Chapter 100: Why Don’t You Go Rob Instead?
Shang Wan took it and put the Grass Core into her mouth to chew carefully. Surprisingly, there was actually a hint of sweetness.
“When I was little, I followed Daddy into the mountains and treated it like candy.” Xiao Huan’s face showed nostalgia as she looked at the treasures in the Bamboo Basket, smiling with her eyes curved.
Shang Wan spat out the chewed Grass Core and asked with a smile, “What kind of candy do you like to eat?”
Xiao Huan shook her head. “I liked it when I was little, but I don’t crave it anymore.”
When she had no money to buy candy, she craved it so much that even her dreams were filled with candy. She would imagine that sweet taste, and wake up with her Pillow soaked from drool.
Later, after entering the Lu Residence, eating candy was no longer a rarity for her, and gradually she stopped craving it.
“Let’s go, down the mountain.” Shang Wan took the Bamboo Basket and slung it over her shoulder, then reached out to pull Xiao Huan along as they headed down the mountain.
Xiao Huan turned her head to look at the full Bamboo Basket. “Sis, there’s a lot of stuff. Let me carry it.”
“It’s not heavy. How could there be any reason for an older sister to idle while her younger sister carries things?” Shang Wan dodged her hand. “Didn’t you want to find taro? Let’s take another path down the mountain. Look carefully to see if there are any.”
Hearing this, Xiao Huan could only give up and focus on looking around.
“Xiao Huan, how much do you remember about what happened at the rice shop?”
“I remember it all.” Xiao Huan picked up a tree branch from the ground and used it to beat the bushes.
Shang Wan asked, “When Ge Shunliang invited your brother-in-law to the backyard for tea, did your brother-in-law say anything to you and Shi Tou before leaving?”
“Say anything?” Xiao Huan frowned and thought for a moment. “Brother-in-law just told me and Shi Tou to watch Yuan Yuan carefully. He didn’t say anything else.”
Shang Wan said “oh” and reminded her to be careful of the thorns on the bushes.
Xiao Huan turned to look at her and asked doubtfully, “The matter is in the past. Why are you still asking about it, Sis? Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just asking casually.” Shang Wan jumped over a stone, caught a Bamboo shoot that fell out with her other hand, and tossed it back into the Bamboo Basket.
Xiao Huan felt that Shang Wan wasn’t asking casually, but seeing no difference in Shang Wan’s expression, she didn’t ask further.
Perhaps it was the wrong place. The two didn’t find any taro even after leaving the Mountain Forest.
Xiao Huan felt it was a pity, but Shang Wan comforted her. “Maybe there aren’t any here. If you like them, have Shi Tou plant some for you.”
Xiao Huan had no real hope for Shi Tou farming.
Don’t look at how attentive Shi Tou had been these past few days. Once he got bored after a while, it was uncertain if he would even glance at the field.
Speaking of planting, she suddenly remembered something.
“Sis, I heard Niangzi say that for land reclamation, we don’t need to go find people from the government to register. The County Yamen sends people to the Village every two months to inspect the fields and see how the crops are doing. They can register it then.”
Shang Wan nodded. “That saves us the trouble.”
The two walked side by side and deliberately detoured to see the two mu of land Shi Tou had opened.
Shi Tou had already finished plowing the land. He laid the Hoe horizontally and sat on the Hoe Handle to rest.
A Le sat on a nearby Stone, holding a Tea Bowl and sharing recent interesting events with Shi Tou.
Shi Tou was concerned about his brother-in-law’s studies and deliberately asked A Le about things happening at the County School.
A Le thought for a moment and barely came up with something new.
“A new Master has come to the County School, surnamed Chu. He looks only a few years older than the Young Master, but that Master’s demeanor is quite impressive.”
A Le stood up, straightened his back, put one hand behind his back, and imitated Master Chu’s walking posture. He walked back and forth twice very lifelike, making Shi Tou laugh heartily.
“Even imitating him makes me tired.” A Le’s shoulders slumped. “When I see Master Chu, I want to avoid him. But the Young Master told me to show more respect, saying Master Chu is no ordinary person and definitely won’t stay at the County School long. The last person the Young Master praised like that was Young Master Lu.”
Shi Tou felt proud. “Of course. My brother-in-law is a Xiucai Scholar at thirteen. In the entire Great Zhou, how many people can pass the Xiucai exam at thirteen?”
A Le sourly pursed his lips and deliberately poured cold water on Shi Tou’s head. “Those young masters from great clans have achieved plenty, and there are even some who passed the Xiucai exam at twelve.”
Shi Tou grabbed some dirt from the ground and threw it at his Clothes.
“Hey! My new Clothes!” A Le jumped up and hurriedly brushed off the dirt.
Fortunately, it hadn’t rained last night, so the dirt was dry and didn’t leave marks on his Clothes.
A Le rolled up his sleeves, ready to cause trouble for Shi Tou, when Shang Wan and Xiao Huan arrived. He hurriedly put his sleeves down.
“Sis!” Shi Tou happily ran over. “Why are you here?”
Shang Wan smiled. “To check on your farming progress.”
She walked around the two mu of land and said to Shi Tou following behind, “Don’t rush to plant anything in this land yet. In a few days, I’ll give you Vegetable Seed.”
“Okay.” Shi Tou agreed readily, then asked curiously, “Sis, what Vegetable Seed?”
“Um…” Shang Wan thought of an explanation. “Probably improved Bok Choy seed.”
Shi Tou was puzzled. “Improved?”
“It means better.” Shang Wan remembered that seeds from crops produced by the Spiritual Field, when planted in ordinary land, would yield more than the originals. This effect on Bok Choy would probably mean they grew bigger?
Even as a farming novice, Shi Tou knew that the quality of the Vegetable Seed largely determined how well the vegetables would grow.
“Sis, where did you get the Vegetable Seed from?”
Shang Wan: “…”
Xiao Huan wouldn’t ask her such questions.
Facing Shi Tou’s eyes sparkling with curiosity, Shang Wan couldn’t bear to fool him and just said, “I’ll tell you later.”
Shi Tou was easy to placate. Later was fine; his sis would tell him anyway.
A Le watched coldly and felt that this Young Madam seemed like a different person.
It was clearly the same face, and her voice hadn’t changed, but her actions and demeanor were completely different from before.
He couldn’t help asking Xiao Huan, “Don’t you think your family’s Young Madam seems like a different person?”
“That’s my sis.” Xiao Huan gave him a sideways glance. “What does it have to do with you how my sis is?”
A Le: ???
She choked him right from the start. Where had he offended this Grand Aunt?
“I was just saying, no other meaning.” A Le explained, and seeing Xiao Huan’s unfriendly expression, he could only shut up awkwardly.
Seeing it was nearly noon and there was no work in the field, the four headed back together.
Shi Tou grabbed the Bamboo Basket to carry it and asked Xiao Huan on the way what they were eating for lunch.
Xiao Huan named a few dishes. Once home, she dragged Shi Tou and A Le to the Kitchen to help her wash and chop.
Shang Wan rolled up her sleeves to help, but Xiao Huan wouldn’t let her touch anything and insisted she rest properly.
Shang Wan had no choice but to turn over the Herbs drying on the Stone Slab.
Qiao Yu’an came over to help and was wondering how to bring it up when Shang Wan asked proactively, “Want to buy Ointment?”
Qiao Yu’an paused, then nodded honestly. “Yes.”
“Good medicine is hard to come by, even for a thousand gold.” Shang Wan’s eyes curved with a smile. “How much silver are you prepared to pay?”
Qiao Yu’an figured that even considering Lu Chengjing’s face, Shang Wan wouldn’t cheat him, so he said, “You name the price.”
“This much.” Shang Wan held up one finger and shook it. “No haggling.”
“A thousand taels?!” Qiao Yu’an stared wide-eyed. “Why not go rob instead?!”
