Chapter 234: From Now On
The carriage drove all the way into Elm Tree Village, the snow on the road had been shoveled clean, and the ride was fairly smooth.
Shang Wan pushed open the window and looked outside.
Ever since the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion’s business picked up, for Lu Chengjing’s convenience in studying, Shang Wan bought a house in a residential area three streets away from the County School.
The house wasn’t as big as the one they built themselves, but it was enough for their family.
Xiao Huan had to tend to Bao Yue Zhai’s business, so all the village’s medicine-making tasks were handed over to Shi Tou. Shang Wan ran between the shop, the house, and the manor, rarely returning to the village when busy.
In just a few short months, quite a few changes had occurred in Elm Tree Village.
The Spiritual Medicine Pavilion’s business was good, and the villagers had already made medicine-making their main occupation. Although they hadn’t neglected the field work, the focus had clearly shifted.
To process the herbs more cheaply, after some discussion, Shi Tou and Old Man Wu and others opened up a drying field near the hillside, specially used for drying medicinal herbs.
To prevent the medicinal herbs from being stolen or tampered with, the village arranged for people to take turns guarding while drying the herbs.
To improve efficiency, Shi Tou divided the people into several groups: washing medicine, cutting medicine, stir-frying medicine, drying medicine, boiling medicine, grinding powder, dispensing medicine… each person responsible for only one task, assigned according to ability.
For example, children and the elderly could handle washing the herbs; as long as they washed them clean, they could still get wages.
Those with strength who didn’t want to use their brains could cut medicine, grind powder, or carry medicinal herbs back and forth.
Those who learned well and were careful could stir-fry medicine, boil medicine, or dispense medicine.
Wages were calculated based on the weight of processed herbs.
Different responsibilities naturally meant different wages.
Washing herbs was the simplest and paid the least, while boiling medicine was time-consuming and labor-intensive with many steps, earning the most wages.
There were also those who volunteered to take on multiple roles to earn more wages, but Shi Tou ruthlessly rejected them.
Shi Tou strictly tested everyone, determined what they were good at, and recorded it all, making it easy to assign work later.
Shang Wan thought that if things continued developing like this, Shi Tou might end up building a medicine factory.
On snowy days, they naturally couldn’t dry the medicinal herbs, and even though the snow had stopped now, the drying field was still piled with snow.
Through the window, Shang Wan saw a team of people shoveling snow inside, one of them wearing a rabbit fur hat and a blue floral jacket, twisting his body to look this way.
Shang Wan waved her hand, and that person dropped the iron shovel and ran over flying, shouting, “Sis!”
The person was none other than Shi Tou, his voice full of vigor, echoing even.
Shang Wan beckoned him onto the carriage.
Shi Tou turned back to give a couple instructions, waited for the people there to respond, then patted the snow off his trouser legs and climbed onto the carriage, sitting down next to Lu Chengjing with a grin.
Lu Chengjing poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to him.
Shi Tou took it and held it to warm his hands, asking puzzledly, “Why are you back at this time?”
“Several snowfalls in a row, worried about home, came back to check.”
“With me watching, everything at home is fine.” As Shi Tou spoke, he huffed on his frozen red fingers, and only when they felt warm did he reach out to poke the little bundle sleeping in Lu Chengjing’s arms.
The little baby girl stirred but didn’t wake, smacking her little lips, her head tilting as she slept even more soundly.
Shi Tou chuckled and didn’t poke again, not daring to really wake her.
He couldn’t handle that crying.
Shang Wan closed the window and said to Shi Tou, “Your brother-in-law is on break, we’ll stay home tonight, Xiao Huan will come back after Bao Yue Zhai closes.”
“Okay.” Shi Tou immediately thought of food, “Sis, what are we eating tonight?”
Shang Wan didn’t mind, so they had hot pot for the second meal of the day.
Xiao Huan returned a bit earlier than expected, bringing quite a few fresh ingredients, even river fresh.
Everyone helped wash, rinse, and slice the ingredients, Xiao Huan simmered a pot of bone broth for the soup base, and only when the time was right did she start stir-frying the seasonings.
Eating in the main hall was too cold, so they simply carried the stove into Shi Tou’s room to eat.
The kang was burning hot, warming from the butt up when sitting on it, everyone ate until sweat beaded on their foreheads, yet it felt refreshing.
Lu Chengjing poured everyone homemade fruit wine, Yuan Yuan wanted some too, so Shang Wan swapped it for freshly squeezed fruit juice.
Lively and bustling, eating and chatting, before they knew it, two hours had passed.
Snow began falling outside the window again, the hot pot steam wafting out and instantly condensing into ice beads.
“So full!” Shi Tou braced his hands behind him, gazing at the snow outside and sighing, “Hot pot tastes better with more people.”
Yuan Yuan considerately reached out her little meat hand to rub his belly.
Shang Wan gave Lu Chengjing a look; after the meal, it was time for serious business.
Receiving his wife’s signal, Lu Chengjing straightened his slouched body and cleared his throat, “Ahem.”
Xiao Huan and Shi Tou sitting opposite looked over together, almost in unison, “Brother-in-law, have you caught a cold?”
Lu Chengjing shook his head, looking at Shi Tou, “After the new year, you’ll go study at Sanshan Academy. I’ve already talked to Dean Wang, in a couple days I’ll take you to visit him.”
Sanshan Academy was the only academy in the County Town, not as good as the County School, but better than ordinary private schools.
Shang Wan had originally wanted Shi Tou to study in the Prefectural City, where there were more options; even if she had to throw money at it, she could get him into an academy there.
But Lu Chengjing felt that what Shi Tou needed most now was to build a foundation, and Sanshan Academy was sufficient.
Shi Tou, who had suddenly been assigned the studying task: “?!?”
He stared in shock with wide eyes, his arm giving way, and he fell flat on the kang.
Yuan Yuan hurriedly pulled her uncle.
Xiao Huan also helped pull him up to sit properly.
Shi Tou’s mouth opened and closed, and after a long while he made a sound: “Can I not go?”
Shang Wan and Lu Chengjing said in unison: “No.”
“Why?” Shi Tou’s thick brows furrowed together like bun folds, “My brain isn’t as good as brother-in-law’s, I’m not cut out for studying, I won’t pass the official rank exams in the future either, sending me to study would just be wasting money.”
Such spineless words made Shang Wan want to smack him.
“You haven’t even tried, how do you know you’re not studying material? I see you memorized that medical book pretty well?”
Shi Tou waved his hands hurriedly, “I just rote memorized it, if it were composing poems or writing articles like brother-in-law, I couldn’t do it.”
Lu Chengjing said, “What you don’t know, the academy will teach.”
Shi Tou found an excuse, “There’s a pile of things at home, if I go study, who will manage them?”
“Once you’re in the academy, I’ll naturally arrange someone to take over. You just focus on studying.” Shang Wan gave Shi Tou no chance to weasel out.
Shi Tou pulled a long face, “Really can’t skip studying?”
Shang Wan nodded: “Sure.”
Shi Tou immediately brightened, mouth opening but before a word came out, he heard Shang Wan ask: “If not studying, what do you want to do?”
Shi Tou: “?”
Shang Wan pointed at Xiao Huan: “Xiao Huan likes cooking, dreams of opening her own restaurant. What about you?”
Shi Tou was stunned by the question.
Shang Wan continued, “After the new year you’ll be seventeen, some marry early and already have kids. In the future, to support a family, have you ever thought about what you’ll rely on to make a living?”
Shi Tou barely thought, scratching his head, “I’ll just follow you guys, whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do it.”
Anyway, his sister and brother-in-law wouldn’t abandon him.
