The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 353 The Dying Man (9)_1

Chapter 353: Chapter 353 The Dying Man (9)_1

The people were all so grateful that they hurried home to prepare their lands for planting autumn sweet potatoes. Left and right, lower-quality fields growing wheat couldn’t yield much grain. Planting sweet potatoes on the other hand could bring in a higher harvest!

Once the Wang family and the Chang family had their two hundred mu of land ready, Pei Qin, along with Pei Yuan and a few little radishes, went to Tian Zhuang. Along with Chen Gua’s family, they spent three days and finally cut out sweet potato seedlings for over four hundred mu of land.

Within their own Tian Zhuang, Pei Qin decided to plant more than ten mu with sweet potatoes, and the rest she planted with wheat. They also needed flour for eating and for the noodle shop, and continually buying flour from outside was not sustainable due to the high cost.

After the autumn harvest, it was assumed that fewer people would plant sweet potatoes because everyone needed to plant wheat. In the eyes and hearts of the farmers, wheat, corn, sorghum, and millet were the true staple grains.

However, those whose lands were poor and hoped for a high yield to fill their bellies all planted sweet potatoes on their lower-quality fields or cleared out an additional three or four mu for sweet potatoes.

Pei Houli also hurried over with an ox-cart, bringing Lady Zhu to buy sweet potato seedlings.

When the Sun Quanliang family saw them, they said, "Not for sale!" The young owner had given his word that they would sell to anyone, except the people from Old Pei’s House.

After Pei Wenli’s success in the examinations, Lady Zhu held herself even higher, feeling that riding in an ox-cart was below her status and wanting to buy a mule cart instead. Upon seeing her alight from the ox-cart and hearing the Sun Quanliang family bluntly refusing to sell, her face darkened immediately, "Didn’t you see who I am? You still won’t sell to our family!?"

"It’s precisely because we saw who you are that we won’t sell! We’ll sell to anyone else, just not to your family!" The Sun Quanliang family shot her a disdainful look, grinning without any warmth in their smile. So what if someone from your family became a Scholar and opened a shop? That’s nothing great! Look at our young owner, at such a young age, he’s already acquainted with aristocratic families and officials. Even if someone from your family became a Graduate and an official, they wouldn’t be able to compete!

"You..." Lady Zhu glared with fury, wanting to curse at her for bringing down her own status as an old lady, yet swallowing the words was infuriating too.

Others who came to buy sweet potato seedlings began to whisper among themselves as well.

"What are you looking at! I am the grandmother of that damned girl Pei Qin! No matter how capable they are, they are still the grandchildren of Old Pei’s House and can’t escape that fact! We as a family will do as we please. Who are you to gossip with your big mouths!?" Lady Zhu scolded. Wherever she went, people pointed fingers at her, but she was now a lady of high status!

The Sun Quanliang family muttered dismissively, "It was Young Master Shen who said it; we’re not selling to your family! You should go talk to Young Master Shen yourself!"

This land was still registered under Shen Songming’s name.

Lady Zhu, seeing that she couldn’t buy any, clenched her teeth and cursed, "You think just because you don’t sell, I won’t be able to get sweet potato seedlings!?"

As for those who pinched some from other people’s fields and subsequently sold it to her family, Pei Qin didn’t care; after all, they would not sell sweet potato seedlings to Old Pei’s House.

Qian Wanxiu insisted that their family must plant sweet potatoes, so Lady Zhu still found a way to acquire the seedlings, planting a little over two mu because there weren’t any more seedlings available.

Fang Hui’s house also rushed to plant over five mu, spending the Mid-Autumn Festival in the fields. Pei Qin, claiming she was busy, only came to deliver mooncakes and meat without staying for a meal. It was fine for her, hearing that the Fang family hadn’t stayed for a meal either. She was busy helping the Wang family and Chang family plant autumn sweet potatoes, which made Fang Hui feel somewhat better.

The busy farming period had just ended when relative visits began, the news being that Feng Bo’s marriage was settled, with the wedding date fixed for November 12. Marrying a wife right before the new year would be perfect, and he insisted that Sister Peiqin and her siblings make sure to come over early to celebrate the wedding.

Pei Qin nonchalantly agreed.

Fang Hui then brought up her wish to start a small business, mentioning that there were shopkeepers from Runing Prefecture who came to order soy sauce, which made Pei Qin busy again.

Neither Pei Yuan nor Pei Qian had kind words to say, and without any options left, seeing that she still wasn’t close with Pei Qin, Fang Hui resorted to bringing up Grandma Fang and Lady Yu.

Lady Yu was not very keen to speak.

Both the palms and backs of hands are flesh, the families needed to stick together; having conflicts and misunderstandings should be empathized with, and once past, should be left behind. Grandma Fang brought around ten goose eggs, a piece of cured meat for the New Year, and a basket full of vegetables.

Pei Qin, after listening for a while, only asked Grandma Fang one question, "I don’t like beating around the bush. Which of our family’s businesses does she want?"

Grandma Fang’s face stiffened, and she struggled to find words, "...Qinqin, your aunt... she didn’t mean it like that."

They seemed very busy, and indeed they were. Apart from the workshop, there was only the fried peanuts and sesame pancake stand left. Selling fried sweet potato balls had also decreased due to the popularity of sweet potatoes. It was only during the busy time of harvesting sweet potatoes that they were extremely busy.

Pei Qin thought for a while and then considered kimchi. Growing tired of the discussion, she took out pen and paper and wrote down the method for making spicy kimchi for Grandma Fang, "This is the only thing I can think of, as I don’t plan to do it this year."

Grandma Fang hesitated to take it, but Pei Qin stuffed it into her hands.

When Grandma Fang took the recipe back home uneasily and presented it to Old Scholar Fang,

Old Scholar Fang looked over the recipe, his face darkened as he stared at Grandma Fang, "You planned against your own niece and now covet her business. Just because you asked for it outright and got it easily, you think it’s okay to shed your pride at your age!?"

"It’s almost been a year, our families must unite. That’s why I tried to mediate a few words. I didn’t directly ask Qinqin for anything!" Grandma Fang defended herself in a low voice.

Old Scholar Fang, furious, waved the paper in his hand, "If we take this recipe, it’ll surely lead to a complete fallout between our families!" With that, he tore the paper into shreds.

Fang Li, listening from the outside, felt a pang of regret at the loss. He, too, had thought about kimchi.