Chapter 113 Let's Go into the Mountains Together

Chapter 113 Let's Go into the Mountains Together

Rice with millet and sorghum wasn't as tasty as plain white rice, but the four of them still ate it with great relish. After all, in Mingfu Village today, their living conditions were among the best.

This wasn't very noticeable in Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan, who used to be able to eat their fill, but it was so obvious in Xiao Yang and Chen Yuan that the villagers were very envious.

Xiao Yang, who used to be skin and bones, is now in much better shape, weight and height than most of her peers.

Chen Yuan, who was already very healthy, has gained so much weight that her face has become rounder. Her originally dark and thin oval face has now become a cute, rosy and delicate round face.

Not only did her parents consider sending her younger brother to Xie Wanniang's house to be raised, but many other families in the village also had this idea.

Of course, the impulse is only momentary; once they calm down, they won't actually do it.

Chen Zhao and Wang Xiaozhi not only did not send their son over, but every now and then they would send over some eggs, flour and other things in addition to the food rations, so as not to let their own child take too much advantage of Xie Wanniang in terms of food.

As for the other villagers, they were well aware of why Chen Yuan and Xiao Yang were raised so well.

To put it bluntly, it's simply that Xie Wanniang is willing to spend money on food.

If they were willing to do that, then even if they raised their children in their own homes, their children would still grow up to be healthy and chubby, just like the children of Chen Lizheng and other wealthy families in the village.

Conversely, if they are unwilling to spend money on food for their children, even if they send their children to Xie Wan's parents' house, Xie Wan's parents will only treat them as crazy and beat them up.

After all, they have no relation to them and would never help them raise their child.

Of course, there were also a few clever ones who took their children to Xie Wanniang and said they wanted to sell their children to her.

When Xie Wanniang first heard what they were saying, she thought she was just too busy and confused, and was even hallucinating.

She rubbed her ears. "Could you say that again? I didn't quite hear what you just said."

After they all repeated what they had said, she stared at them blankly, speechless, and said, "I didn't say I wanted to buy anyone!"

Fortunately, she had heard that the people knocking on the door were not familiar. After opening the door, she did not let them into the house, but blocked the entrance to her yard and asked them what they wanted from her.

Originally intending to enter the house, the families were instead held in place by Xie Wannian's arms, her cold, warning gaze, and her eager right foot. They could only curse Xie Wannian in their hearts for her lack of manners while forcing a smile and trying to sell their children to her.

Xie Wanniang's gaze swept over the several scruffy, dark-skinned, and skinny boys they had brought over. She thought to herself, "What are these people thinking, bringing a bunch of boys to me, a young woman like me? Are they expecting me, an unmarried girl, to become a mother without any pain and to pay them to raise their children?"

So they think they're all smart, that they're all geniuses?

Let alone these are all boys, even if they were girls, unless they were like Xiaoyang, whose life was hanging by a thread and who had been abandoned by their own families, she would never have bought them to raise from a young age, right?

Wouldn't a ready-made servant be more appealing?

After driving away all those with ulterior motives, Xie Wanniang found Deng Xiaoyan and Wang Xiaozhi and asked them to spread the word in casual conversation that "Xie Wanniang will no longer buy people into her family," so as to prevent anyone from trying to take advantage of her in this way.

The next day, Xie Wanniang went into the mountains with Jiang Yuan.

Chen Yuan had gone home with her embroidery hoop the night before, before sunset. When Wang Xiaozhi came to pick her up, Xie Wanniang told Wang Xiaozhi that she was going into the mountains for a few days.

Xiao Yang was entrusted to Hao Yu and Chen Shi. Chen Shi was pregnant, and Hao Yu was worried about leaving her alone at home, so she did not go to the deep mountains with Jiang Yuan and Xie Wan Niang.

The two hid all the valuables in their house, and asked Hao Yu and Chen to help them keep an eye on the movements of the two families. Then, with the various pills, powders, silver needles, dry food, seasonings, and other necessities for going into the mountains that Xie Wanniang had prepared early in the morning, they crossed two low hills near the village and went to a high mountain that was more remote and frequented only by hunters and herbalists.

At the foot of this mountain is a village named Da'ao Village, based on the terrain where the village is located.

Unlike Mingfu Village, where most villagers make a living by farming, this area is mostly mountainous with few plains. So, apart from cultivating a small amount of land, the villagers spend most of their time in the mountains, making a living by gathering mountain products and herbs, as well as hunting.

As a result, almost every household in the area keeps a dog and has a hunter.

Of course, although these hunters were more skilled than the other villagers in Mingfu Village, they were still significantly inferior to Jiang Yuan and Hao Yu, who had received specialized training.

Jiang Yuan chose this mountain, which was relatively close to their village, for two reasons. First, he didn't want Xie Wanniang to camp out in the mountains with him. Second, if they caught any large prey, such as wild boar or wild sheep, they would have to hire people to help them.

Staying at the home of a hunter he had dealt with in Da'ao Village, he could not only get a good rest at night, but also hire people to help carry the game down the mountain if the two of them couldn't transport it themselves, and rent an oxcart in the village to transport the game to the town as soon as possible.

As they traveled over mountains and valleys, Jiang Yuan introduced Da'ao Village to Xie Wan's mother, who was dressed in coarse cloth and short clothes.

“There are 29 households in Da’ao Village, all of whom are surnamed Wang or Lü. Everyone is related to each other, whether by distance or closeness.”

"Three of the households consisted only of elderly people and children. The family we stayed with this time had only an old lady and two children under ten years old."

Xie Wanniang was shocked, "Then how do they make a living?"

“They farm, dig for wild vegetables, pick mushrooms, and harvest various mountain products. In addition, other families in the village would occasionally help them with some food. Also, when we stayed there, the lodging fee was salt and various coarse grains.”

Xie Wanniang suddenly realized, "No wonder you specially carried a bag of sorghum rice and a bag of bean flour."

Jiang Yuan gazed into the distance. "Staying at their house for the night only costs one jin of bean flour. In addition, we'll need to give them two jin of rice and flour a day for our meals. Besides these, I plan to trade the rest with them for some mountain products to take back."

What he didn't say was that if he and Xie Wanniang shared a room, they would only need to pay half a jin of bean flour for the night.

They are not married yet, and Jiang Yuan does not want to wrong Xie Wanniang, so he will not let Xie Wanniang live in the same room as him just to save half a pound of bean flour.