Chapter 108 - 108: The Richest Man in Anping Village
After the land deed was transferred, the Huang beans were not yet ready, so Qiao Xiaomai’s family stayed a while longer.
By the time the beans were ready and she had taught the chief chef of the Zuixian Building how to make tofu and bean curd, it had already gotten dark.
The family of three hurried home in their donkey cart.
The road from Anping Village to Bailu Town was wide enough for three donkey carts to travel side by side. Qiao Changshun whipped the donkey, and the cart took off towards Anping Village in the twilight.
The wind had started to blow in the evening, and was getting stronger and stronger, with dust swirling all around. Qiao Xiaomai sat in the donkey cart, hugging Qiao Dami, her good mood from becoming a small landowner in the afternoon had completely dissipated.
The temperature dropped, and the breeze went straight through the fabric to the skin, carrying dust with it.
The donkey cart was moving fast, but it was also very bumpy. The whole feeling was just terrible.
Feeling depressed after the transition to a new place had finally dissipated, but her mood had gotten worse once again. Oh, how she missed modern times!
Finally, they arrived home, covered in dust.
Qiao Xiaomai let Qiao Changshun and Qiao Dami carry the things from the donkey cart back to the hall, whilst she went to heat up some water in the kitchen.
By the time she had taken a bath and climbed into bed, the wind outside was even stronger.
She had risen very early that day to make tofu and bean curd, and had been busy all day. Now she was exhausted and soon fell asleep in her bed. When she woke up again, she heard the pitter-patter of rain.
It was raining.
Spring rain is considered precious, just like oil. The local farmers had been irrigating their wheat fields recently, so this rain came at a very good time.
Qiao Changshun was sitting in the shed, working on a wooden basket, his face a bit conflicted. Of course, the rain was a good thing, but he really wanted to experience what it would feel like to water the fields with a donkey cart.
Qiao Xiaomai sat next to him, washing the pig intestines she had bought yesterday.
She was using flour, salt, and vinegar to scrub it clean. Upon seeing this, Qiao Changshun stopped being conflicted and said, “That’s a little too wasteful.” “This is to get rid of the fecal smell.”
Qiao Changshun frowned, “We used to eat it that way all the time.”
Pig intestines are much cheaper than pork. Zhuang Luhe would occasionally buy some, but she would never clean them the way Qiao Xiaomai was doing.
As Qiao Xiaomai continued to wash the intestines, she said, “Dad, we’re landowners now. You need to show some backbone, think of all the things we could do. You should learn from Master Shen.”
Qiao Changshun shook his head, “The Village Chief is also a landowner, but I bet his family doesn’t eat like this.”
“Next time we see Grandfather Tong, I’ll ask him what his family eats every day. We now have 150 acres of land. Dad, hold your head high and show some fierceness.”
“You’re right, when Jiwei Ju sends over the remaining 150 acres, we’ll be the people in Anping Village with the most land, aligning us with the Tong family.”
Qiao Xiaomai”…”
A match of equals?
She raised a puzzled head, “What does that mean?”
“Nothing.” Qiao Changshun quickly shook his head, “I just suddenly thought of this phrase. I’ve been poor for so long, became a landowner all of a sudden, and
I’m not used to it.”
At this, Qiao Xiaomai uttered an “Oh” and continued washing the intestines, now her head lowered again, “You’ll get used to it. Our family will be the richest in Anping Village.”
Qiao Changshun mumbled in agreement, didn’t say much, and just sped up his pace.
Of course, when he had mentioned being a good match earlier, it wasn’t said lightly. Those were his genuine thoughts.
There was a daughter in the family who hadn’t married yet, and he had recently been thinking about suitable suitors in the village.
As the grandson of the richest man in Anping Village, Tong Sanlang naturally made it to his list of possible matches..