Farmhouse life after traveling back to ancient times

As the saying goes, money can move the heart. The Zhu family has always had few descendants, and for several generations, there are only two sons in this generation.

There is another one who is serving as an official abroad and has not returned for a long time.

If I become the eldest lady of the Zhu family, I can enjoy a good life and occasionally take care of my parents' family.

Maybe with this care, the conditions at my mother's home would improve, right?

It's not a daydream. Before Grandma Zhu got married, her family in Daliu Village was notoriously poor.

While others can eat meat during the Chinese New Year, they can only smell the aroma of meat wafting from other people's homes.

Since Grandma Zhu got married, the betrothal gift she kept was enough to support the family in good living for several years.

Not to mention that after being a daughter-in-law for many years, Grandma Zhu finally became the head of the household and her brothers and sisters from her natal family would come to ask for money from time to time.

In their words: even if a little bit slipped through the cracks in the Zhu family's fingers, it would be enough for them to eat and drink.

So when Young Master Zhu reached the age of marriage, Grandma Zhu's sister forced Grandma Zhu to marry her daughter, not caring that her daughter was three or four years younger than Young Master Zhu.

After getting married, they were forced to have children, and Mrs. Zhu was still a child.

When the eldest wife of the Zhu family was pregnant, her body had not yet grown and her pregnancy was unstable. The doctor examined her and said that she had to preserve the fetus.

This word was spread by Grandma Zhu who was gossiping with her sister-in-law. She originally thought that they were all family and even if they were broken bones, they were still connected, so she didn't need to be on guard against gossip on a daily basis.

But I didn't know that just this little talk would be remembered by others. After I returned home, my aunt sent Liu Xuer over, saying that she was accompanying her cousin who was about to give birth.

Grandma Zhu was already a family, and she was used to being sucked dry by her natal family, so she couldn't say anything to refuse, so she let her stay.

Mrs. Zhu has been bullied by this cousin since she was a child. What can she say to her? She just gives her the cold shoulder every day.

Liu Xu'er was very flexible and joked and served her cousin every day. After a long time, she finally gained some smiles from her cousin.

That day, my uncle came over and said that he had made some money and was very happy. He wanted to have fun with his brother-in-law, and he also asked Young Master Zhu to join them.

All three people at the table were drunk. When Master Zhu woke up, he found his cousin Liu Xuer lying next to him with her clothes taken off.

Liu Xuer cried and said that she was dragged here by her cousin, but she did not mention how she ended up in her cousin's study.

The Zhu family was furious. The aunt came and insisted that Young Master Zhu marry Liu Xuer as his concubine, otherwise she would make life difficult for his family.

In shock and anger, Mrs. Zhu went forward to stop her aunt who was rolling on the ground and making a scene. In the chaos, she was pushed to the ground by someone and hit her stomach.

By the time the doctor came, the patient was already useless.

One corpse, two lives. How tragic.

It's hateful that my aunt made a fuss in my house, saying that Young Master Zhu had tarnished the innocence of my cousin. She must give an explanation.

Young Master Zhu was heartbroken and refused to marry Liu Xuer.

For the sake of the Zhu family's wealth, my aunt even said she would be willing to be his concubine.

Thinking about the past, Master Zhu became more silent.

Grandma Zhu knew that she was not popular in front of her eldest son, but she always felt that there was nothing she could do about it.

On one side is your parents' home, and on the other side is your husband's home. Both sides of your hands are made of flesh and blood.

I made this decision out of helplessness.

It just makes my son suffer.

Thinking about it, she took out her handkerchief to wipe her tears. Master Zhu was displeased when he saw this and said, "If you don't want to eat, go down and rest first."

Grandma Zhu shouted, "I haven't eaten yet, why are you sending me to rest? Are you attracted to someone's concubine and don't like me?"

Seeing her like this again, the father and son fell silent.

My mother's personality is exactly the same as the people in the Liu family. She is good at making trouble and being unreasonable.

Thinking of the charming figure he saw in the daytime, Master Zhu couldn't help but be stunned, and his heart was somewhat moved.

After thinking for a while, he sighed and shook his head.

Well, why should I drag that woman into the quagmire of my own dirty business?

------

Du Wenxiu welcomed Yue Niang again and couldn't help but joked: "You are going to come to my place several times a day, why not give up Qiu Yong and stay at my house."

Yue Niang has always been lively and not afraid of her jokes, but this is not the time to joke.

"Those spices you mentioned were seen among the people Qiu Yong brought with him."

Du Wenxiu suddenly became excited: "Where are they? What are they? Take me to have a look."

"There's a new spice shop in Sanqing County. The owner is a businessman from the Western Regions. Because his concubine's family lives in Sanqing County and is quite favored, he opened a new shop there."

"I plan to bring my concubine back to stay for a few days every year, so she'll have a place to stay."

"It was a while ago that the earth turned upside down. The shop was hit by a disaster right after it opened. I didn't have enough money with me. I felt unlucky, so I planned to sell the goods for money and return to the Western Regions."

"I just happened to meet our delivery guy. He saw the seeds you mentioned, so he bought some and brought them back for you to see."

Du Wenxiu was quite impatient: "Did you bring it with you?"

Yue Niang smiled and said, "Of course I brought it. It's outside. Go and have a look."

Du Wenxiu hurriedly took Yue Niang and walked out. When they reached the yard, they saw a shoulder pole and two bamboo baskets in the yard, with two pieces of floral cloth covering the baskets.

When you open it, a rich and exotic fragrance hits your nose, which is exactly the spices commonly used in modern times.

Star anise, fennel, bay leaves...

Du Wenxiu was overjoyed, looking at Yue Niang with sparkling eyes and said:

"With this, we will have an exclusive recipe for pickles, which will be the capital for our livelihood in the future."

Yue Niang hesitated and said, "But these are usually used as medicinal materials or for making incense. People say that it's okay to put a little in soup, but I've never heard of using it to make pickles."

"Yes, that's it, just believe me." Du Wenxiu smiled and looked up at Yue Niang.

"Of course I believe you." Yue Niang didn't hesitate and responded readily.

If it weren't for the fact that Qiao'er was hurt by the rumors, Du Wenxiu would have set up his own workshop in the village, and it would definitely be better than what he did.

Even if there are any difficulties in the workshop now, she is often asked to give advice, and she is just doing the hard work.

Du Wenxiu took some star anise bay leaves and went to the kitchen to find some peppercorns, then told Yue Niang how to make the brine.

"Is there chili pepper in the spice merchant's shop?" Du Wenxiu asked, remembering it.

Yue Niang heard a new term, thought about it for a moment, and shook her head: "Chili? I've never heard of it. What does it look like?"

"It's thin, long, and tastes spicy. It's green when it's just ripe, and red when it's ripe." Du Wenxiu described it carefully to Yue Niang.

Yue Niang thought about it for a while, but still shook her head and said she didn't know.

Maybe chili pepper had not been introduced at that time. It’s a pity that I didn’t pay attention to these things at that time, and I don’t know when and where chili pepper was introduced from.

However, without chili peppers, the pickles would lose a lot of flavor.

What should we use instead?