogant demeanor. She shouldn't think she was unaware of their schemes. They were practically telling her to go back and have a son, and then become his free servant so her son could do whatever he wanted. Did they really think she was easy to bully?

She looked at the old woman in front of her with a cold expression: "If you came here today to talk to me about this, there's no room for negotiation. If you don't want to raise Bao'er, just give him to me. I won't go back with you. Why are you asking me to go back and take care of the child, while your son continues to cause trouble outside? Am I out of my mind, or have I lost my mind?"

The old woman was so angry by her words that she kept muttering to herself for a long time.

“I’m doing this for your own good. A woman like you is out in public all day. You may not care about your reputation, but I do. Bao’er will get married someday. If people find out she has a mother like you, she’ll never be able to hold her head up high again. You’re ruining her life.”

"You're really trying to take advantage of me. What? You wanted to find a young and beautiful woman for your son, didn't you? You haven't found one yet? Now you want to go back to your ex? You're dreaming. You trick her into coming back to carry on your family line, and then kick her to the curb after you've used her. You're really good at playing the game. Let me tell you, Jiang Xinyi is a free woman now. She can do whatever she wants. Don't bother us for no reason."

After Xu Chaoyan finished speaking, she pulled Jiang Xinyi back. She had originally wanted to give her the salted duck eggs to take back and eat with Ya Ya, but then she thought it wasn't worth it and stuffed the basket into Jiang Xinyi's hands.

"As your boss, this is a Dragon Boat Festival perk for you. Why are these two bothering you again? Why don't you say something? This can't go on forever. Why don't you come with us after the Dragon Boat Festival? Also, that rich young man is truly sincere towards you. If he is sincere in marrying you, we wish you all the best."

Jiang Xinyi shook her head, looking ahead blankly: "Men's words are best taken with a grain of salt. There's a huge difference in our family backgrounds, how could he possibly marry someone like me? Right now, he's just infatuated with me. Actually, I've thought it through these past few days. I need to focus on living well in the present, just like you said, saving up some money so I'll have confidence in the future. As for that guy, forget about him, he's just a passerby in my life. A couple of days ago, I discovered some things I didn't know, and we had another big fight."

Xu Chaoyan was taken aback: "When did you go out? I didn't even know."

Jiang Xinyi said somewhat shyly, "Just a couple of days ago, I ran into some of my old girlfriends outside the shop, and they told me some things."

"Okay, you can decide for yourself."

The three old men sold their cartload of mugwort leaves for nearly two taels of silver today. They were so happy they couldn't stop smiling. They bought snacks for Yaya and also bought roast chicken for them to eat.

Xu Chaoyan specially kept a bunch to hang in front of the courtyard gate; since it was the Dragon Boat Festival, it was important to have some sense of ritual. The aunt and the others took advantage of their downtime to wrap some more zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). That evening, the three families sat at two tables.

It was rare that Shen Siheng didn't come over for dinner today, and everyone felt a little unaccustomed to the usual noisy chatter. But the kid did send over a Dragon Boat Festival gift in advance.

Qi Yu raised his wine glass: "This glass is for you both. May you both achieve academic success, pass the imperial examinations with flying colors, and win the laurel wreath."

After the meal, they would go their separate ways. For a moment, everyone felt a little sad.

Aunt Qi and her son planned to stay in the small courtyard for now. They would move to a smaller courtyard when their lease expired. For now, her son's job teaching the boys at the school was stable enough. In another year or two, she hoped to save enough money to get married. Then her life would be complete.

The old woman held Aunt Qi's hand with a reluctant expression: "Old sister, I really can't bear to part with you. Since you came, having you with me has made me feel so much more relaxed. My old rascal is always making me angry."

After hearing his words, Uncle Zhang deliberately put on a stern face.

"Who's angry with whom is still unknown. How could I dare to anger you? When you're angry, you won't cook or feed me. You're the head cook in our family, and I wouldn't dare say a harsh word to you." As soon as the uncle finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.

At first, Aunt Qi hesitated about whether to swallow her pride and go to that person to ask him for help with her son. For the past two nights, she had tossed and turned in bed, only managing to doze off briefly just before dawn.

She only wanted a peaceful life and didn't want to be disturbed, so she gave up on that idea. She silently repeated to herself several times: "Yu'er, let this be my selfishness this time."

Everyone was in high spirits today and got quite drunk. Even Meng Jiuxia secretly drank two glasses, her little face turning bright red. Luckily, it was all fruit wine, otherwise Meng Jiuhe would have given her a good scolding.

"Help Sister Jiang back first, then cook some hangover soup for your sister-in-law."

Meng Jiuxia playfully stuck out her tongue at him: "Big brother, I've already taken care of these things. I'll serve everyone a bowl in a bit."

This was Xu Chaoyan's first time being drunk. She felt lightheaded, as if she were floating on clouds. On their way back to their room, they encountered a tree. Meng Jiu was gently supporting her when suddenly she broke free and ran towards the tree, punching and kicking it. He was terrified and quickly pulled her away, afraid of hurting her hands. A drunk person's strength is unpredictable.

After he finally managed to get the person back into the house, he washed the person and fed them hangover soup, going through a whole lot of trouble.

He was also covered in sweat and hadn't even sat down and turned around to catch his breath when Xu Chaoyan, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes and stared straight at him. Then, without warning, she pulled him over and flipped him over, pinning him down.

"Hey handsome, do you have a girlfriend but no boyfriend?"