Dressed as a farmer's widow, she brought her daughter to stock up on food and reached the top

Chapter 285 Can't Begin

Mrs. Sun narrowed her eyes slightly, a trace of regret flashing across her face. "From now on, we will take care of each other and help each other like real sisters."

Xiuying looked at Mrs. Sun with a determined gaze, having already made up her mind. She smiled and said, "Okay, Mrs. Sun, from now on, we will call each other sisters, without any distinction."

Then, Xiuying took Sun Dasao's hand and whispered in her ear: "Sister-in-law, there is one more thing. We are buying bamboo shoots now. One kilogram of bamboo shoots can be exchanged for one kilogram of rice."

When Mrs. Sun heard this, her eyes widened in disbelief. She said in surprise, "What? A pound of bamboo shoots can be exchanged for a pound of rice? This is really good news!"

Mrs. Sun's hands trembled slightly with excitement, and a smile of surprise appeared on her face.

Mrs. Sun said to Xiuying with a worried look on her face: "Sister, I'm worried about whether to eat black flour or corn flour the day after tomorrow. After all, it's Huahua's coming-of-age ceremony, and I always want something a little better. Sister, can you exchange some corn flour for me? After all, corn flour is cheaper than rice. The more the better." Mrs. Sun looked at Xiuying eagerly, her eyes full of helplessness.

Xiuying paused when she heard this. In this era, rice was indeed more expensive than cornmeal, but in China, rice only cost two yuan, while the worst cornmeal cost four yuan.

Thinking of this, Xiuying said, "Sister-in-law, Master Chen's family only has rice. And this time the purchase is also the rule set by Master Chen. I can only exchange bamboo shoots for rice. There is no way I can change it."

Xiuying sighed softly and shook her head helplessly. She knew clearly in her heart that this must not be set. If a precedent was set, there would be a second and a third one to follow.

Mrs. Sun still had a kind smile on her face and said, "Sister, it's okay, I'm just asking." Mrs. Sun waved her hand as she spoke, her smile without a trace of complaint. "Tall bamboo shoots can be exchanged for rice, this is already a great thing!"

"If it weren't for this good news, I don't know how my family would have saved enough money to hold a coming-of-age ceremony for Huahua." Mrs. Sun continued with a smile, "Sister, you really bring us good news."

After returning from Mrs. Sun's house, Xiuying went straight to the warehouse where the grain was stored without stopping for a moment.

Xiuying opened the door of the warehouse and said to Li Dongmei beside her: "Dongmei, take 50 kilograms of rice to Mrs. Sun. Just say it's a little gift from me and ask her to accept it." Xiuying's tone was decisive, and she pointed to the rice bags in the warehouse as she spoke.

Li Dongmei was a little surprised and said, "Madam, this..."

Xiuying interrupted her and said, "Don't talk too much, just go. Mrs. Sun and her family have been very kind to us. Now that Huahua is coming of age, we can't treat them unfairly."

Li Dongmei nodded quickly and replied, "Yes, ma'am, I'll go right away." Li Dongmei turned around, picked up the rice bag, and went to deliver the rice to Mrs. Sun as Xiuying instructed.

As the sky gradually darkened, the peaceful Futian Village was no longer peaceful. Two things happened like bombshells that exploded.

The night sky was dotted with stars. After dinner, the gossipy women in the village came under the old locust tree and enthusiastically discussed the two major events.

One thing was that the girl Yang Qingfeng liked was going to attend Huahua's coming-of-age ceremony. This news spread quickly throughout the village like wings.

People were whispering to each other, their faces full of curiosity and excitement, guessing what the girl looked like and what her identity was, and what kind of girl could be favored by a scholar like Yang Qingfeng.

The second thing was that bamboo shoots could be exchanged for rice, something no one had dreamed of. Everyone stared with wide eyes, questioning each other in disbelief about the news, excitement surging in everyone's heart.

"Oh, this is really a rare thing! Tall bamboo shoots can actually be exchanged for rice. There are so many of them growing in the pond in the backyard." A villager said excitedly.

"And that kid Yang Qingfeng, you can't tell on a normal day, but I didn't expect that the girl he likes is from our village." Another villager continued, his face full of gossip.

After a series of heated discussions, everyone gradually reached a consensus.

"In my opinion, we should go to the pond on the back mountain to pick bamboo shoots tomorrow. We can't miss this good opportunity to exchange them for rice." An older villager suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, if we pick more bamboo shoots and exchange them for rice, we can improve our lives a lot."

"And the day after tomorrow, let's all go to Huahua's coming-of-age ceremony and see which girl Qingfeng has chosen." Someone else added.

"Haha, that's right, we can't neglect these two things." Everyone responded with laughter.

"Then it's settled. Everyone will gather at Yuantang in the back mountain tomorrow morning!" someone shouted.

The next day, the sky was still slightly bright, and a few faint stars were still hanging in the pale blue sky.

The men went out early to repair the wall. They carried their tools and greeted each other.

At the same time, the women were not idle either. Each of them carried a large basket on their backs and walked up the mountain to pick bamboo shoots, chatting and laughing.

"We have to pick more and exchange them for rice to improve the meals for the children at home." An elderly woman said with a smile.

"Yes, I heard that this time one pound of bamboo shoots can be exchanged for one pound of rice. Let's work harder!" Another woman responded and quickened her pace.

Xiuying stood in the yard, looked around, and then called Taohua over.

She looked at Taohua and told her solemnly, "Taohua, from now on, selling medicinal herbs will be left to you. This is not an easy job, so you have to pay attention to it."

Xiuying's tone was serious and earnest, and her eyes were filled with expectation and trust.

I thought to myself: Taohua's biggest hobby is cooking. Her enthusiasm and concentration are rare.

Although he supported her and would definitely open a restaurant for her if he had the chance in the future so that she could fully display her talents, she also had to do a good job of selling medicinal herbs.

She has to understand all these processes and links thoroughly. This is not only for the family business, but also a kind of training and cultivation for her.

Only by going through these can she truly grow up, and if she really opens a restaurant in the future, she will be able to handle various affairs.

Taohua nodded slightly and listened carefully to Xiuying's instructions.

Xiuying continued, "You are responsible for the entire process, from the servants digging the herbs, to slicing them, and then drying them. Every step must be done correctly."

Xiuying explained to Taohua in detail the importance of each link.

"When digging herbs, we have to remind them to be careful and meticulous so as not to damage the roots, which would affect the efficacy. The slices must be cut evenly and of moderate thickness. The drying temperature is even more critical. If we are not careful, the whole batch of herbs will be ruined."

Xiuying's expression was serious, and her eyes were fixed on Taohua. "This concerns our family's business, do you understand?"