My humble days in ancient times

The next day, Xu Qinghe did not set up his stall. Instead, he drove a donkey cart with the village head to the county government office.

Because buying a barren mountain requires registration with the government before obtaining the land deed, the village head had to go.

Before leaving, Xu Ruyi specifically instructed Xu Qinghe: "Remember to bring some meat when you come back. The officials might want to stay for dinner!"

Xu Qinghe said readily: "Don't worry, I'll remember this."

Xu Ruyi cleaned up the house inside and out, and then took the dirty clothes to wash.

Xu Qinghe and Li Zheng returned after more than an hour, bringing with them six officials.

The leader of the officers was Ma Pingchuan, a thin man with sharp eyes who looked very smart and capable.

Xu Qinghe hired a carriage to bring the officials. As soon as Ma Pingchuan got out of the carriage, he said to Xu Ruyi, "Are you and your brother planning to buy the barren mountain?"

Xu Ruyi nodded and said, "Yes, please come in and have some water, officers."

Ma Pingchuan put his hands on his waist, looked around, and then said to his companions, "Why don't you go in and drink some water, and then start working. Otherwise, the weather will get even hotter."

"Okay..." Everyone agreed.

The village head welcomed them into the house, and Xu Ruyi brought a few bowls of warm water. Everyone drank it hurriedly and then asked the village head to take them to measure the land.

The village head took them to a piece of wasteland in the west, and the six people began to work. They held rulers specially used to measure the land in their hands, and several people measured with their bare chests under the scorching sun.

Village head Xu Ruyi and Xu Qinghe stood aside. There were no trees on this wasteland, so they could only stand in the scorching sun.

Xu Ruyi felt sweat on the tip of her nose.

Xu Ruyi was a little embarrassed and said to the village head: "Uncle head, it's so hot, I shouldn't buy land now. I should buy it later."

The village head waved his hand and said, "It's okay, don't worry too much."

They quickly finished measuring the twenty acres of wasteland. The village head handed them the water they had brought and said, "Drink some water. Stay at my house for lunch today."

Ma Pingchuan knew that measuring the barren mountain would take some time, so he said, "Thank you for your help, village chief. I'd rather obey your orders than be disrespectful. When you go to the county town in the future, remember to look for me. I'll also be the host."

The village head said cheerfully, "Of course, of course."

After drinking water, the six people ran straight to the hillside and started measuring.

They also make marks as they measure.

When the sun was blazing, the village head asked, "Why don't you go back and eat before coming back to measure?"

Ma Pingchuan discussed with the people around him, and seeing that no one was too hungry at this time, he said, "Let's finish measuring in one go before eating. Otherwise, we won't want to go up the mountain again after eating."

Ma Pingchuan looked at the surrounding hillsides. It was still cool, with a gentle breeze blowing. He shouted to his companions, "Everyone, hurry up and work more efficiently. Finish quickly so we can eat earlier."

Ma Pingchuan shouted, and everyone became excited and moved faster.

The village head said to Xu Ruyi, "Let them have dinner at my house today. This will make it more convenient for everyone."

Xu Ruyi thought that since she was living in a thatched cottage, it would be a bit unreasonable to entertain them. So she said, "If that's the case, I'll go back and help Aunt Zhou. I think I'll go cook now. It's almost time."

The village head saw that they had already completed most of the measurement and said, "That's it. You can go back first."

Xu Ruyi walked down the hillside and met Huang Guiyun and several villagers coming over.

Auntie Pang saw Xu Ruyi and asked, "Are these officials here to measure the hillside? Is someone trying to buy a barren mountain or something?"

Xu Ruyi nodded.

Huang Guiyun, Aunt Pang and several villagers did not rest after lunch, but came over to watch the fun.

They walked up the hillside and saw the village head and asked, "Head, who in our village wants to buy the barren hill?"

The village head said with a smile, "It's Qinghe."

Huang Guiyun looked incredulous and asked, "How many acres does he want to buy?"

The village head came over and started chatting with them: "Qinghe is a promising kid. He bought 20 mu of wasteland and 100 mu of barren hills."

"What? How much silver would that much land cost?" Huang Guiyun felt a mixture of emotions. She was envious to death.

The village head said calmly, "It's half a tael of silver per mu, so it's only sixty taels!"

Auntie Pang was happy for Xu Ruyi and Xu Qinghe after hearing this and said, "It seems that these two children did not waste the money they earned from selling food."

Huang Guiyun scoffed, a bit unconvinced, and said, "With all the money, why don't you build a big house to live in? Instead, you bought some barren land and mountains. Can you even grow food on them? You're really short-sighted and wasting money."

The village head felt a little sorry after hearing this and said, "On the way to the county town, I tried to persuade Qinghe, but he said it was all Ruyi's idea. He trusted his sister's judgment."

Huang Guiyun chuckled upon hearing this, and then said, "Xu Ruyi is only ten years old, what kind of vision can she have? This is really hilarious. Don't they know how to discuss it with their family? Will her grandparents agree? If you don't listen to the elders, you will suffer the consequences. Oh, these two children can make money but they can also spend it...."

Everyone listened to Huang Guiyun speak, neither interrupting nor refuting.

They were also confused: What were two kids going to do with buying a wasteland and a barren mountain?

While they were chatting, six people were working hard to measure the surface. When they were finally done, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Qinghe quickly handed over the water.

They gulped down the drink and only then realized how hungry they were.

Xu Qinghe led them and hurried down the mountain.

Aunt Fat saw Xu Qinghe and walked over to him and said, "Qinghe, were you impulsive in buying this barren mountain?"

Xu Qinghe knew that Auntie Pang was giving her a kind reminder, so he said, "Don't worry, Auntie Pang. My sister and I have discussed this. It would be a good idea for us to plant some fruit trees."

Auntie Pang said with some concern: "It takes several years for a fruit tree to bear fruit, and most people are reluctant to eat the fruit."

Xu Qinghe nodded in agreement and said, "We've thought about buying paddy fields, but they're not easy to come by. So, we can buy some wasteland and grow other crops. Having some land in hand will keep us grounded."

When Aunt Pang heard this, she thought it made some sense.

The village head called out, "Qinghe, go back and have dinner."

Xu Qinghe said goodbye to Aunt Pang and left.

Huang Guiyun and the villagers saw that the six officials, although wearing official uniforms, lacked any dignity. Several people began to murmur and comment.

Huang Guiyun said: "It doesn't seem so fierce or scary this way."

A villager echoed: "Exactly, it looks just like us, with a nose and a mouth."

Auntie Fatty walked over and said, "They're all born by women, so they're all the same."

Everyone burst into laughter after hearing this.

Huang Guiyun and the others followed behind Xu Qinghe and the others. Since there was nothing exciting to see, they naturally had to go back.

When the village head returned with six officials and Xu Qinghe, Xu Ruyi and Zhou had already prepared the meal.

Several officials washed their faces and hands with cold water, then sat down to eat.

Xu Ruyi brought all the vegetables that Xu Qinghe bought today and cooked them, so today's dishes were very rich.

Clay pot chicken, braised pork, braised fish, three fresh vegetables, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, fried eggplant, fried beans, cold cucumber salad, stir-fried pork with green peppers, and tofu with green onions.

The weather is too hot and people don’t want to eat meat, but now they are hungry and don’t care.

Ma Pingchuan picked up a piece of braised pork: "It's tender, tender, and flavorful, delicious." He picked up a piece of clay pot chicken, also delicious. He picked up a piece of three fresh vegetables, also delicious... He then tried the other dishes, all of which were delicious. Before he knew it, he'd eaten too much.

Ma Pingchuan couldn't help but praise: "This dish is well made, and it's delicious."

The other officials also praised the dish highly and couldn't help but eat more.

The head of the village smiled and said, "Don't be polite today, just enjoy the food and drink." After saying that, he raised his glass and started drinking with them again.

Everyone ate with relish, both the host and the guests were delighted, and finally left happily.