Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Early March, Liuhua Village, southern Sichuan.

For three generations, Old Man Nie's family had worked the land, and he himself was no exception. He supported his large family of more than ten people with his ten acres of meager land.

Besides farming, he had no other means of making a living and didn't know how to adapt, so his family struggled to make ends meet.

Although life was tough, at least the family could manage to have enough to eat.

During the off-season, her two sons would also go to nearby towns to do manual labor such as carrying things to supplement the family income.

Meanwhile, his wife and daughter-in-law would do some needlework at home or wash clothes for others in exchange for some money and food.

In short, life wasn't too bad; compared to others in the same industry, Old Man Nie's family was doing quite well.

After all, several farmers in nearby villages sold their land to local wealthy households because of a locust plague that struck Sichuan a few years ago, and they became their tenant farmers.

Compared to this, Old Man Nie didn't feel that his life was too hard; on the contrary, he felt quite superior, since even in his most miserable state, he hadn't fallen to the point of having to sell his land.

This alone is enough for Old Man Nie to walk proudly along the narrow paths of the village, which is quite a source of pride.

As spring arrived and the weather warmed up, Old Man Nie and his family began planting a new season's crops.

The new grain seeds have been purchased, and two oxen have been rented from the village head's family. They have begun to plow the land in preparation for planting.

"I hope the weather will be kind and we can harvest a few more pounds of rice this year, so that we can have a better life."

While busy with farm work, Old Man Nie prayed for a bountiful harvest this year.

His biggest wish was to buy his own ox, so that he could have an easier time and wouldn't have to push a heavy wooden plow anymore.

The family had been busy all morning, until the wife came to deliver groceries, at which point they stopped, found a shady spot under a tree, and sat down to eat lunch.

"Ugh……"

Watching the other figures busy in the fields, Old Man Nie sighed and said to his wife, Wang, "Go and check on Zheng Tu's family in the village later."

I heard that his sow gave birth a few days ago. I'll ask about the price, and if it's reasonable, we'll buy two to raise ourselves.

"Cut off another half pound of meat and some pork bones to stew together. My daughter-in-law is pregnant; let her eat better."

"Okay, I'll go after I'm done packing."

Wang was a typical woman from a feudal peasant society. She listened to whatever her husband said and never had her own opinions.

Now that she's become a mother-in-law and can manage several daughters-in-law, she's already very satisfied with her current life and never dares to ask for anything more.

Mealtime flew by. After taking the last bite of his mixed grain cake and drinking some coarse tea, Old Man Nie got up, picked up his farm tools, and prepared to continue working in the fields to finish the rest of the work.

Just as Wang was clearing away the dishes and preparing to leave, the sound of mule bells rang out behind them.

"Old Nie's family, still busy?"

When the people on the mule cart saw Old Man Nie and his family, they immediately beamed with joy, stopped the cart, and greeted them.

Old Man Nie looked up and replied, "Er Laizi, where have you been? You're carrying all these bags and packages. Have you made a fortune?"

Upon hearing this, Erlaizi laughed and patted the rice bag on the cart: "Look at what you're saying, brother. What business are you talking about? This is just rice and flour that I just bought. It's cheaper than the market price."

Erlaizi and Old Man Nie had a fairly good relationship. They often drank and boasted together, and Erlaizi was one of Old Man Nie's few friends.

Upon hearing Erlaizi's words, Old Man Nie immediately stopped what he was doing and walked to the bare car.

The car was filled with two sacks, and next to them were a jar of soybean oil, sauces, salt, a piece of coarse cloth, and a large piece of pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, weighing about four or five pounds.

"Er Lai Zi, you've really struck it rich? Buying so much stuff all at once, how much money did that cost?"

Old Man Nie stared wide-eyed.

Erlaizi's family only had five mu of land and about ten people, and they lived a very difficult life.

That's why Old Man Nie always felt a strange sense of superiority when he was with Er Laizi, since he was living a better life than Er Laizi.

But now, looking at the truck full of supplies, Old Man Nie couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness.

Erlaizi laughed and said, "Brother, it's been so long since we had a meal together. I always used to eat at your place, so let me treat you this time."

"Look, I've already cut off my own flesh. Why don't you come to my house tonight, and I'll have my wife buy some wine. We can have a good talk, okay?"

"Alright, I'll come find you tonight. I haven't had meat in a long time, so I'll borrow your meat to satisfy my craving."

"Then it's settled. I'll return the mule to the village head first, otherwise that old man will start nagging again."

After saying that, Erlaizi cracked his whip, and the mule cart slowly moved forward again.

……

That evening, after finishing his work in the fields, Old Man Nie washed his muddy legs with well water, rubbed the clay-covered soles of his shoes on a protruding rock a few times, and then went to Er Laizi's house for his appointment.

"Come on, let's have a drink, you two brothers."

"it is good."

Inside the room, under the dim light, the two men held up their wine bowls, gestured to each other, and then each took a sip.

On their table was a plate of braised pork that looked as tempting as agate, along with several homegrown vegetables such as green beans, cabbage, and a dish of pickled cucumbers.

Although there weren't many dishes and they weren't particularly tasty, these farmers were already quite satisfied.

Not to mention that each of them had a bowl overflowing with white rice in front of them.

After putting down his wine bowl, Old Man Nie couldn't wait to ask, "Er Laizi, tell me the truth, don't lie to me, how did you suddenly become rich?"

Look, even the food we're eating is dry. How often do we farmers get to eat dry food, and it's white rice at that? How much does that cost?

We've agreed, so whatever you do, don't do anything illegal, or you'll go to jail.

"Look at you, so pathetic."

Erlaizi chuckled and teased, then picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of fatty meat into Old Man Nie's bowl.

Do you know how much this white rice costs on the street?

"How much more money could there be? Aren't grain prices two shi (a unit of dry measure) for one tael of silver these days?"

"You don't know this, do you?" Erlaizi said with a smile, "Now the imperial grain merchants have entered our Shu region, and they sell grain for three shi (a unit of dry measure) for one tael of silver."

"What? So cheap?" Old Man Nie exclaimed in surprise.

"Why would I buy it if it wasn't cheap?" Erlaizi rolled his eyes at him. "This price just came out, you didn't see it, the whole city is going crazy for it, oh my..."

Hearing Er Laizi's detailed and seemingly convincing account, Old Man Nie subconsciously said, "Then, with grain this cheap, it probably won't last long, right?"

Erlaizi laughed: "My brother, what are you thinking? Those grain merchants have the imperial court backing them up. They have more grain in their hands than the entire Shu region has in stock."

"Ah, this..."

Hearing this, Old Man Nie no longer found the meat in his bowl appealing.

If grain prices drop, doesn't that mean he'll get less money this year?

Erlaizi seemed to sense Old Man Nie's embarrassment and couldn't help but laugh.

"You rascal, how can you still be laughing?"

"I laughed at you, brother. You're only thinking about making a living from that small plot of land. Oh, that really made me laugh."

After he finished laughing, he said, "Brother, why don't you think about this? Why would a farmer like me suddenly go to buy grain?"

Old Man Nie then realized: "That's right, why did you go to buy grain? Don't you own land?"

Erlaizi: "Because, I have no intention of planting any crops this year."

Old Man Nie asked in bewilderment, "If you don't grow grain, what can you grow?"

Erlaizi's eyes narrowed: "Naturally, it's something valuable, mulberry seedlings."