Chapter 157 This Call of "Madam Cheng"

Chapter 157 This Call of "Madam Cheng"

Jiang Yutang immediately ran to find Jiang Jiuzhe.

She excitedly shouted as soon as she entered the house, "Second Brother, the seeds and fertilizer have arrived!"

Jiang Jiuzhe was taken aback, then called over two quick-handed guards: "Come on, we'll go with you to take a look."

"Wait a minute." Jiang Yutang quickly stopped him. "Two people aren't enough. We need to find two carts to carry the load. There's quite a lot of stuff."

Jiang Jiuze did as he was told and had two carts brought over.

Following Jiang Yutang towards the open space to the east, they were surprised to see that the area, which had been full of dilapidated houses just a few days ago, was now flat and open: "It's been completely leveled in just three days?"

Jiang Yutang pushed open the wooden door of the dilapidated wooden house and proudly raised her chin.

"That's right. Money makes the world go round. With a daily wage of one tael of silver, the people work harder than anyone else."

She pointed to several bags of seeds and fertilizer piled on the ground: "Look, those are rice seeds and fertilizer. Let's load them onto the truck and take them back."

The guards quickly moved the items onto a cart and pushed it out of the dilapidated house.

Jiang Jiuze's gaze was drawn to the pile of cement bags stacked like a small mountain in the corner and the neatly stacked steel bars next to them.

He strode over, squatted down, poked the cement bag with his finger, then picked up a steel bar and weighed it in his hand. His expression changed instantly.

His voice trembled with excitement: "This is black gold?!"

Jiang Yutang followed his finger and nodded: "I guess so, but it's synthetic, so the purity isn't high."

"What are you going to do with it?"

“It’s for building a house.” Jiang Yutang, oblivious to everything, stepped forward to explain, “This wooden house is too dilapidated. I plan to reinforce it and turn it into a small shop. But the wood isn’t strong enough. By adding these, the house will be more sturdy, windproof, and warm.”

Jiang Jiuzhe suddenly stood up, strode to Jiang Yutang's side, lowered his voice, and pointed at the steel bars: "Do you know how expensive these things are?"

His brows furrowed, and his tone was urgent.

“In Danzhou, black gold is more precious than grain. Ordinary people even have to pass down their kitchen knives for generations. If you get your hands on so much, it’s no small matter if someone takes notice!”

Jiang Yutang then belatedly realized what was happening.

Iron resources were scarce in ancient times and were called "black gold," so they were strictly controlled. She was only thinking about building the house as soon as possible and had completely forgotten about this.

She touched the tip of her nose in annoyance and muttered to herself, "I brought glass here before, and it was fine even if I sold it..."

"Can those be the same?"

Jiang Jiuze quickly stepped forward and gently closed the wooden door, blocking the view from outside, his tone both angry and anxious.

"The glass you brought is valuable, but it's small. You could sell it secretly on the way to exile and no one would know. But this is a military camp. There are countless eyes watching under the command of the Northern Garrison Commander. If someone with ulterior motives impeaches you for the crime of illegally possessing and selling black gold, you won't even be able to stay in Danzhou. It's a capital offense!"

"Oh? It's that serious?"

Jiang Yutang turned pale with fright and quickly explained, "No one saw me bring them here; they were all secretly brought in under the cover of darkness."

Seeing her flustered appearance, Jiang Jiuzhe sighed: "Who did you get this from? Was it that young master from before?"

Jiang Yutang lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, and remained silent.

"You!" Jiang Jiuzhe was furious, and helplessly flicked his sleeves. "Didn't your father specifically tell you not to associate with that person anymore?"

“I…we’re just business partners right now.” Jiang Yutang looked up, feeling wronged. “Besides, he’s the best supplier. Only he can get these things, so I have no reason not to use him. And…Lan Zhou knows about this too.”

Jiang Jiuze choked, unsure how to refute.

He was silent for a moment, his brows furrowed: "It's too late to say all this now. What do you plan to do? We can't just leave all this stuff piled up here."

Jiang Yutang rolled her eyes, raised her eyelids to carefully observe the angry person, and made a suggestion in a low voice.

"How about... I go ask Lan Zhou? He has some influence in the camp now, maybe he can help us find a solution, such as registering these black gold as military supplies, or finding a reasonable excuse to cover it up."

Jiang Jiuzhe pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "That's the only way. His identity makes him the most suitable person to step forward. Go find him as soon as possible; this matter cannot be delayed."

Seeing that the crisis had a temporary solution, Jiang Yutang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly dragged out several large cardboard boxes from the corner.

"Second brother, look, these are the materials for making a greenhouse for rice. There is insulation cotton and plastic sheeting inside. We will first dig out the seedbed and level the soil. Once the greenhouse is built, we can start sowing."

Jiang Jiuze shook his head helplessly as he watched her instantly regain her energy.

Jiang Yutang, stroking his chin, continued, "It's almost December now. The land is so spacious. By the time the seedling shed is set up and the soil is turned over, it will probably be a month or two later. That will be right at the beginning of spring, just in time for sowing."

She turned to Jiang Jiuzhe and said generously, "The fertilizer I brought can be used not only for rice but also for other agricultural purposes. Second brother, feel free to use it."

Jiang Jiuzhe nodded slightly, walked quickly to the corner where the steel bars were piled up, grabbed a thick plastic bag from the side and carefully covered it, then tied it tightly with a rope.

Back in the tent at dusk, Jiang Yutang went straight to the kitchen.

Ever since the soldiers in the camp all knew that she was Cheng Lanzhou's wife, the cooks treated her with exceptional courtesy, even keeping the fire burning brightest for her.

She tied on an apron, took out the instant noodles she had brought from the food box, cooked a steaming bowl of braised beef noodles, and then cracked a golden poached egg on top, intending to deliver it to Cheng Lanzhou as a late-night snack.

She took the token, said goodbye to her family, and then walked alone toward the military camp.

Upon arriving at the gate, the soldiers checked her token and immediately sent a soldier to escort her inside.

This was her second time entering a military camp since arriving in Danzhou.

The first time was to deliver medicine, but this time it's to visit her husband.

When the soldiers in the camp saw her, they all stopped what they were doing and looked at her with curiosity, whispering among themselves.

"Who is that girl? She looks quite pretty."

"Could she be General Cheng's wife?"

Someone deliberately lowered their voice in surprise and said, "Huh? Weren't they planning to divorce? This doesn't seem like it!"

Jiang Yutang gave a helpless twitch of her lips, thinking to herself that when this man got gossipy, he was no less so than a woman.

The soldier who led the way took her to Cheng Lanzhou's tent and respectfully pointed inside.

"Madam Cheng, General Cheng is inside."

The sound of "Madam Cheng" made Jiang Yutang feel lightheaded, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

She thanked him softly, her left hand holding the food box, her right hand unconsciously adjusting her clothes and hair, and slowly lifting the tent flap.

In the center of the tent stood a screen painted with landscapes. She hid behind the screen and peeked out, seeing Cheng Lanzhou sitting at the desk, writing intently.

"What's up?"

Hearing the noise, Cheng Lanzhou didn't even look up, her voice carrying a hint of coldness.

Jiang Yutang chuckled softly, deliberately lowering her voice and mimicking the tone of a soldier in the barracks.