bullyxtreme Chapter 116 The Trifoliate Orange Arrived
Chapter 116 The Trifoliate Orange Arrived
Looking at the asparagus in Manager Liu's hand, Song Jiaojiao knew her processing method. This kind of medicinal material is relatively simple to process. It only needs to be steamed over high heat for 15 minutes, peeled, cored, and then dried.
“I know this. So this is what fresh asparagus looks like,” Song Jiaojiao exclaimed.
“Yes, asparagus seeds are about the size of black beans when they mature. Don’t get it wrong, Madam Song. We also buy the other medicinal herbs in the basket, but they are quite common and the purchase price is not high, basically just a few coins per pound,” Manager Liu reminded Song Jiaojiao.
"I see. Then let's plant asparagus. After all, land is limited, and we should prioritize the valuable plants," Song Jiaojiao said, blinking.
Liu Xuewen found it amusing; clearly, he was complaining about the low price, yet he was trying to find an excuse for himself.
"Oh, right, didn't Boss Liu ask me if I had any good stuff lately? I do have some, but it'll take a while. I won't be here anytime soon; I'll be staying in Tongan County for a while." Song Jiaojiao was thinking about how she planned to make the sugar herself. The beverage shop would need a lot of sugar later. She had originally planned to make maltose, but then she thought that wheat wasn't cheap, and since she couldn't make sweet potato starch, she remembered the sweet potato sesame candy she used to eat as a child, which was made with sweet potatoes and malt. That seemed like a good option.
Liu Xuewen knew that Song Jiaojiao always brought good news whenever she came.
"It's alright, I can wait this long." Liu Xuewen said with a smile, fanning himself. Little did he know that this wait would last for two months.
Liu Xuewen suddenly remembered something, "Oh! Right, the things you asked me to bring from the north last time have arrived today. Manager Liu, please go and bring them in."
Manager Liu went out and had two apprentices carry in a bag of things.
"This is a fresh trifoliate orange, it's just grown and not yet ripe, it's sour right now." Liu Xuewen didn't know what Song Jiaojiao wanted it for, but he still tried one, and it was so sour he almost died on the spot.
Upon hearing Liu Xuewen's words, Song Jiaojiao couldn't suppress her smile. She had thought there was no hope, but unexpectedly, a glimmer of hope appeared, which could serve as a substitute for lemon.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Liu, for remembering this. You've really helped me a lot. How much will it cost?" Song Jiaojiao's face lit up with joy.
"Madam Song, there's no need to be so polite. These are just things I picked up along the way; they're things the locals don't want. Just remember me if you ever have anything good." Liu Xuewen thought that these things were plentiful in the mountains of the north, so he didn't ask Song Jiaojiao for money.
"That's for sure, don't worry. I'll definitely come to you first if there's anything good." Song Jiaojiao smiled and patted her chest to assure them.
After finishing her work here, Song Jiaojiao went home.
The two newly purchased servants didn't have names, so Song Jiaojiao named the man Wang Feng and the woman Wang Yu, intending to bring them to the shop to help out.
Having arranged everything, Song Jiaojiao brought pastries from the county town to the village chief's house.
These past two days, Song Jiaojiao gave Aunt Li a day off so she could stay home and keep Wang Baozhu company. When she arrived at the village chief's courtyard, Wang Baozhu was playing with Tang Yu, who was being held in Aunt Li's arms.
"Aunt Li, Baozhu," Song Jiaojiao called from outside the courtyard.
Qiuju saw this and came over to open the courtyard gate.
"Sister Jiaojiao, you're here." Wang Baozhu got up and pulled Song Jiaojiao to sit down on the stone bench in the courtyard.
"Jiaojiao, what brings you here? Is there something wrong at the workshop?" Aunt Li asked Song Jiaojiao with a puzzled look.
Song Jiaojiao placed the pastries in her hand on the table and said, "I bought a shop in the county town and plan to open a beverage shop. I'm going to the county tomorrow, and I might be gone for a month or so. I'll need Aunt Li to keep an eye on the workshop for me."
Aunt Li breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Oh, is that all? We would have done it even if you hadn't told us. After all, the person in charge doesn't get paid for nothing."
"Then we'll have to trouble you a lot, Auntie. You're the pillar of strength for everyone." Song Jiaojiao smiled and took out 100 taels of silver. "There's another matter. There are quite a few children in our village. I was thinking of setting up a school in the village. We don't expect them to pass the imperial examinations, but we just hope they can read and write so they won't be easily deceived when they go out."
Upon hearing Song Jiaojiao's words, Aunt Li's eyes widened in disbelief, and even Wang Baozhu, who was standing nearby, was taken aback.
Song Jiaojiao had long wanted to build a school in the village, but the initial investment was too high, leaving her feeling quite embarrassed about her finances. In the past two days, Song Jiaojiao had calculated her money, and although she couldn't come up with much more, a hundred taels of silver wouldn't affect her much.
Aunt Li snapped out of her daze and quickly asked, "Jiaojiao, are you really going to build a school for the village?"
"Yes, Auntie, I just hope that the people in the village will get better and better. As the ancients said, 'When you are rich, you should help others.' I can't control the world, but I can help the village in whatever way I can. Besides, when my son and I were in trouble, it was the villagers who reached out to help us. I remember all of that." Most of the villagers in Qingshui Village are quite simple and honest, without too many hidden agendas. Song Jiaojiao really likes this kind of environment.
"This...this is too big a matter. I'll go find your Uncle Wang later." Aunt Li thought that the village chief should make the decision. She was just a woman. She could make decisions about small things at home, but she couldn't make decisions about the future development of the village.
"Jiaojiao, sit down for a while. Your Uncle Wang went to your third uncle's house. I'll go and call him back." After saying that, Aunt Li handed Tang Yu, who was in her arms, to Wang Baozhu and quickly went out.
"Sister Jiaojiao, are you really sure about this?" Wang Baozhu was still in a daze. Although the Tang family, a wealthy family, did sponsor impoverished students, they were all relatively well-educated students. It wasn't a free sponsorship; they hoped that these students could help the Tang family after they graduated from high school.
People like Song Jiaojiao, who don't ask for anything in return, are extremely rare.
“You know what kind of life we used to live. If it weren’t for the help of the villagers, when we were kicked out of the house by Old Lady Wang, we had nothing. It was the village that took us in, gave us a place to shelter from the wind and rain, and shared their precious food with us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We would probably have starved to death long ago.”
Thinking about what she faced when she first arrived here, without the help of the villagers, she wondered where Mu Qing and Mu Xue were now, and whether they were still alive.
Wang Baozhu had heard a lot about Song Jiaojiao from her mother these past two days, and had a general understanding of the situation.
"It's all in the past. You've already endured the hardships, and things will only get better from here on out," Wang Baozhu comforted her.
"Of course, it has to get better and better, otherwise it would be a disservice to all the hard work I've put in!" Song Jiaojiao said with a big laugh.
The two chatted and laughed in the courtyard, while on the other side, Aunt Li found the village chief. The village chief was at Uncle San's house talking with several elderly people from the clan about the events of the year. At this moment, Aunt Li's words about Song Jiaojiao wanting to build a school for the village startled the elderly people, who suddenly stood up.