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墨書 Inktalez
Xiaqiao Village finally had the chance to hold their heads high in front of the people of Shangqiao Village. They thought that from now on, the people of Shangqiao Village would have to take a longer route, while they wouldn't have to go out of their way anymore. The smiles on their faces grew much wider.
The people of Shangqiao Village watched as the bridge in Xiaqiao Village was being built day by day, feeling as wilted as plants under the scorching sun.
The most boisterous family in Shangqiao Village was the village chief's family. The villagers blamed the chief for not collaborating with Xiaqiao Village on the bridge construction, and his son blamed him for canceling the marriage proposal with the Xie Family. The village chief was furious, thinking that it was agreed upon by the villagers for Silver to build the bridge. Although his son was reluctant about the canceled engagement, he ultimately remained silent. Why was all the blame now falling on him?
There is no wall that does not let wind through; all these matters from Shangqiao Village reached Xiaqiao Village. The people of Xiaqiao Village felt quite vindicated, especially the Xie Family. Ruyi had already recovered, and since Xie Youshun's family was involved in building the bridge with Silver, she, being Xie Youshun's sister, also benefited from it. Moreover, she was well-liked by others, and since her engagement had been canceled by the now most despised village chief of Shangqiao Village, no one mocked her. When she heard that the Gao Family regretted their decision, she said nothing but clearly smiled even more.
Everything was developing in a positive direction, and under the expectations of the people of Xiaqiao Village, the bridge was finally completed.
It was a stone bridge that looked very sturdy, wide enough for two vehicles to pass side by side. There were half-height guardrails on both sides, and craftsmen had carved patterns on it, making this bridge appear grand.
The people of Xiaqiao Village continuously walked back and forth on it, all wearing excited smiles.
The village chief stood at the bridgehead smoking a pipe and smiling while chatting with Xie Shengcai, constantly praising Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua for their kindness. Listening to this, Xie Shengcai felt both happy and ashamed. He thought about how when his son separated from him, aside from some household items, he only received three acres of thin farmland. Now that he could help build a bridge for Village, it had nothing to do with their old house—he truly felt ashamed.
Seeing Xie Shengcai like this, the village chief nodded inwardly. He found everything about Xie Youshun pleasing now. Thinking about how they contributed to building the bridge with Silver, while the Wang Clan still sought trouble, he wanted to help bring Xie Shengcai closer to Xie Youshun, hoping this father would support his son more in the future.
The Wang Clan wasn't far away; overhearing their conversation, she thought her fourth son had become successful. However, if only that Silver belonged to her—it was five hundred taels! She had never seen so much money in her life. Just thinking about it made her even more dissatisfied with Xie Youshun. She glared at him and his wife, Xiao Lihua, who were standing not far away.
Xiao Lihua happened to see this and said to Xie Youshun: "Mother seems unhappy; she's glaring at us."
Xie Youshun replied helplessly: "She'll probably glare at us every time she sees this bridge."
Hearing this made Xiao Lihua smile. She thought about how her mother-in-law loved money; since those five hundred taels of Silver didn't end up in her hands but instead became a bridge, it must be hard for her to see it. She thought if her mother-in-law loved glaring so much, then let her glare; she would have to get used to the fact that her son's and daughter-in-law's money wasn't under her control anymore.
The people of the Village take great care of this bridge, allowing only ten people to cross at a time. Anyone beyond that is not permitted to go up, and they stand by the side watching and chatting.
Xiaqiao Village is filled with joy, while Shangqiao Village appears lifeless.
To vent their frustrations, the people of Xiaqiao Village built a wall over half a person's height on the road leading from Shangqiao Village. This was to prevent those crossing the bridge from sneaking over; at the very least, it would block vehicles trying to pass through Shangqiao Village. This decision received almost unanimous support from the people of the Village.
Xiao Lihua laughed upon seeing this, thinking that the people of the Village were quite clever. She also felt that this was a good move; it was very satisfying.
With the bridge completed, life in the Village gradually returned to normal.
The crops in the fields were growing well; the corn had already reached a considerable height, and the rice had begun to sprout ears. One could imagine a bountiful harvest come autumn.
Xiao Lihua finally found an opportunity for Xie Youshun to take her for a walk around the nearby mountains. She didn’t dare venture deeper, as there could be wolves or wild boars. Xiao Lihua found herself somewhat unlucky; aside from some wild fruits, there wasn’t much of value in these mountains—just large trees and tall wild grasses. The paths were difficult to navigate, and entering the mountains was not as easy as it was depicted in novels. Besides picking some wild fruits, Xie Youshun gathered a bundle of firewood, but there were no extraordinary experiences.
Once they descended from the mountain, Xiao Lihua looked back at the towering peaks and sighed lightly. It seemed that relying on these mountains for wealth would not be easy; she would have to depend on herself. Fortunately, this world was a parallel one where many modern things did not exist. She could seize opportunities to make money; for instance, pickled eggs and making sauces were ways to earn income. If she could discover one or two more things, she wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore.
“Ah, rabbits! Rabbits!” As Xiao Lihua walked along in disappointment, she suddenly spotted two rabbits darting past her one after another. She immediately called out excitedly and tugged at Xie Youshun’s clothes.
Xie Youshun threw down the firewood on his back, took down the bow from the bamboo basket behind Xiao Lihua, pulled an arrow from his quiver at his waist, nocked it on his bowstring, and drew it back like a full moon, aiming at the rabbits.
Xiao Lihua quickly shouted, “We want them alive! We want them alive!”
Xie Youshun had already taken aim; with a release of his hand, the arrow flew out. After hitting one rabbit, he quickly ran forward a few steps and shot another arrow.
Xiao Lihua thought that Xie Youshun's archery skills were really impressive, and then she rushed over to see if he had hit anything. Looking down, she saw two rabbits lying on the ground not far away, both shot in the hind legs and flopping around.
"Ah! You hit them! You're amazing, Youshun!"
Xiao Lihua praised Xie Youshun, who smiled broadly at his wife's compliment. He went over to help catch the two rabbits that were still flopping around, pulling the arrows out of their legs and tossing them into the basket on his back.
"Wife, do you want to keep these live rabbits?"
"Yes, we’ll raise them. Rabbits breed quickly, and then we can sell them," Xiao Lihua said with a smile, picking up a stick to tease the two rabbits. Raising rabbits seemed like a good way to make some money; even if it was just a little, it was still money. Even if they couldn't sell them, they could eat them to satisfy their hunger.
Xie Youshun said, "Rabbits are not easy to raise. Someone in the village has tried it before, but they always died. Do you know how to take care of them?"
"I'll give it a try; if I can't keep them alive, then so be it." Xiao Lihua had never raised rabbits before, but growing up in the countryside, she had seen families that did. She had watched rabbits and heard others talk about how to feed and care for them. She wasn't sure if her limited knowledge would be enough to keep them alive, so she didn't want to make any promises.
Xie Youshun thought it would be fine to give it a try; after all, they were just two rabbits. They weren't short on money at home right now.
The two of them returned to the village carrying firewood, rabbits, and wild fruits. On the way, they encountered several villagers who were cutting pigweed.
"Youshun brother, Youshun sister-in-law, you came down from the mountain! Did you find anything good? Are there many wild fruits up there? If there are a lot, we’ll go pick some tomorrow."
A woman said with a smile, her eyes glancing at the basket that Xie Youshun was carrying. She wanted to see what was inside based on its weight when suddenly the basket moved slightly, startling her.
"Hey, what's in this basket? It's moving. Could it be a rabbit or a wild boar?"
A few other women gathered around to take a look.
Xiao Lihua smiled and said, "I saw two rabbits on my way down the mountain."
"Oh my, what good luck! Rabbit meat is so delicious, it's the best for nourishing the body. If we sell it at the tavern, we could earn two or three hundred coins!" one woman said enviously.
Another younger woman laughed, "Brother Shun's family doesn't care about those two or three hundred coins anymore; they must be keeping it for themselves. Haven't you seen how plump Stone and Wood have gotten? Sister Xie Si's cooking is just that good."
Xiao Lihua chuckled at this, thinking that these rural women loved to chat. Although their words were tinged with envy and jealousy, she didn't mind; she enjoyed talking to them. However, she didn't intend to listen to them go on about rabbits any longer; if they continued, they would start discussing how she would prepare those two rabbits.
"Several sisters-in-law, what are you doing with the pigweed? How much do you need? Your pigs are doing well, right? This year should definitely be a pig slaughtering year! When that time comes, I want to buy some pork from your family; make sure to save me some good cuts."
Xiao Lihua changed the subject to the pigs. Her family didn't have any pigs at the moment, and she had no plans to raise them. Firstly, they were too dirty, and secondly, she couldn't bear the sound of pigs being slaughtered. So she planned to buy ready-made pork instead; after all, she wasn't short on money. The term "pig slaughtering year" was still fresh in her memory; it reminded her of a time when she could enjoy plenty of pork.
The women immediately got drawn into this topic, happily saying they would definitely invite her when it was time to slaughter pigs. Then they started venting about how difficult it was to raise pigs and how their family's income relied on those few pigs. They went on about all the things they could do with the money from selling pork—truly a mix of topics.
Xiao Lihua seized an opportunity to take her leave and continued walking home with Xie Youshun.
Because she had just talked about pork and rabbit meat with those women for so long, her thoughts lingered on the topic. As she spoke, she suddenly thought of a question. She wondered if there was cured meat in this world where even pickled eggs and sauces didn't exist. And what about her favorite smoked rabbit?
"Youshun, let's buy more pork this New Year to make cured meat. I’ll cook some cured meat for you all then."
Xiao Lihua looked at Xie Youshun, wondering if she should test him to find out. After all, she had not found any evidence of Cured Meat in her memories, nor any methods for making ham. It seemed that the people in this world either froze meat outside or salted it.
Xie Youshun asked, "Cured Meat? How is it made? Is it from that old lady's recipe? Is it easy to make? If it's easy, we can make some to eat together. I'll help you."
Xiao Lihua thought that indeed there was none. She felt that heaven was helping her; when she descended the mountain, she hoped to discover one or two ways to get rich. Before she even got home, she had already found this path.
Xiao Lihua smiled and said, "Great! We'll make it together, and you'll definitely love it. If it's delicious, we can sell it to Hua Gongzi. Plus, I have an even better idea."
"What is it?"
Seeing his wife's eyes light up, Xie Youshun was particularly curious about what she had thought of.
Xiao Lihua shared her thoughts with Xie Youshun, and upon hearing them, his eyes also brightened.
The author has something to say: Thank you to Lin Si for a landmine.
Thank you to Wanwan for a landmine.
Thank you to Dandan the Little Cat for a landmine.
Dear readers, have you noticed that my updates have been late recently? I want to apologize. Please forgive me if they are a bit late until I have enough prepared drafts to set a schedule.
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