Farming and reading family

He immediately took another secret look at Gao E. Seeing that she was quite old and not very pretty, he wondered how she got connected with Lord He.

"Please come in, Madam Chen." Chang Zhinan made a gesture of invitation.

Gao E turned her head to look at the carriage: "Wait here for a moment."

Luo Dagang nodded, and Yang didn't show up at all. He thought, did his second brother's wife go to the county government like this?

Chang Zhinan took Gao E directly to the residence of Lord He in the back court: "Sir, Madam Chen requests to see you."

He Tangchun was writing a letter. When he heard Chang Zhinan's report, he immediately put the letter down and stood up: "Please."

Chang Zhinan made a gesture to invite him in and stood at the door without going in.

"County Lieutenant Chang, come in with us. If anything happens later, County Lieutenant Chang may need to step in." Gao E apologized.

Chang Zhinan looked at his master, and only after He Tangchun nodded did he go in with Gao E.

"Mrs. Chen never comes to visit you unless there is something important. What's the matter today?" Chang Zhinan asked with a smile.

He finally realized that this Mrs. Chen was a shrewd person. The prescription that was said to be Chen Ke's was probably hers.

"I asked Lord He to look after the two elders at home before, and now... there is a little trouble." Gao E felt a little embarrassed.

"Oh?" He Tangchun didn't take it seriously. "Do you need me to intervene?"

"Lord He is needed, but you don't show up." Gao E said seriously.

This surprised He Tangchun. Why was he not allowed to show up when there was trouble? What kind of request was this?

"Then...what exactly happened?" He Tangchun was curious.

"It's not a big deal. We asked Lord He to take care of the two elders at home because there was an epidemic in the city. We were all worried about their safety. Now that the epidemic is over, they can live their own lives." Gao E explained vaguely.

He Tangchun understood that Gao E didn't want him to interfere in the Chen family's affairs: "Of course."

"Oh, by the way, I want to buy the slopes and woodland edges in the areas of Baotou Village, Bashang Village, and Bawei Village. I wonder if they are still available?" Gao E wanted to do this while she was at it.

"Someone come here." He Tangchun called out.

A servant came in from outside and saluted.

"Go and invite the accounting clerk over and ask him to bring the map and land deeds files of the area around Baotou Village." He Tangchun ordered.

"Yes." The servant bowed and retreated.

He Tangchun looked at Gao E and said, "The land price today is not what it was before."

"Then I'll see if I can afford it." Gao E joked.

The clerk had not arrived yet, but the yamen runners outside came over.

"Sir, there are two women fighting outside and they are now in court." The bailiff was overwhelmed. "One of them is Old Madam Chen, and she needs your help."

He Tangchun looked at Gao E. It turned out that she came for this matter. "What do you think, Madam Chen?"

"When women in the market quarrel, each of them always thinks they are right. I'd like to trouble County Lieutenant Chang to go there and either arrest them all or release them all. You must give an explanation." Gao E said with a smile.

Chang Zhinan looked at his master.

"Go as Mrs. Chen said." He Tangchun was unwilling to ask.

Chang Zhinan stood up, bowed and left.

He Tangchun wanted to laugh: "Usually, people tend to side with their own family members in such matters, but Madam Chen is special."

"There's a saying that spoiling a child is like killing him, and conversely, foolish filial piety is harming one's parents." Gao E didn't care.

He Tangchun thought that this would not be difficult for him at all.

Soon the clerk arrived, showing the map and the land that could be sold. Gao E chose a piece of mountain land in Bawei Village, and the rest was the sloping land in Baotou Village. People had to be sent to measure these lands before the prices could be determined.

"How long will it take to complete the measurement?" He Tangchun asked directly.

"Three days." The clerk said directly.

"Okay, measure as soon as possible and set up boundary markers." He Tangchun instructed.

The clerk should bow and withdraw.

Gao E briefly calculated the time and said, "Then four days later, my lord, please host a banquet for my husband, and I will pay the money and transfer the land deed."

"Do you want your husband to know?" He Tangchun looked as if he saw through Gao E.

"It's okay." Gao E didn't care.

Anyway, Chen Ke will know all these things about her sooner or later, so there is no need to hide them.

After saying this, Chang Zhinan came back.

Jiang didn't throw a tantrum, but just kept trying to please and get close to him. As she was old, Chang Zhinan couldn't scold her. In the end, he couldn't do anything about it and had the yamen runners drive her out with sticks.

Jiang left in disgrace, not caring about Jiang's scolding and mocking behind her.

"I'm leaving." Gao E didn't ask Chang Zhinan how things were going.

"Don't you want to know the outcome of what happened before?" He Tangchun saw Gao E leave decisively.

"County Magistrate Chang has returned, which means the matter has been resolved. As long as it is resolved, it is the result." Gao E said with a smile.

He Tangchun looked at Chang Zhinan.

Chang Zhinan bowed and said, "I have already driven out the two troublesome women."

He Tangchun looked at Gao E, and Gao E just bowed and really didn't care about this matter.

He Tangchun was a little embarrassed. "Mrs. Chen's chili sauce is really delicious. Could you give me some more?"

That can of He Tangchun can be eaten directly, it’s almost empty.

"I'm really sorry, we've run out of peppers. If Lord He wants to eat more, he'll have to wait until this year's peppers are harvested." How could Gao E not realize that He Tangchun was also a foodie.

"Chili pepper?" He Tangchun frowned. "Why haven't I heard of this thing?"

"There is a gardener in Qinzhou City who sells flowers and trees and named them Honghonghuohuo." Gao E explained.

He Tangchun suddenly realized, "I didn't realize that thing was edible? I only heard people say it was only for viewing, but it stung my mouth and tongue and made me cry."

"Fry it in oil, mash it, add peanuts, sesame seeds and salt to make spicy food for adults." Gao E directly explained the method.

"I see." He Tangchun nodded. "It's just that it's expensive, and it cost Madam Chen a lot of money."

"The pepper yield is acceptable, it's just new." Gao E said it is not expensive.

After Gao E left, He Tangchun suddenly smiled.

"Sir..." Chang Zhinan was a little confused.

"She is just a village woman, but she is more dignified and knowledgeable than some wives of wealthy families." He Tangchun admitted that he had underestimated Gao E before.

Chang Zhinan didn't quite understand: "She doesn't care about her mother-in-law, and that's called magnanimity?"

"Every family has its own problems." He Tangchun looked at Chang Zhinan. "You'll understand when you get married."

Chang Zhinan stopped talking.

Yang was waiting outside anxiously, wondering why Gao E had taken so long to go in.

Luo Dagang didn't care. He was just a coachman now, so there was no need to ask so many questions.

Seeing Gao E coming out, Yang hurriedly lifted the curtain to greet her.

"Why does it take so long?" Yang was worried.

"There's something else." Gao E didn't mention the land purchase. "Let's go buy some cloth."

Jiang lost so much face in the county government office today that she will definitely go back to make a fuss. What if she makes a fuss back to Baotou Village and they happen to meet her on the road?

Jiang was indeed making a fuss at home and scolded Jiang, saying that the Li family was short-sighted and that they had a good family background but yet they didn't let their son study for the imperial examination.