The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 209: The Hero Seizes Wealth and Beauty (9)_1

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: The Hero Seizes Wealth and Beauty (9)_1

She didn’t pay much attention to anything else, focusing on teaching Wang Ting and a few others how to skate on the sliding board.

Sun Tiezhu also came with her and just waited on the side. By noon, after Pei Qin finished teaching, she went with him to talk to the shopkeeper of the Wang family about renewing the contract.

Initially, Sun Tiezhu was worried that the Wang family wouldn’t want to renew the contract, since sliding boards were not difficult to make. Any skilled carpenter the Wangs hired could probably make better ones than they did.

Unexpectedly, the Wangs renewed the contract anyway, asking Sun Tiezhu to deliver a certain number of sliding boards each month, and then they would inform him how much of what type of wood to order based on sales.

Pei Qin didn’t take a cut of this money. Sun Tiezhu wasn’t willing, but in the end they agreed that for the sliding boards sold through her efforts, she would receive a commission, albeit a smaller one. The same would apply to hand-pulled carts and hand-pushed carts too.

She taught until the afternoon. After making arrangements with Wang Ting and the little radishes for the next time she would come over, she went home as the sky was already turning dark.

After being busy like this for over ten days, the elm trees not far from the front door had sprouted fresh elm seeds.

Pei Qin had intended to climb the tree directly, but seeing others also picking elm seeds, she took a bamboo pole, tied a sickle to it, and picked a large basket of elm seeds to bring home.

That evening she chopped meat stuffing, mixed in the elm seeds, scalded some dough, and made scalded dough buns filled with elm seeds, as well as cooked a sticky porridge with elm seeds.

Hearing that Pei Qin was sending buns to Old Father Kong, Mo Heng also fumbled his way out the door.

"Give him two to take away!" Pei Qin grabbed two and placed them on a plate.

Pei Wendong carried it out to Mo Heng.

The unique sweetness of elm seeds mixed with the savory meat filling and the special flavor of the dough. The buns weren’t big, and after eating two, Mo Heng felt unsatisfied.

They also sent a few to Sun Tiezhu’s house, and only after that did the siblings settle in the house to have dinner.

Pei Qin loved elm seeds, Chinese toon, and locust flowers - delights that, once their season passed, couldn’t be tasted for a year. Every year, Pei’s mother would run far to gather them or simply take Pei Qin back to the countryside to gorge before returning.

Various dishes like elm seed cakes, elm seed buns, elm seed porridge, elm seed rice, fried elm seeds, and elm seed cornbread - Pei Qin could eat a whole week without repeating a single one.

In Taiping Town, there were plenty of elm seeds, and although the trees were private property, everyone was free to pick the elm seeds to eat as long as they didn’t break the branches or ruin the seeds.

The night before, Pei Qin killed a spent hen she bought and stewed a pot of soup. The next day, she got up early, soaked the elm seeds in chicken broth, mixed them with flour, and steamed a large pot of them.

Feng Wei waited until Pei Qin was out before coming over to chat and purchase a bowl of elm seed rice.

Pei Yuan was a bit puzzled as this attendant seemed quite afraid of her older sister. She served him two large bowls of elm seed rice, drizzling a little chili oil on top.

After tidying up, Pei Qin packed up the elm seeds and brought them to sell at her noodle stall.

At the market, there were other vendors selling elm seed rice and cakes. Some curious customers bought a portion to try.

After the market, Pei Qin carried a bag of fresh elm seeds and rushed to Yuanyang City to teach Wang Ting and others how to skate on sliding boards.

The next day, Chang Yonglin hurried over, saw the steamed and fried elm seeds at the noodle stall, and after he and his little companion each had a bowl, they couldn’t finish their rice noodles.

The season for elm seeds only lasted about ten days; after that, they would become too old.

The siblings finally had no more elm seeds on their dining table and switched back to regular meals, with Pei Yuan quietly breathing a sigh of relief. Her sister hadn’t always been so obsessed with elm seeds. These days she felt like everything she ate and even her dreams were filled with the flavor of elm seeds.

When the time of elm seeds had passed, the results of the spring examinations came out.

Fang Fu passed, and although he was ranked quite low, he still earned the title of Scholar, which meant the Fang family now had an additional Scholar.

On the other hand, Pei Wenli, who had been praised by his teacher and moved to the county school with a monetary gift, didn’t pass. The thirty taels of silver Pei Zongli had sent were all in vain.

Lady Chen couldn’t accept it, convinced that it was Pei Qin who had meddled through her connections with the Wang or Chang families to ensure Pei Wenli’s failure. Her eldest son had entered the county school, and her second son had also sent silver, convinced it was a sure thing, so how could he have failed?

As soon as she said this, Lady Zhu immediately affirmed, blaming Pei Qin for the misfortune, accusing her of using the workshop to win over Pei Lizheng. Her own second son’s scholarly title still hadn’t been restored, and now her eldest grandson’s academic examination was ruined by that damned little wretch. Lady Fang shouldn’t have died; it was that little wretch who deserved to die! Even if Lady Fang lived, she could be dealt with easily, but that little wretch was like a bone-eating ghoul!

When Pei Wenli joined the county school, he discovered many students there just like him who had excellent knowledge and were auditing the classes. Additionally, sons of wealthy families from Yuanyang County, who had studied outside, had come back for the examinations. His knowledge wasn’t poor, but with only thirty taels of silver and a sullied reputation from before the new year, how could he have had a chance of becoming a Scholar?

His failure to pass, whereas Fang Fu from the Fang family did, had now likely become a source of ridicule for many people courtng the Fangs.

Seeing him somewhat dejected, Pei Zongli gave him some advice but had no excess energy to spare for him. He wanted to take this chance to reclaim his own title of Scholar. Even if it cost a lot of money, having the title would make many things easier to handle.