Divorcing your wife might feel good for a moment, but seeing me make money will make you regret it f

Xu Qing searched everywhere. She knew that black truffles grew in the ground. Could they be under her feet?

She squatted down and started digging, turning over the entire area, but still couldn't find any black truffles.

But the mechanical voice in her head was a stark reminder that there really was one nearby.

Finally, she looked at Wangcai, who was happily eating in the pigpen, and pushed him aside, revealing the pig trough underneath.

What a disaster! After searching for so long, it turns out Wangcai eats black truffles!

Wangcai whimpered sadly beside him. Did its owner want to eat its food too? This was what its little owner found, so it would reluctantly share some with its owner.

Xu Qing picked up the remaining black truffle, which had already been gnawed to pieces by Wangcai.

[Ding! Pure, natural, unpolluted wild damaged black truffles detected. 50 coins per pound. Sell now?]

The difference between a premium product and a damaged one is so huge! Xu Qing put the black truffle back into the pig trough, no longer caring about the chicks.

I put them in the yard, bought a bag of chicken feed and sprinkled some in the corner, then closed the gate and ran off to find Xu Baobao.

"Baby, did you find the thing Wangcai ate?"

Xu Qing asked urgently, and Xu Baobao, thinking something had happened to Wangcai, hurriedly replied:

"Yes, Mother, what's wrong? Can't Wangcai eat that? But some people in the village dig it up to feed the pigs, so I dug it up for him."

Seeing her daughter's anxiety, Xu Qing realized she had frightened her and quickly explained:

"It's nothing. Where did you find that thing on the mountain? People can eat it too. I want to dig some up and eat it."

Xu Baobao patted his chest: "Mom, it's in that pine forest on the mountain. I took Wangcai to pick pine needles. I saw it digging for these to eat, so I dug some up and brought them back."

There are so many in that field, you can dig up a whole bunch! But they don't taste very good, are they really edible?

“You can eat. This afternoon, Mom will take Wangcai out. You and Zhenzhen can stay home and learn to read with Zhou Chenggong, okay?”

Xu Qing took out the three books and paper and pen she had bought from her basket.

Xu Baobao's eyes widened: "Mom, can we go to school too?"

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Of course you can. Even if you can't pass the imperial examinations, you might be able to read and write. After your mother dies, you can find work in town instead of toiling in the fields."

"Mother, I don't want you to die!"

Xu Baobao hugged Xu Qing tightly, crying and refusing to let go.

Xu Qing secretly regretted that she was only in her twenties and had said such things, only to frighten the child.

"Mommy's just kidding. Don't you want to learn to read, baby? Once you've learned, you can teach your little sister when you grow up."

Xu Baobao wiped away her tears, still holding him tightly, and said in a choked voice, "I think I will study hard."

Xu Qing cupped Xu Baobao's face and kissed her: "My good daughter, I will always be with you."

Look how grown up you are! Grandma is still with Mom, and Mom will live a very, very long time, just like Grandma.

Xu Baobao looked at Xu Qing's face. Her grandmother, with her wrinkled face, was still alive, while her mother's face was still smooth. She was sure her mother wasn't lying to her.

Xu Baobao then turned her tears into laughter.

After lunch, Zhou Chenggong became a tutor, teaching the two sisters to read. He didn't aim for them to pass the imperial examinations; he started by teaching them the Hundred Family Surnames.

The sound of reading aloud filled the house, and Xu Qing led Xu Beibei and Wangcai up the mountain.

The midday sun was blazing, but Xu Qing couldn't wait any longer. She opened an oil-paper umbrella and covered Xu Beibei's bamboo basket with a floral cloth.

Black truffles cost one tael of silver per pound! She's here.

Perhaps it's in the wild boar's nature, but Wangcai especially likes to run up the mountain. When Xu Qing calls out to him, the guy happily follows.

I thought there would be no one on the mountain now, but I was surprised to encounter quite a few along the way, all of them digging for fern roots.

Seeing Xu Qing also carrying a hoe, the villagers called out to him:

"Qing, are you here to dig for fern roots too? Dig around here, it's too hot inside without any trees to block the view."

Xu Qing replied with a smile, "I'm here to dig some black lumps for Wangcai."

Xu Baobao said that the villagers call this "black lump," and some people dig it up to feed pigs, but people don't like to eat it because it has a strange taste.

Do wild boars also like to eat black lumps?

The villagers were somewhat curious.

"Aren't wild boars pigs too? Haha."

"Yes, yes, I'm being stubborn."

The villagers chatted and laughed, and even pointed out to Xu Qing where there were many black bumps.

Looking at the simple and honest villagers, Xu Qing also wanted to help them earn some money.

It's about cooperation and mutual benefit.

“My Wangcai eats a lot. He can eat two or three pounds in one meal and it's still not enough. I don’t know how much food he will eat when he grows up.”

If you have time, could you help me dig up some black pebbles? I'll pay you, 3 copper coins a pound.

She can't give too many, otherwise the villagers will suspect that she has other uses for these black lumps.

The villagers were stunned. Could black lumps really be exchanged for money?

"Qing, how much do you need? I'll go dig it up for you right now!"

Black lumps are much easier to make than fern root powder. You can dig up a lot of them on the mountain. To make fern root powder, you have to dig up the fern roots, wash them clean, crush them, soak them in water, and the process is complicated and the yield is low.

Looking at the enthusiastic villagers, Xu Qing said, "The more the merrier. Just like with the fern root powder, I'll accept as many as you give."

The villagers stopped digging for fern roots and headed towards the pine forest. Seeing so many people digging, Xu Qing decided she didn't need to go either; she could just go home and wait.

……

Qianjia Village.

Qian Baizhi's family.

Xu Jian woke up after being given his medicine at noon.

After examining her pulse, Old Man Qian said there was no problem and she just needed to go home and rest. He advised her not to do any heavy work recently.

He took three more doses of medicine, gave them two taels of silver, and then prepared to go home.

These past few days, only her daughter has been home alone, and Ms. Wen is extremely worried.

Xu Gong went to the village to find an oxcart.

A villager, always eager for gossip, asked, "Has your older brother woken up yet?"

"Why look for an oxcart when you're awake? Just walk back."

"Yeah, could it be that he really was cursed to death by that Qian Baizhi?"

“You shouldn’t have stayed at Old Man Qian’s house in the first place; you should have found another doctor.”

Xu Gong's forehead veins throbbed, but this was Qianjia Village: "My elder brother has woken up, but Doctor Qian said he needs to rest, so we hired a car to take him back."

The villagers exclaimed in surprise, "He actually woke up? Could it be that old man Qian gave your family money to make you say this on purpose?"

"Possibly. After all, his granddaughter's reputation is already bad enough. If people from other villages find out, she'll never be able to get married."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xu Gong couldn't hold back any longer and roared, "How can a man talk about girls in private?"

Besides, are they jinxing your family? Stop whining and complaining. Do you even have an oxcart? Surely such a big village like Qianjia Village doesn't have a single oxcart?

Both Xu brothers are tall, but they used to eat so poorly that they were skin and bones. Now that the food is better, they have gained weight and look much stronger.

Seeing Xu Gong's anger, the villagers of Qianjia Village dared not say anything more. They pointed out which family had an oxcart and dispersed in a huff.

Xu Gong walked toward the house the villagers pointed to, unaware that Qian Baizhi, whose face was flushed red, was standing behind him.

She heard Xu Gong asking for an oxcart and was about to go up and tell him, but then she heard those people laughing at her.

She thought Xu Gong would laugh at her like the others, so she hid behind them, intending to leave after they were gone.

Unexpectedly, Qian Baizhi heard Xu Gong defending her so much, and her gaze once again quietly fell on Xu Gong's tall back.

As if burned, she quickly withdrew her head and hurried home.