Mrs. Li Zhou was sent away, and the crowd watching the show thinned out a bit. However, most people remained gathered, as they were interested to know what Long Yue had to say about the dicine field.
"Mr. Li Zheng, this matter is actually quite simple. I have here a detailed plan on how to cultivate dicinal herbs, including how to plant them, choose the right season, and important precautions. It’s all written out in detail. You just need soone literate to provide guidance."
Long Yue took out a notebook, a precious compilation of notes she had been keeping over the months while living with Duanmu Nan. However, this was only a small portion and a simplified version at that.
She had calculated this matter perfectly. This information would not be given for free. She wasn’t a philanthropist dedicated to helping the weak and the poor!
As long as the villagers received this information and planted so dicinal herbs, the money they would earn at harvest ti would be more than from growing grain. Eventually, the whole village would be planting it.
But, with so many people planting just a few types of dicinal herbs, the price would inevitably drop due to oversupply. At that ti, Long Yue would introduce the planting techniques for other herbs, and soone would surely follow. However, by then, the information wouldn’t be free!
"But there aren’t many literate people here. We’re just farrs; why is it so complicated? And we don’t even recognize these herbs!"
A village woman grumbled, and others joined in the complaint.
"I can teach you!" Long Yue said, and pulled out another illustrated book. She opened it and showed them, "I’ve drawn so basic herbs, just a dozen or so, which are easy to identify. You can follow the illustrations and then refer to this notebook. I guarantee, you’ll learn it within a few days."
"That’s wonderful! Li San Niangzi is truly a good person!"
"Indeed, we used to call you Evil Woman Li, but it seems we were wrong. It was actually your mother-in-law and those two sisters-in-law who were at fault. They never seed like good people!"
"..."
The villagers started praising her, doing a complete 180-degree turn in their attitude.
"But, there are no seeds. How are we supposed to plant?"
Soone finally raised this issue, and everyone turned to Long Yue. Unfazed, Long Yue smiled and said, "No problem. I will take so people up the mountain to gather seeds after the New Year."
"Alright, we’ll wait then. Hmm, since it’s almost the New Year, where are you two planning to celebrate? Why not co to our place? We have two spare rooms!"
So clever villagers, with so extra money and food, imdiately approached to establish connections, thinking they might learn sothing extra from Long Yue in the future.
Long Yue politely declined their offer, turning to Xiang Yin, who was among the onlookers, and said, "We’ll go to his house. He’s a friend of my husband."
"?"
Xiang Yin pointed at his nose, looking stunned, with eyes pleading toward Li Qingmu. However, the only response he received was Li Qingmu’s gentle nod.
Xiang Yin, "..."
He felt like crying without tears, as if a bolt from the blue had struck him, leaving him charred on the outside and tender on the inside.
Why is everyone bullying ? I was just here to deliver sothing...
That’s right. He felt like he was being bullied, and the package in his hands suddenly seed so hot...
Long Yue and Wang Zhihuan talked for a while longer, agreeing to start working on these dicinal herbs after the New Year, and then the crowd dispersed, leaving only Long Yue and her husband, Aunt Ma, Xiang Yin, and a few Chai family mbers in the snow.
Aunt Ma pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and waved it in front of Long Yue, saying, "Third Lady, ti to pay up!"
Long Yue handed her two taels of silver, which she accepted happily and left, saying so flattering words.
The scene shocked the Chai family, leaving Chai Qiao’er particularly worried as she asked, "Sister Yue, what are you..."
She wanted to say bribing, but the words wouldn’t co out.
Long Yue shrugged it off, saying, "I just had her speak the truth!"
"But we were all there earlier; we didn’t see you colluding with her!" Mrs. Chai was puzzled.
"Isn’t it simple? Didn’t I give her a sachet before? That sachet had a copper coin trapped within the lining. Aunt Ma loves money more than anything, so how could she resist that coin? I hid the note in the lining, and when she cut open the sachet, she naturally saw it."
"Oh, but what did you write on the note? Wait, isn’t Aunt Ma illiterate...?"
Chai Tieniu felt utterly defeated, as if he were a fool in front of Long Yue, making him very self-conscious. He had never seen or heard of Long Yue’s tactics, and now he was curious about how Long Yue made an illiterate Aunt Ma understand her ssage.
Long Yue laughed, "I drew a few things on the paper: a mouth, a stone, a flower, plus an ingot with the number two on it."
Even if she’s illiterate, everyone knows what one, two, and three strokes an!
But everyone was still dumbfounded. Xiang Yin pondered for a while and cheerfully said, "I get it! Mouth, stone, flower combined ans ’speak the truth’; and the ingot with a two on it ans two taels of silver. It ans, you tell the truth and you get two taels of silver!"
Li Qingmu praised, "Brother Xiang is wise."
Xiang Yin’s mouth twitched. He thought to himself that if he were really wise, he wouldn’t have beco friends with soone who’s like a Luosha!
He let out an internal cry but resignedly led them to the village entrance. A carriage awaited under a tree.
The coachman saw Xiang Yin approaching and quickly greeted him, but was montarily stunned upon seeing Li Qingmu and his wife.
Xiang Yin, bitterly smiling, said, "I... he’s Brother Li. I invited him to my ho to stay for a few days and have a good talk."
The coachman imdiately flashed a grin and gestured, "Oh, so it’s the young master’s friend. Please, please! Young master, after you!"
"No, no, let Brother Li go first."
It didn’t matter who went first; Li Qingmu helped Long Yue onto the carriage, then got in himself. He glanced back at his wife’s bulging satchel, his eyes growing deep and inscrutable.
His personality was vastly different from that of the Li family, and he had long suspected as much, but he valued loyalty above all, so he hadn’t delved deeply. Now, with years of doubts resolved at once, the burden on his heart grew heavier instead of lighter.
Up to this point, many things had developed just as they had anticipated on their return. The Li family’s reaction and the revelation of backgrounds were all ticulously planned. So, was the next step supposed to be his ’good cousin’s’ revenge?
Li Qingmu gazed intently at his wife. Perhaps he was staring too hard, as Long Yue slowly turned her head and smiled gently, "She’s likely to take action soon. We’ve thrown her this bait; it would be no fun if she didn’t bite."
Li Qingmu glanced at Xiang Yin, who had climbed in and sat down, and whispered, "Then it’s ti for us to act."
In this ga, Xiang Yin was the key!
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