Chapter 115: Chun Xiang Without Worries

  Li was a man of great prestige in the village, and his handling of matters was fair, so he was highly respected. Zhong Gensheng felt embarrassed to trouble him several times, but Li thought that although the Zhong family was a bit dull, they at least knew how to show their appreciation every time, even if it was just something worthless. At least it showed that they knew how to treat people and respect him, so Li was very polite to them. His expression remained calm, and his gaze towards Shen Sisi was thoughtful.

  The Zhong family's braised meat is making a fuss in the village again, last time it was chestnuts, this time it's braised meat, all thanks to this little girl, who would have thought that the Zhong family had such an intelligent and good daughter.

  It seems that the Zhong family is destined to rise, thinking of this, Li Zheng's heart is also filled with jealousy. However, the villagers can freely discuss the Zhong family's affairs, admiring and resenting them, but he cannot, even if his heart itches, he dare not be the first to speak out. Li Zheng's position is actually not easy to sit in, once you provoke the entire village, it will be troublesome.

  It's just Zhong's family braised meat, but it's really profitable. Now the Zhongs are likely to become the new rich in the village.

  "Ah..." Zhong Gensheng scratched his head, saying: "This time I came to trouble you, Lǐzhèng, is to ask about the price of that wasteland on the west side..."

  Li Zheng was taken aback and said, "The price of that wasteland is not high, but the area is large, so the total price is very high. Moreover, it's not sold separately, and no one has bought it for several years... It's better to buy good land if your family wants to buy some."

  Zhong Gensheng smiled and said, "I'm not planning to buy land for farming either. My family has many people, mainly I want to buy that piece of land to build a house, so in the future it will be good for my children to get married..."

  Li's face changed color in shock, thinking to himself that buying land wasn't a big deal, but rebuilding the house at this price was too expensive. Had the Zhong family already made all this money?!

  "Your family only has three mu of land, and it's poor land at that. Why don't you think about buying some more to plant?" Li Zheng asked with a smile, testing the waters.

  "To be honest, I want my kids to have a good future, so the second and third child are sent to school. The eldest is left with my wife and the fourth child, but we can't cultivate that much land, and our family doesn't have brothers to help out like others do. My siblings aren't around, and my parents are at my older brother's place... how can we manage?!... Luckily, our daughter-in-law's braised meat business is still making some money, otherwise... sigh..."

  Zhong Gen Sheng sighed and said: "There are many children at home, they have all grown up, so we thought of building a house. Our old house is too small, even if we demolish it, it's not enough to live in. That's why we wanted to buy a piece of land to build a house. The land on the west side is suitable, it's a good location, but our family can't afford it. Although the total price is expensive, the place is big, and it will be convenient for the children to do things in the future. We can also open up the empty space and plant some land, killing two birds with one stone, it's like buying a field..."

  On the way, Shen Sisi had reminded him not to tell others about their family plans. Zhong Gensheng was honest, but he understood this point and didn't need her reminder. Besides, the Zhong family in the village was already very eye-catching, so he wouldn't say everything to outsiders.

  Li Zheng smiled and said, "Alright, since you've thought it through and want to buy it, I'm more than happy. How about this? We'll go through the formalities tomorrow. This piece of land has been unsold for a long time, and once we get the county government's approval, it's all settled. It's ten mu of land, thirty taels of silver in total. To get the deed from the county government, you'll also need to pay three taels of silver as processing fees. What do you think?"

  "Alright..." Zhong Gensheng scratched his head and said, "Then it's settled...". He then bid farewell and prepared to go into town early the next day. Fortunately, he had bought two pigs back today, otherwise he would have had to buy them tomorrow, which would have been a hassle.

  Inside, the hostess was still politely asking them to stay for dinner, but Zhong Gensheng refused to stay and eat. It was still early, he had to go home and do some work. After they left, Shen Sisi whispered: "Dad, tomorrow morning, we'll go together."

  "Alright." Zhong Gensheng had dealt with the county government before, and upon hearing this, he felt a bit uneasy. Shen Sisi followed him, and for some reason, he felt more at ease in his heart, and his unstable mind gradually calmed down.

  As they walked home, he said again: "Tuni, shall we bring some gifts when going to the government office?"

  Shen Sisi nodded and said: "It's too conspicuous to bring gifts, just slip in a few silver coins..."

  "It'll cost thirty-four taels of silver to buy this land...” Zhong Gensheng said helplessly: “But it's just a few days' income, never mind. With the money earned in the past few days, I can buy such a big piece of land, which is unthinkable. One should be content with what one has..."

  Deep in thought, Shen Si deeply felt that one can only appreciate the preciousness of food after experiencing hunger.

  Zhong Gensheng and Shen Sisi left, Li Zheng walked out and asked: "...... What did their family send?! Is it prey again?!"

  The young woman shook her head and smiled: "Don't you smell the fragrance? It's braised meat and dried tofu, two catties of meat were sent over. I heard it sells for 40 cents a catty in the city. Smelling it is really fragrant, come try some and see if it tastes good!"

  Li Zheng took a sip and said, "It's really good stuff." He savored another mouthful, and after taking another bite, he felt that the more he ate, the more fragrant it became, and it was truly delicious. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.

  Li Zheng's daughter also took a bite and said, "Even this ordinary fermented bean curd has become so delicious, no wonder the villagers say that the Zhong family is really going to prosper now."

  Li Zheng nodded in agreement and said after a while: "In the future, they will be more polite when they come, I think their family's luck is not shallow."

  Two children are reading books, who knows if they will become Xiucai in the future. If they do, it would be a great honor for their village, which currently has no living Xiucai. There was one many years ago, but unfortunately, he passed away. The village only has a few children studying, and Zheng's family sent their child to study in town. As for the others, it's hard to say if they have what it takes to be scholars, except perhaps for the Zhong family...

  Li Zheng thought to himself, even a girl is so clever, at such a young age her brain is already so sharp, if it were a boy, the fortune would be even greater. So, since the child of the Zhong family is so intelligent, it's hard to guarantee that the second and third children won't be intelligent too, what if...

  "You don't say, I understand..." The wife glanced at him and said: "Well, our Chunxiang is indeed a good match for Dabao. Unfortunately, that Tian Guihua is clever. Humph, using this sly method, she's taken advantage of the situation. Everyone says Dabao and Niu Xiaohua have something going on, but I don't believe it. Niu Xiaohua rarely leaves the house, and Dabao is a very honest person... how could they possibly..."

  Heaved a sigh full of regret.

  "Stop talking nonsense..."

  "Xunxiang isn't home, is she..." The young woman smiled and said: "If she were at home, I wouldn't dare say these things... But, as the head of the household, what do you think about Er Bao and San Bao? San Bao is indeed a bit younger... Although the Zhong family was poor in the past, who knows what will happen in the future..."

  In her heart, Li Zheng also had thoughts, but she said: "They are now attending a private school to read books. What if they become scholars and look down on our family's Chunxiang?"

  "Our family's Chunxiang is not inferior, how can she not match up to the old Zhong family... You are the village head, even if they have a scholar in their family, who dares not to give you face?!" The village head's wife snorted: "I think the old couple of the Zhong family are really honest, our Chunxiang will have a good life after marrying into their family, they have money and are from the same village, knowing each other's roots... those two children are truly honest..."

  She always thinks of her daughter, with the intention of marrying her off to a good family, a kind and gentle household, the closer to home the better, so she can take care of her, and they won't dare treat her daughter badly.

  In his heart, he was slightly moved, but didn't make a sound. This kind of thing can only be figured out by oneself, and now in the village, who knows how many families have their eyes on them? It's better to wait for an opportunity.

  "It doesn't matter if Zhong is a scholar or not, as long as he's a good person and life is going well...". The wife added: "Right, what did they want from you?!"

  "Buy land on the west side and build a house..." Li Zheng said softly.

  "What, isn't that piece of land worth thirty taels?! They must be really rich now?! It seems like braised meat is indeed extremely profitable..." Li Zheng's daughter's heart was racing even faster, almost as if she couldn't wait to marry her daughter off immediately.

  She thought that after building a house, the Zhong family really lived a good life, and her daughter didn't have to be humiliated in the earthen cottage of the Zhong family.

  "Yes, I'm also wondering. Thirty or forty taels of silver, plus the cost of building a house, isn't that a small fortune?... " Li Zheng's mind was increasingly stirred up, guessing how much wealth the Zhong family had now.

  I'm afraid it's just going to get more and more expensive in the future.

  I don't know what that little girl called Tuni was thinking, how could she be so clever? If there was a scholar in the Zhong family, the status of the Zhong family would have completely turned around in the village and among their relatives.

  With a plan in place, things naturally went more smoothly. Shen Sisi and Zhong Gensheng set off early the next day. Since they were going with Li Zheng, they borrowed Niu Laogen's donkey cart, which Niu Laogen readily agreed to.

  Their family, if they built a house, would also need to build a cowshed. Later, when doing business, they would inevitably need to use cows to pull carts, as it's too tiring for people to carry them on their backs. Moreover, the two Er Gouzi have already set out on their own, and the six little ones can each take care of a stall, making more money that way...

  But these plans have to wait until the house is built, no big kitchen, no cattle cart, nothing will do. Now their home is really unbearable, too cramped. Shen Sisi sat on the donkey cart in a daze, thinking about her plan in her heart. When she thought it through and came back to herself, she found that Li Zheng was sizing her up with a probing gaze. Shen Sisi's heart skipped a beat, "Uncle Li Zheng?!"