Beautiful Peasant Girl: The Young Marquis's Beloved

The next day, just after daybreak, Liuxu went to Xing'er's house carrying a basket on her back.

Liu Changshun was going to the town to deliver the last batch of mushrooms today. There was no other way, as the mushrooms on the mountain were not growing much anymore, so they had nothing to deliver even if they wanted to.

Liu Changshun drove the carriage, loaded with willow catkins and mushrooms, and swayed towards the town.

It was still early, and there were not many people on the road. Liu Changshun hesitated for a long time, and finally asked:

"Xu girl, Uncle San has noticed that you have been working on growing mushrooms recently. Have you made any progress?"

They have to care about it. Since they started this mushroom business, they have saved nearly 100 taels of silver in the past few months. This was something they could never have imagined before. If they can really grow mushrooms, they will have a stable income and can send Shuisheng to school next year.

As for why I didn't send him money this year? Studying is a very expensive thing. I sent him money, but after two years, I didn't have the money to continue to support him. He would drop out of school and go home. How miserable would Shuisheng be! It would be better not to mention it in the first place.

So even though the couple was planning it, they didn't dare let their two children know.

"Oh, Uncle San, look at me. I was too excited yesterday, and was delayed by other things, so I forgot to come and tell you. Hehe, the mycelium has grown out, and we have succeeded, hahahaha!" Although she was excited for most of the day yesterday, it did not stop her from showing off today, Liu Xu said excitedly.

"Oh..." Upon hearing this, Liu Changshun suddenly stopped the ox cart and turned to look at Liu Xu with excitement.

"Xu girl, you...are you telling the truth?"

"Of course it's true, Uncle San, we can grow mushrooms at home in the future, and we don't have to run around the mountains anymore!"

Liu Xu's eyebrows were curved when she smiled, and the smugness on her face was too obvious!

"That's great, that's great, hahahaha, you girl are such a lucky star!" Liu Changshun was so excited that he wanted to go forward and hug Liu Xu and spin around, but considering that she was a girl, he held back. Then he turned around and drove the carriage while laughing out loud.

The father and son were happy all the way until they arrived at the entrance of Zuiyunxuan, and then Liu Changshun slowly calmed down.

Liu Changshun went to the kitchen naturally, and Liu Xu was led by the waiter to the private room on the third floor.

Seeing this, Liu Xu raised her eyebrows. If nothing unexpected happened, the person in the box was most likely Chang Yifei.

The waiter knocked on the door to ask for permission, and the word "come in" coming from inside was obviously the voice of the breeze.

When he pushed the door open, he saw Chang Yifei sitting at the table, slowly brewing tea. He raised his eyes and signaled Qingfeng, who then led his waiter out the door.

"Miss Liu, please take a seat!" Liu Xu raised her eyebrows and sat down opposite him generously.

"Try it, these are the new buds this year."

Liu Xu took it, tilted his head back and drank it all: "It tastes good, another glass."

Upon hearing this, Chang Yifei's hands trembled and he almost dropped the teacup in his hand.

"you really……"

"It's really like a cow chewing a peony, right?" Liu Xu raised his eyebrows.

"Third Master, I am just a peasant girl. Are you sure you are not embarrassing me by asking me to taste the tea?"

"Hehe, it was someone's mistake. Hehe, please don't blame me, Miss Liu!" Chang Yifei apologized repeatedly and raised his hand to pour another cup for Liu Xu, but he was complaining in his heart: Farmer girl, is what you did like a farm girl?

The catkins drank up again.

"Third Master, let's not dwell on those empty words and just get started. It's the busy farming season and my daughter still has to go home to work after we finish calculating!"

Chang Yifei's mouth twitched, but he still agreed and asked Qingfeng to bring the account book.

Looking at Qingfeng holding the pile of account books, Liu Xu blinked her almond-shaped eyes: Oh my god, does Zuiyunxuan have so many stores? They must be making a fortune, hahaha!

Liu Xu rubbed his hands excitedly.

"Miss Liu, please!" Looking at her money-obsessed look, Chang Yifei couldn't help but twitch his lips. It's really...

Upon hearing this, Liu Xu did not hesitate to take the account book and asked Qingfeng for paper and pen. Then he lowered his head and started to calculate.

Chang Yifei saw her scribble on the paper, raised his eyebrows, and continued to make tea with his head down.

After a long while, Liu Xu put down the last account book and the pen in his hand, rubbed his stiff neck, and grinned:

"Third Master, in the past three months, the five dishes sold at Zuiyunxuan for a total of 25,347 taels. Excluding the cost, the profit was 15,218 taels. Based on the three percent profit, Liuxu got 4,565 taels and 4 cents. Is that correct?"

Chang Yifei was stunned, she thought she was just taking a look, but she didn't expect that she had read all the account books of Zuiyunxuan's 18 stores in such a short time, and she was still finished... What kind of genius is this?

"Yes, exactly! Miss Liu? No, I am only twelve years older than you. I will call you Sister Xuer, and you can call Yifei Brother. How about that?" Chang Yifei looked at Liu Xu with warm eyes.

"Ah? This is not good!" Liu Xu was also shocked. I've just settled the score, what the hell is that look in your eyes?

"What's wrong? It's settled! Sister Xu'er, can you tell me how you figured it out so quickly? I saw you were looking at it while drawing lines and other things on the paper. Do you have any tricks?"

If he had this trick, wouldn't it be faster and more convenient to check accounts in the future?

"Ah, that Yifei... forget it, I'll just call you Third Brother Chang." Damn, I call you Brother Yifei. People who don't know would think there is some kind of relationship between us!

"Brother Chang San, it's actually nothing. This um, this symbol is a counting method I came up with on my own. After all, writing is too cumbersome, and it's more convenient to use this instead. Then I draw frames to record the daily expenditure and income of each store, and then I can just add and subtract according to the expenditure and income..." Liu Xu took the draft paper and explained it briefly to Chang Yifei.

"What about this pile? What are these writings and drawings about?" Chang Yifei asked, pointing at the pile of draft formulas written by Liu Xu.

"Um, this, this is what my mother taught me. It's the math trick of my maternal grandfather. It's actually similar to the abacus you use..." Liu Xu thought to himself: What a joke, can I just tell you the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division that I learned during nine years of compulsory education?

"Oh, I see! Then, sister Xu'er, can you teach me the rules and regulations for your income and expenditure? I think it seems to be more simple and convenient than keeping an account book! This way, it will be convenient for you when we settle accounts in the future, right?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Yifei retreated and sought the next best option.

"Well?" Liu Xu paused, and seeing that he looked anxious, she slowly said:

"Okay, just consider it as Xuer's way of thanking Third Brother Chang for helping me make money!" Liu Xu said shamelessly.

However, Chang Yifei felt that Liu Xu treated him as her own. After all, it was such a time-saving and labor-saving method, and she didn't even ask for tuition.

So, for the next half hour, Liu Xu was teaching Chang Yifei how to make an income and expenditure statement...

By the time Liu Xu and Liu Changshun walked out of Zuiyunxuan with more than 4,500 silver notes and small change, as well as the food boxes that Chang Yifei had asked Manager Chang to prepare, it was already the hour of Si (around ten o'clock in the morning).

Liu Xu told Liu Changshun that she wanted to buy some things. Liu Changshun left the ox cart at Zuiyunxuan first, and then took her to various places in the town to buy things.

Another half hour passed, and Liu Xu returned to Zuiyunxuan holding two pieces of cotton cloth and a bag of rags; Liu Changshun returned to Zuiyunxuan carrying twenty kilograms of fine noodles, twenty kilograms of fine rice, some oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and five kilograms of pork, and holding a cage of chickens in his hand.

After saying goodbye to the servant again, the two drove the ox cart back to Liujia Village.

At this time, everyone had gone home for lunch, so they didn't meet anyone when they entered the village.

Liu Changshun sent Liu Xu and the things she bought back to the old house. Liu Xu made an appointment with him to come over in the afternoon to discuss mushroom cultivation, and then they went home.

In the afternoon, Xing'er and her family came to Liuxu's house without even taking a nap.

The two little ones have fallen asleep soundly, and Xu Ruolan is accompanying them in the room.

Liu Xu took them directly to her experimental base (the utility room). When Liu Xu told them that the golden wool was mycelium, and that there were many more mycelium than yesterday, the whole family was delighted.

"Xu'er, does that mean we can pick mushrooms at home in the future, and don't have to run all over the mountain anymore?" Xing'er asked excitedly, pulling Liu Xu. Others' eyes were also full of hope!

Liu Xu nodded affirmatively:

"Yes, in a few days, these mycelium will grow into mushrooms. We just need to pay attention to watering and keeping warm, and we can pick the mushrooms directly when they grow up. And as long as we pay attention, they will continue to grow after we pick them."

"Wow, then we can make money at home in the future! Hahaha" Shuisheng laughed.

"Xu girl, I remember you said before that this mushroom can grow in winter, right?" So, the old ones are still the wisest. Look at her uncle, he goes straight to the point.

"This is the principle. However, Uncle San, mushrooms only grow in summer, and they are most abundant after the rain or in the morning. This means that the temperature and humidity cannot be low. So we have to find a way to keep the place where the mushroom bags are placed moist, and the temperature should be similar to that in summer." Liu Xu looked at Liu Changshun seriously.

Although he was not sure about the temperature and humidity she mentioned, he understood the general meaning.

"This is easy. We just need to water the plants more. Then when the weather gets cold, we can light a fire in the house, just like we warm ourselves by a fire." Chen Lan thought for a moment after hearing this.

"Well, Third Aunt, you can't water it randomly. Just water it once in the morning and evening and make sure it's thoroughly irrigated. As for raising the temperature? My mother said that in the north there is a kind of fire wall and kang connected to the stove. As long as it is lit, the temperature of the whole house can be the same as in summer. I'll ask my mother later, and then we'll build one in the mushroom house."

Liu Xu started to let her mother take the blame again by telling lies with her eyes open.

"Wow, auntie is so amazing, she knows so much!" Xing'er said with starry eyes.

"Well, my mother said that my maternal family is in business, so she knows something."

"Yeah, you know what, when Ruolan first came here, she really didn't look like a farm girl." Chen Lan agreed.

Seeing that Liu Xu looked a little embarrassed, Liu Changshun changed the subject.

"Then, little Xu, Uncle San will go back and clear out a room and divide it up like you did! As for the mushroom bed, I'll leave it to you brothers and sisters."

"Okay, Third Uncle, go ahead and do your work! The three of us will do it. When Xing'er and the others have learned how to do it, you can let them teach you then."

Liu Changshun asked some more questions about building the scaffolding and then went back with Chen Lan.

Xing'er and Shuisheng stayed behind, they still had to find materials for the mushroom bed. I don't know if the great uncle has much sawdust these days; they also have to go to the mountain to dig soil... There are so many things to do.

It was already September, and although the sun was already hot, it was not as scorching as it had been in the previous two months. According to the original owner's memory, wheat planting would begin soon. Therefore, they had to hurry up and try to prepare Xing'er's mushroom bed before the busy farming season.