The Transmigrated Farm Girl's Journey to Wealth

Upon arriving in the county town, we first went to a pharmacy. A small, twenty-year-old wild ginseng root cost a full eighty taels of silver. Ginseng is truly expensive, but it can save lives in a crisis. We also bought some tonics suitable for pregnant women, some for Su Shi and ourselves, and then went directly to find a human trafficker.

Fang Xiaoning was exceptionally careful in selecting the person for this job. Not only did they need to be skilled in cooking, but they also needed to be intelligent. Since there was no one knowledgeable in medicine, she chose an old nanny from the capital whose family had been implicated in a crime and whose property had been confiscated, and who had been sold to this place.

Approaching forty, Fang Xiaoning chatted with her for a few minutes. She was worldly-wise and spoke with composure. Her father was too impulsive and unreliable; with her father looking after things, she felt more at ease. She also bought two men to help make pastries and a burly man to run errands and do the heavy lifting.

In this way, their parents were completely freed from their work.

After buying the goods and getting everything ready, it was already late. Thinking about the dangers of traveling at night, Fang Xiaoning led everyone on a shopping spree, then, laden with bags and bundles, to the inn.

In the future, I'll also have someone tidy up my house in the county town and stock it with some things, so that when I come over occasionally, at least I'll have a place to stay. What kind of nonsense is it to own a house and still stay in an inn?

Zhao and Su knew they might stay overnight in the county town when they left, but when it got dark and they still hadn't seen them, they couldn't help but start to worry again.

The next day at noon, when they saw the carriage, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're finally back! I was so worried about you."

"Didn't we already say we might stay overnight in the county town?"

Zhao wanted to say that she understood, but she couldn't help it.

"Mother, we bought four people."

Four? Well, I'll just buy them. We'll use them eventually, and our house is big enough to accommodate them all.

When the newcomers arrived, Zhao arranged their accommodations first. When she learned that there was someone specifically to serve her, she was dumbfounded. Did she need someone to serve her? It would be more uncomfortable to be with her, wouldn't it?

"I don't need anyone to serve me." The refusal was uttered without the slightest hesitation. The old nanny was stunned. Was she being rejected by the master of the house before she had even started working?

“Mother, you’re heavily pregnant now, and Father is a troublesome and unreliable man. I’m really worried about not having anyone by your side. Granny is reliable and steady. We can entrust the household affairs and the servants’ tasks to her. With her around, at least I can have peace of mind.”

Fang Youcai was speechless. When had he ever been unreliable? His daughter was lying through her teeth.

She bought the woman for her daughter-in-law; he didn't pay for her, so he chose to keep quiet. This nanny... she's incredibly expensive, enough to buy three people. Thinking about the over one hundred taels of tonic his daughter bought, well, he really isn't reliable; he's not as wealthy as her.

"Then... let's do it."

The Zhao family and the Su family are very similar; both are inclined to listen to advice.

They stayed behind and hurried home, as their mother-in-law would worry if it got too late.

Old Song's family.

Old Man Song lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), his eyes filled with worry. What could he do? His family's income was now far less than that of many other families in the village. They used to be one of the wealthiest in the village, but now they were declining more and more.

The main reason is that many households work for Song Feng's family and have income, plus the produce from the fields, so their lives gradually improved.

Neither of their sons wanted to do odd jobs, and the workshops wouldn't hire anyone from their family.

What bothered him most was his grandson's marriage. He had consulted several matchmakers and talked to several families, but all the deals fell through.

Every family that knew Song Feng had severed ties with them was unwilling to arrange a marriage with them. Those in the village they respected now looked down on them. What he found most unacceptable was that those they looked down on now looked down on them too.

The matchmaker suggested they marry someone from far away. But far away, in some remote mountain village, how could that be a good match for his grandson? And what about his two granddaughters, who are also of engagement age?

No one in the village is willing to take it over!

It's all because of Song Feng. These opportunists, afraid of offending him, all treat him like a monster and keep their distance. Isn't it all for the sake of the workshop's work? How pragmatic.

Fang Xiaoning and Song Feng have been focusing all their energy on catching the thief lately. They are paying special attention to the workshop, while Song Xiaogu, fearing she might alert the thief, is keeping quiet and pretending to be completely unaware.

But she couldn't rest easy until she caught the person. This person was also strange; whether sensing something was wrong or not, he remained motionless.

Could it be that she really remembered it wrong before?

After Cui Hehua returned home, she was taken care of by her elderly mother. Originally, Cui Daniu wanted to keep all the silver for himself, but Cui Hehua refused to give it up no matter what, and even said that if they insisted on taking it, she would go to the village head.

Left with no other choice, they could only ask her to leave half of the silver for now, and then figure out what to do next.

Since the money hadn't arrived, the food was also inadequate. Fortunately, aside from not eating or drinking well, she was taken care of fairly well. The main concern was that her health might deteriorate, making it impossible for her to remarry.

They were also hoping to receive a dowry after getting married!

She's still my own daughter, after all. I only served her for a little over a month, and I even got a tael or two of silver for nothing. What kind of work is so lucrative and so leisurely?

The Cui family's house was dilapidated, with low mud walls. The old widower secretly brought her food, chicken soup, a few times under the cover of darkness. He told her that in six months, they could be open about their relationship, and then she would give him a big, healthy son.

These actions moved Cui Hehua to tears.

………………

"Master, one sausage is missing."

"Oh, who is it?"

"Old Qiu's daughter-in-law folded up the sausage and stuffed it into her bosom. It was cold, so you couldn't tell she was grumbling at all."

"Did you look closely?"

"Yes, our people saw it clearly."

"Wait a little longer and see if anyone else is stealing, or if she has any accomplices."

"Yes. After work, our people secretly followed her. She went straight home and didn't go anywhere else."

"understood."

Fang Xiaoning was not at peace. The Qiu family's daughter-in-law had always been known for being honest and capable, and she was also one of the first batch of employees she had selected.

She works very hard and doesn't talk much. If you don't see it with your own eyes, no matter how many people you suspect, you won't doubt her.

If she has any difficulties at home, she won't refuse to help if she tells the truth. Stealing from the workshop—what kind of thing is that?

Judging from the housekeeper's words, there was nothing unusual in her home, so it must be that she herself was dishonest. And her family members—they brought things home; she doesn't believe they didn't know.

Song Feng was also surprised to learn it was from the Qiu family. "Her? How could it be her?"

"That's what they call a barking dog that bites. I've sent the housekeeper to investigate their house and see what they're up to and what they're planning."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart; this saying is absolutely true."

"Who says it's not?"

The housekeeper continued to send people to keep an eye on them. Apart from Song Feng and his wife, they didn't tell anyone else about this, including Song Xiaogu.