Beautiful Peasant Girl: The Young Marquis's Beloved

"Huh, after we collect and dry them tomorrow, it will be almost enough!" Liu Xu let out a deep breath.

These days, she had been worried that the quantity requested by Mu Lingxuan was not enough, and she was always nervous. Fortunately, everyone built a firewall later, and the output increased a lot, and they finally caught up.

Next, she can focus on the affairs of the new store.

Chang Yifei has already sent a letter saying that the staff has been fully staffed and is waiting for her to go for training. After the military camp takes the goods away, she will have to go to the county town.

"Mom, I'm going to stay in the county town for a few days in a few days. You and my brothers should try to go out as little as possible. If you really want to go out, remember to bring two more people with you." It has been very quiet over at the eldest house. She has a feeling that they must be planning something big. The most important things to her now are her mother and two younger brothers. She is worried that they will start with the three of them.

"Don't worry, I won't go out. Look, isn't mom always at home?" Xu Ruolan touched her daughter's head and comforted her. She was a weak woman, and now she had two children to take care of. She couldn't help her daughter, but she asked her not to hold her back.

"You should bring He Lei and He Feng with you. They can protect you and also have someone to run errands for you if anything happens." Seeing that Liu Xu wanted to refuse, she patted her hands.

"There are other people at home. I promised you that you won't go out, but you are still so young. I will feel more at ease with them around when you go out. As for Qiao Yun, she is too young. I will let Huan Xi accompany you this time."

Liu Xu was worried about her, but she was also worried about her daughter. If the eldest wife had any conspiracy, her daughter Xu would be the first to bear the brunt. If something really happened, Qiao Yun would be unable to help.

"Okay, Xu'er, listen to your mother." Liu Xu leaned on Xu Ruolan's arm and responded obediently.

The sky gradually darkened. On the official road 500 miles away from Yuyang County, a well-trained convoy was on its way.

The leading young man rode a pure black horse, with an upright posture and a stern look. The horse's hooves flew, splashing dust all over the road. The team behind him was in an orderly manner, with firm and powerful steps.

"Major General, our brothers have been traveling for a long time. Should we stop and rest for a while?" Xuan Yi rode forward and asked.

Mu Lingxuan narrowed his eyes slightly, glanced at the slightly tired team behind him, pondered for a moment, and said: "Walk another ten miles and find a place sheltered from the wind to rest."

Everyone received the order and continued to move forward.

Although this convoy was camouflaged, the carriages looked ordinary and the people were wearing ordinary clothes, but their neat steps, upright postures and the solemn aura that they inadvertently revealed made it clear to anyone with a discerning eye that this was a team of disciplined soldiers.

The sound of horse hooves echoed on the empty official road, raising clouds of dust.

The purpose of their trip was to go to Liujia Village and transport back the mushrooms that the major general mentioned.

The northern border was extremely cold and harsh, and the living conditions were terrible. This year, the situation was already high, and the court was unable to handle the affairs. The princes were fighting each other and were busy fighting among themselves, so they had no time to care about the soldiers guarding the border. The military supplies were insufficient, and the soldiers had a very difficult life.

A few months ago, the general was seriously injured because of a traitor's collusion with Beihan. The major general was furious and found the traitor and personally led the troops to drive Beihan out of the border.

But the Tartars of Beihan have always been unwilling to give up their evil intentions, and they have deployed troops outside Lingyun Pass, harassing us from time to time. We have to be vigilant against the enemy's invasion, and we are also facing the dilemma of lack of internal military supplies. It can be said that we are facing internal and external troubles.

Food was scarce, and vegetables were even rarer. The only food they could eat every day was the hard-to-swallow steamed buns made of mixed grains. Even Mu Lingxuan's father, a general, could only eat a little pickled vegetables and steamed buns to fill his stomach.

These mixed-grain steamed buns were bought with money from his own pocket by General Mu Jingfeng, who could not bear to see his soldiers guarding the border with empty stomachs.

In the cold winter, the biting north wind cuts on the faces like a knife, but the soldiers can only stick to their posts wearing thin and worn cotton clothes.

This mushroom was also encountered by the major general when he was looking for medicine for his father last time. It is said that it is not only delicious but also nutritious. At the very least, it can be used to add a dish to everyone and improve the food.

The mushrooms carried the young general's care for the soldiers, and also became a rare ray of warmth and hope in this icy and snowy land. Therefore, even though the journey was a bit tiring, the soldiers had no complaints.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

The next afternoon, Liu Xu looked at the backyard warehouse full of mushrooms and thought: After all the hassle, I finally got them all.

The next batch will arrive in a full month, so there’s no need to rush.

Thinking that they would send someone to pick it up tomorrow, he asked Zhou Qiang and the others to keep an eye on this place and went to the front yard.

Liu Changshun and his friends had just delivered some mushrooms and were chatting in the front yard. When they saw Liu Xu coming out from the back yard, they smiled and asked, "Is that enough?"

"Yeah, that's enough. Fortunately, the production of the villagers has increased later, otherwise it would probably only be around 1,700 or 1,800."

Liu Xu replied with a smile.

"That's fine. However, now that everyone's production has increased, will they still be able to eat all the mushrooms?" Liu Changshun was a little worried.

"Don't worry, Third Uncle, I'm sure we'll have enough to eat. Don't forget, we'll still have Zhenxiu Pavilion next month." Liu Xu said.

Liu Changshun just remembered, and then thought of the stone mill Liu Xu had asked him to order. "Oh, Xu girl, the stone mill you asked me to order was delivered yesterday. When will we start making the one you mentioned?"

"Well, let's send them away tomorrow and then we'll take action!" Liu Xu thought for a while and said.

"By the way, Third Uncle, remember to have someone clean the millstone tomorrow, and then soak the soybeans after breakfast. I'm not sure if they're edible for the first time, so soak about ten pounds first."

"Okay! Do you need to prepare anything else?"

"Well, do you have gauze at home? If you do, ask someone to make a movable cross, which will be used to filter the bean dregs. There are also wooden grids for shaping, um... forget it, I'll draw it for you, and you can take it to my eldest uncle to make ten or so." Liu Xu said and asked Qiao Yun to get paper and pen, and drew it on the spot.

Chen Lan and Xu Ruolan couldn't understand what was happening at the side, so they went to tease the two little ones.

Liu Changshun was about to say goodbye when he finished talking. At this time, Uncle He came running in and said, "Madam, Miss, someone sent a letter and asked Miss to open it personally."

Several people were a little confused. Liu Xu raised his hand to take it, took out the letter, and when he saw the contents of the letter, his face darkened.

Seeing this, Xu Ruolan hurriedly asked, "What's wrong, Xu'er?"

Liu Xu handed her the letter and asked, "Uncle He, where is the person who delivered the letter?"

Uncle He: "Miss, the man left after delivering the letter. He seems to be a villager from the neighboring village. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Who went to the old house this morning? Send someone over to ask me something!" Liu Xu said with a frown, and Uncle He agreed and went to call someone.

"Xu'er, could it be them, but..." Xu Ruolan asked with some concern. Liu Changshun and his wife also read the letter with solemn expressions on their faces.

"It's better not to be them, otherwise I will never let them go this time!" Liu Xu said fiercely, the anger in his eyes almost erupting.

"Madam, Miss, Third Master, Third Madam." Zheng Li walked in quickly and bowed.

"Uncle Zheng, please get up first. Let me ask you, when you went to the old house in the morning, did the old man and the others say anything, such as where they were going?" Liu Xu asked.

Zheng Li thought for a moment and replied, "The two elders just asked if the young lady and the young master were up, just like usual, and didn't say anything else!"

Liu Xu frowned, this was strange.

"Oh, Miss, before leaving, I heard the old lady ask the old master, "Don't you want to tell that girl?" The old master seemed to say no, and came back after dinner. Miss, what happened?"

Liu Xu frowned even more. The person who could make the old couple go there voluntarily and without any precautions must be his good uncle or cousin. The letter said that she should take the mushroom cultivation recipe and go to Chenghuang Temple alone to change people. Apart from that family, she couldn't think of anyone else. I just don't know if her good grandmother was involved!

Moreover, as far as she knew, the City God Temple was a gathering place for beggars. If it was really done by the eldest wife, it showed how cruel this family was.

You know, the old couple loved them since they were young, and all the delicious and useful things in the house were given to them.

Xu Ruolan and the other two naturally thought of it as well.

"They... How could they be so cruel!" Xu Ruolan's face was filled with rage. She then looked at Liu Xu anxiously, "Xu'er, what should we do now? Will your grandpa and grandma be okay?"

"Mom, don't worry. If it were them, I believe they wouldn't do anything to Grandpa and the others. At most they would just be frightened." Liu Xu comforted her.

She was actually a little worried. Liu Dongcheng and his son might not do anything to the old couple, but it was hard to say about the Hu family behind them.

"Xu girl, do you really want to exchange it for the method of growing mushrooms?" Chen Lan asked anxiously, and Liu Changshun frowned.

Now they all make money from that recipe. If they give it away, not only will they suffer a great loss, but most importantly, they will lose trust with Zuiyunxuan.

"Change it, of course. They are my dear grandpa and grandma!" Liu Xu said affirmatively.

"But..." Chen Lan was a little anxious. Xu Ruolan also looked at her daughter with concern. Only Liu Changshun relaxed his brows.

"What's wrong with giving them the method of growing mushrooms? However, no one has told them that I should also give them the method of cultivating mycelium!" Liu Xu smiled slyly.

At the beginning, all she taught the villagers was how to make the mushroom bed and mix the base material, but the mycelium cultivation was in their own hands.

Liu Changshun looked as if he knew it was true. However, Xu Ruolan and the others were stunned and it took them a while to react.

"Then let's change, go early and come back early, so that the two elders won't be overly frightened, which is bad for their health!" Xu Ruolan understood and was no longer in a hurry, and said softly.

"You can change, but girl Xu, it might not be safe for you to go alone. There are all kinds of people in the City God Temple." Liu Changshun said worriedly.

"Yes, you are just a little girl, it's not appropriate. Why don't you let your third uncle go?" Chen Lan also said.

"No need. Uncle San and Aunt San, since they asked me to go alone, if my uncle went instead, who knows what he would do to my grandfather and the others. So I'll go alone." Liu Xu shook her head and rejected their kindness.

"Xu'er, let He Feng and He Lei follow you. It's okay if they don't show up. Mother will be worried if you go alone." Xu Ruolan said worriedly.

Liu Xu thought about it and nodded in agreement. In fact, she still had doubts in her heart. Aren't Liu Dongcheng and his family afraid that they would report to the police? And even if they didn't do it themselves, the person disappeared when they went to their place. People in the world are not fools. However, it is not ruled out that this family is crazy about money and missed this point.

"The sooner the better. Mom, you guys just wait at home. Uncle He will go call Brother He Feng and the others. I'll write down the recipe. We'll leave right away and still be back for dinner. Mom, ask Granny Fang to prepare a soup pot in the evening." After Liu Xu made the arrangements, she said with a relaxed look on her face.

An incense stick later, Liu Ming drove the carriage and took the three people away from Liujia Village, amid the slightly worried looks of Xu Ruolan and others. He Feng and He Lei did not show up in the carriage.

At this time, Liu Xu did not expect that Chang Yifei had been sending people to keep an eye on Bazhenlou and the Hu family. If they took action, how could his people not know about it.