The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

Dahua sighed aside, and Lu Linlang caught her little movement.

"Dahua, what's wrong? Is your business not going well? Why haven't I seen you talk to me today?" She had heard that Dahua had started to sell books in the county town, but it seemed that no books were sold, and the child was getting anxious and angry.

"Sister, I'm fine, just a little anxious. I'll think of a solution." Dahua shook her head. She wanted to do business independently and not let her sister worry about her.

"Then you should also make sure to rest. Business can't be rushed. As long as you find a way, you can get started."

"Yes, sister, if you need anything, we can all help you. I can also help you sell books." Erhua held her hand.

"Thank you everyone. Don't worry, I won't give up. My friends who copied books all said they would work with me to find a solution." Dahua forced a smile.

"Okay, don't handle anything by yourself, remember to tell us." Yun Yi also comforted him.

After dinner, Dahua went back to her former home. There were many copied books about the county examination placed in the house. However, in the past few days, she took the books to the county town to set up a stall. There were people asking about it, but when they heard that it was about the imperial examination, the onlookers dispersed.

She also took the books to the academy to sell, but the students there said that their teacher had prepared books for the county exam, and how could the books she, a girl, sold be as good as those given by the teacher.

"If only I were a man, they would believe that my books could be helpful. After all, Master Yun has praised them." Dahua thought.

"Dahua, Dahua, are you there? I'm here to see you." Xiaolan's knocking sound was heard outside.

Dahua opened the door and saw that besides Dahua, there were several girls of her age. They were all responsible for copying books. When they heard that Dahua had not sold any, they all came to help find a solution.

"I see those vendors are shouting to attract customers. Why don't we go to the academy gate and shout? If the scholars look through the contents and know the prices, they will definitely be willing to buy."

"I heard that scholars like to show off their knowledge. Why don't we hold a reading club in the village? If anyone is willing to come, we can give them some paper or brushes produced in the workshop. If you go to buy them, you can get them at the lowest price. This way, we can attract more people."

"This will cost a lot of money, right? Do you have enough money?" The others asked worriedly when they heard Xiaolan's proposal.

"It doesn't cost much. Every family has tables and chairs anyway, so we can just borrow them. It's summer now, so we can make some cool drinks, and everyone who comes can have them for free. We don't have to pay for tables and chairs either, so we can save a lot of money by doing it ourselves."

"But what's so attractive about the reading club? It's also very far from the county town."

"I see there are a lot of flowers on the back hill. We can ask the children in the village to pick them and put them on the fence. That way, we can have beautiful scenery, books to read, and food to eat. I think people will be willing to come. As long as our book club is successful, we can use it as a name to sell books. Once people hear about the book club, they will be interested."

After hearing her friends' suggestions and improving some of their ideas, Dahua jumped up excitedly. Her mind was full of thoughts. She took out a piece of paper and started writing and drawing. Tables and chairs in the village could be borrowed. As long as the children gave a few cents each, they would be happy to help. She had seen the cook make a refreshing drink at home, so she would buy the ingredients herself and make it herself.

"If we can invite Master Yun and Master Li to take charge, those scholars will definitely be willing to come." Xiaolan suggested again.

"Okay, leave it to me. Thank you for your help. I plan to make money together. When the book sells, I will give you a share of the profits. I still need your help this time."

"No problem. This is a very interesting thing anyway. You will spend a lot of money on so many things. We are here to help without paying." The others agreed to help.

With an idea in mind, Dahua made a plan overnight, discussed it with his friends, and made some revisions before finally finalizing the plan for this reading club.

In order to attract more people, she also found Lu Linlang and rented a mule cart to pick up those who were willing to come to the reading club.

"Your idea is very interesting. I will sponsor your first reading club and give you fifty taels of silver. If there is any left, it can be used as funds for the next reading club."

After listening to her plan, Lu Linlang gave her fifty taels and asked her to do it according to her own ideas. No matter whether it was doing business or organizing a reading club, only if she tried it herself could she know what preparations needed to be made. Lu Linlang did not directly point out the problems in her plan, but she was also helping to grasp the general direction, at least not to dampen the enthusiasm of the children.

Hearing that her sister had sponsored fifty taels of silver, Dahua became more confident in doing a good job in this activity. In the next few days, people in the village could see many children. Every time they got home from school, they would gather together to discuss something. Dahua even came in person to borrow tables and chairs. Everyone listened and did not refuse, but lent them out directly.

Lu Linlang continued searching the nearby mountains and found a lot of wild yams on the mountains. However, the local people did not know that the yams below were edible. They had only eaten yam beans.

When the clan leader heard that this thing could be eaten, he also tried it. He found that it was easier to prepare than konjac and it could also fill the stomach, so he immediately became interested.

This thing can grow in the mountains. If it is planted in reclaimed land, I think it can also survive. Moreover, it will not go bad as long as it is buried in the soil in winter.

"I think those villagers who are reclaiming the land are in great need of it. They just helped build a reservoir for our village, and their families are not well off. When the farming season comes, they go out to look for work. This yam is suitable. I'll talk to them about it while the weather is good, and see if they can harvest it this year."

The patriarch took the yam and found the disaster victims from last year. The village they were in was called Huangcun, located to the north of Chongshan, next to Beishan Village.

When they saw the yam that the patriarch brought over, someone recognized it immediately. It turned out that when they lived in the north, they also saw nobles eating this thing. It can also be dug up in the forest occasionally, but rarely. After digging it up, it can be sold for a lot of money.

But later a big landowner bought the whole forest and did not allow them to go into the mountains to dig. I heard that the landowner also planted yam.

"This thing actually exists here. If it can be grown, the villagers can make money from it. Chief Lu, are you really willing to tell us how to grow it?" The village chief of the deserted village asked cautiously, fearing that there might be other conditions.

"I don't know how to grow this either, but Mr. Lu from our village told me that we can grow this ourselves just like konjac. I figured your village is basically wasteland, so if we can grow it, it would be a great help to you. We're all neighbors, so we should help each other. Mr. Lu has already told me how to grow this thing. If you don't mind the trouble, you can try it."

"Village Chief Lu, you and Mr. Lu are our great benefactors. If there's any work to do, please give us priority. If there's anything that can make money, please ask us to do it. Everyone in the village will be grateful for your kindness. Don't worry, we don't mind the trouble. As long as you're willing to teach us, we'll do it."