Ugly girl only wants to farm

The house that Xu Chaoyan took on should be completed before the end of the year. It's almost September now, and the weather is gradually getting cooler.

The work will likely take a while, as this family is rushing to move into their new house before the Lunar New Year, so they need to work extra hard to finish it before then.

Each time, she would finish a job in one place and then look for other jobs on her own, or have some acquaintances introduce her to jobs. As time went by, the houses in the town were almost all built.

Her family still needs to make a living, and Meng Jiu's future schooling will also cost money. She is thinking of other ways to make a living, and recently she has been learning to make tofu quite well.

She planned to carry a load on her shoulder and go out to sell tofu pudding, even though everyone was suffering greatly after the incident of the "earth cage turning over."

However, the imperial court allocated disaster relief funds, houses were rebuilt, and businesses gradually recovered, so things were not much different from before.

Although the old lady had injured her leg and could only lie in bed, her sister-in-law would take time to visit her, mend some clothes, and chat for a while. Life was still manageable. The old lady was someone who couldn't stay idle. She couldn't do embroidery, but she could sew clothes for others with fine stitches and earn some spare change to supplement her income.

Zhang Xuyang and Meng Jiuhe didn't need to worry about each other at school. The old lady kept praising Meng's son, saying he was very lucky to have married such a capable wife.

After being praised like that, Meng Jiuhe seemed a little embarrassed, his face turning slightly red as he repeatedly said that he was fortunate enough to marry someone like Xu Chaoyan because of his ancestors' good deeds and the blessings he had accumulated over three lifetimes.

Today, Meng Jiu returned home from school and found the courtyard empty, but cheerful laughter came from the kitchen.

He put down his book bag and walked over there. When Meng Jiuxia saw him return, she greeted him: "Big brother, you're back. We just made some tofu pudding. Come and try it. How does it taste?"

Although Xu Chaoyan would occasionally bring him some tofu pudding, this bright red tofu pudding was the first time it had whetted his appetite.

He looked puzzled: "Is it salty?"

Xu Chaoyan nodded as she ladled chili oil into the pot: "What do you think of my plan to carry a load on a shoulder pole and go out to sell tofu pudding in the streets and alleys in a few days? Help me taste it first."

She scooped a spoonful of golden soybeans on top and handed the bowl over. Seeing her eager expression, Meng Jiuhe couldn't bear to refuse her, so he accepted it. To be honest, this savory tofu pudding looked delicious and appetizing. He had eaten it before, just with a little salt and soy sauce.

I've never seen anything like it, with so many seasonings; it looks incredibly appetizing.

Xu Chaoyan didn't miss a single glance from him: "How is it? How does it taste?"

Meng Jiuhe nodded: "First of all, the presentation is quite good, but what about the taste?"

Xu Chaoyan and Meng Jiuxia stared at him nervously: "How does it taste? Will it be popular with everyone? What do you think of the carrying pole I picked up near the school?"

Meng Jiuhe was also experiencing the freshness on his tongue for the first time. It was indeed his first time trying such a strong-flavored tofu pudding. In the past, he had only tried some salt and some sauce, which tasted bland and tasteless, but it was still okay.

But Xu Chaoyan's spicy and savory dish, paired with golden beans and bright green scallions, has a unique flavor.

Seeing their nervous expressions, he put down his bowl and said sincerely, "Hmm, it tastes good. I don't know if it's popular, but it really suits my taste. As for the area around the school, it should be alright. People who are craving something will come out to buy it. Now that everyone's life is getting better, and your things are cheap and affordable, so it should be good."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chaoyan's face lit up with joy: "Then I'll start preparing now. I'll find a carpenter to make two things like wooden buckets for me. We'll make tofu at home and renovate that side room. I'll also take this time to go up the mountain and get some firewood, which we'll need for the winter."

Although it's only September, time slips away like sand through our fingers, and winter is getting closer and closer. They've long run out of firewood, so they've been making do with whatever they can find for cooking, filling the house with smoke.

Meng Jiuhe nodded: "Yes, you're right. I'm taking a rest now. I'll go up the mountain with you to get some firewood. You and Xia'er alone definitely can't manage it. Or we can find some strong men to help and pay them for their work."

He himself was aware that the three of them had very little manpower.

Xu Chaoyan thought for a moment and said, "Well, what you said makes sense, but you don't need to go. I'll find a few people and pay them some wages. You and Zhang Xuyang can just study hard at home. Although we can't go to the county school next year, we can't fall behind in our studies. The conditions in this town are limited, so I have to find a way to earn money to send you to the county school later."

Meng Jiuhe frowned slightly before speaking: "I think we should just forget about the county school. It's useless for scholars to study for a few years and understand things. I can be an accountant and keep accounts. Why make you work so hard? As long as our family is together, that's enough."

Xu Chaoyan interrupted him directly: "What do you mean by 'a scholar is useless'? You do so well in your studies and are so smart. I must support you. I also want to be the wife of a top scholar. You have to make me proud."

She knew that Meng Jiu was good at his studies and intelligent. Although he stopped touching books when he injured his leg, he regained his confidence and would pick them up again with her encouragement. She would look at the annotations in his books. Xu Chaoyan knew that he still wanted to study, so she would do everything she could to get him into the county school and then the prefectural school.

Meng Jiuhe's face suddenly flushed, and his voice lowered as he said somewhat embarrassedly, "My lady, I can't guarantee that I'll be the wife of a top scholar. Just like you said, there are so many people taking the imperial examination, it's like thousands of soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge. I might not pass, and I'm afraid I'll disappoint you."

In the days that followed, Xu Chaoyan asked Uncle Zhang to find a familiar carpenter to make the kind of tofu pudding briquettes that she could pick out and sell, according to her requirements.

She was not very strong and was worried that the load would be too heavy for her to carry. After thinking about it, she decided to install two wooden wheels on it and make a handle so that she could push it. This way, she could save some effort and also get one for her sister-in-law so that she could earn some pocket money and save it up herself.

She's a grown woman now, she should be saving up some dowry. She can't live with them all day without any spare money.

She also asked some strong men to go up the mountain to get some firewood, which she carried back and piled up in the yard.

These days, there's plenty of firewood on the mountain; as long as you have the strength, you can easily gather some.

Uncle Zhang's family owns a forest hill, and he kindly told them to go there and gather firewood. If they saw any trees they liked, they could cut some down. In winter, everyone stays indoors, so it's a good time to chop up all the firewood, stack it in the yard to dry, and use it in the winter.

Winters here are quite cold, as Xu Chaoyan had experienced before. Back in the village, she preferred to stay indoors all day and disliked going outside. The feeling of her hands getting frozen was very uncomfortable, and her sister-in-law had even had frostbite on her hands.

This year she wanted to prepare in advance, but even with a quilt, it wasn't very warm; she always felt a biting cold wind blowing in.

Previously, when people in town slaughtered ducks and geese, she would collect all the duck and goose feathers, intending to make two down comforters to keep warm once she had enough. It would take a long time, but Meng Jiu and her sister-in-law could also stuff them into their clothes when they went to the county school. Her sister-in-law looked puzzled, covered her nose, and joined in the fuss, saying that these things were smelly and fishy, ​​so why would she collect them?

Xu Chaoyan said mysteriously that it would be very useful in the future, and that she would know how wonderful it was later and would have to thank her.

The family lived a fairly good life in town, and the brother and sister had temporarily forgotten the grief of losing their parents. However, there were always some people who would disturb the peace and break the silence, like machine guns firing on the calm lake.