Chapter 26: Working Together

The courtyard gate was knocked upon, and it was the somewhat frail Third Aunt who opened it.

"Oh, it's Yunqing. I haven't had a chance to thank you for helping us yesterday."

Tears welled up in Third Aunt's eyes. She took Liang Yunqing’s hand and led her into the room. The child on the bed had broken their fever and was sleeping soundly after nursing.

Auntie Ma and Da Niu were still out working the soil. Liang Yunqing briefly explained the plan for their cooperation, and Third Aunt immediately expressed her full understanding and agreement. After drinking a glass of warm water, Liang Yunqing told her to rest while she herself took the seeds to Auntie Ma's plot.

From a distance, she spotted the two of them resting on the embankment. Auntie Ma was wiping sweat from her forehead, and Da Niu was lying panting on a pile of grass. Just turning over the soil for three mu of land had taken them the entire morning. Liang Yunqing walked up to them and said, "Auntie, I've brought the seeds. You two should take a break."

"Yunqing, come, come! I'll plant them right now."

As soon as Auntie Ma saw Liang Yunqing, she regained her strength. She couldn't thank her enough for saving her grandson and daughter-in-law yesterday, not to mention that she still owed her money. Now, Auntie Ma’s only thought was to plant the prickly ash trees as quickly as possible to pay off her debt.

"No need to rush."

Liang Yunqing handed over the seeds and looked at the field, thinking to herself that she would have to come back in the middle of the night to use the converter.

"By the way, Yunqing, what about that fertilizer you mentioned? I can apply it in a little while." Auntie Ma patted the dirt off her clothes.

"Oh, that fertilizer was provided by the merchant who buys the prickly ash. She told me not to spread the word, so I'll give it to you later, Auntie." Liang Yunqing quickly found a plausible excuse, and only felt relieved when she saw them nod in belief.

She still needed to check on the business in town. Leaving the fields, Liang Yunqing headed toward the village entrance, sighing that she could never seem to catch a moment of rest.

"Uncle Ma, Uncle Ma, take me with you!"

Seeing the carriage starting to leave the village, Liang Yunqing waved and shouted. Hearing a familiar voice, Uncle Ma pulled on the reins.

"Whoa—Yunqing, girl, why are you heading to town again today?" Uncle Ma asked with a chuckle. He already knew from delivering the siu mai that morning that the town business had been handed over to an older woman to watch.

"Just want to check on things so I can be at ease."

Liang Yunqing found a comfortable spot and sat down, leaning against the wooden side of the cart to catch a nap. While passing the main road they had traveled the previous night, she suddenly remembered the group of people who had appeared so mysteriously. It was strange, as this village was tucked away in such a remote area that even merchant caravans rarely used this road, let alone a troop of soldiers in uniform with such an intimidating aura. Thinking of this, she decided to ask about it.

"Uncle Ma, do you remember that group of people we encountered last night?"

Uncle Ma paused, recalling the details of the previous night before speaking with some uncertainty, "They must have been soldiers returning to the capital. Troops used to pass by this road outside our village quite often."

Hearing this, Liang Yunqing stopped dwelling on it. Perhaps last night’s encounter was just a coincidence; for now, the most important thing was to make money.

After getting off the carriage, she saw from afar that Old Woman Miao had already wiped the wooden table and steamer clean, and the siu mai had all been sold.

"Grandma Miao, Yuanbao."

Liang Yunqing walked over and picked up Yuanbao, who was helping to tidy up on the ground. Old Woman Miao was overjoyed to see her, though the injuries on her face hadn't fully healed, making it painful for her to smile.

"Miss Liang, we've sold everything. We made 591 wen today, and it's all right here." She took out a cloth bag from under the table and pressed it into Liang Yunqing’s arms.

"I only want my cost back—400 wen for the 200 siu mai. The rest belongs to you and Yuanbao." She counted out 191 wen and tried to hand it back, but Old Woman Miao refused to take it. She felt guilty, as Liang Yunqing had even paid for her medicine earlier; how could she possibly accept this extra money?

"Take it, or I won't let you sell for me anymore." Liang Yunqing pretended to threaten her and stuffed the money into the pocket of Yuanbao's tunic. Seeing that the little girl's dress was getting short, she added, "Use this money to buy Yuanbao a new dress."

Old Woman Miao’s eyes turned red. Looking at Liang Yunqing, who was dressed in coarse, patched hemp clothes, she felt even more ashamed. Liang Yunqing noticed the look, but she simply couldn't afford to spend money on clothes right now with the system tasks hanging over her head. Once the prickly ash started bringing in a profit, she would definitely buy a few new sets of clothes.

"Alright, alright, don't drag your feet. Just focus on selling the siu mai well from now on, and don't let anyone else snatch the business away."

Old Woman Miao nodded solemnly, silently vowing to run the stall well. Seeing that they had finally accepted the money, Liang Yunqing felt relieved and headed home with the steamer. Upon entering, she saw Li Pinghua preparing the next batch of siu mai.

"Yunqing's back. How did they do?"

"Everything sold out. I got the 400 wen back, here you go." Liang Yunqing tossed the bag over and continued, "This is the cost for the raw materials; the rest is your own profit."

Liang Yunhua counted it quickly, her eyes curving into smiles when she confirmed it was correct. She happily clutched the bag and went back to work in the kitchen.

Lady Chu was stir-frying the mature prickly ash they had harvested earlier; this was a technique Liang Yunqing had taught only to her. Keeping the heat low, she stirred constantly to ensure the fragrance was locked inside the shells. Some of the finished product was already sitting in a bamboo basket nearby. It looked like about five or six jin.

This was still a long way from the 100-jin goal. With the converter’s help, the yield from the family's one mu of land should be around 20 jin, and adding the three mu from Auntie Ma's, the first month's quota of 100 jin should be no problem. However, if she wanted to increase production later, she might need to acquire more land. For now, she couldn't let too many people know about this. Though the villagers were mostly honest and kind, jealousy was common, and one had to be careful.

After dinner, Liang Yunqing lay on the bed, feigning sleep. Only when the house was quiet and the others were in a deep slumber did she crawl out cautiously. Wrapping herself in a coat, she followed the moonlight to Auntie Ma's field.

[Host, shall we start the converter now?]

Yes, start it now.

[Understood, Host. Please outline the area to be converted.]

Liang Yunqing skillfully circled the three mu of Auntie Ma's land on the screen.

[Confirmed. The converter is now running. Conversion is expected to be completed in two hours.]

With the job done, Liang Yunqing strolled back along the country path, her expression content as the sound of insects filled the night. This brief moment of leisure was enough to satisfy her. She returned to her room and went back to sleep.

At daybreak, Li Pinghua left to deliver the siu mai, while the others began searching the hills for wild prickly ash trees. It would take time for the seeds to bear fruit, so finding existing trees was the most reliable method. After waking up and washing, Liang Yunqing headed straight to Auntie Ma's field.

She walked toward the group of people standing on the embankment: Third Aunt, Da Niu, Auntie Ma, and her grandson. They were all staring blankly at the three mu of fertile land.

Was this really their land?

"Auntie Ma, why is everyone here?"