They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 33 Misunderstanding
Having visited the city so many times, Xu Zhichun had inquired about the county magistrate's character to some extent. He knew that while laws existed in ancient times, the influence of personal relationships was far greater. While there were generally legal precedents for judging cases, the magistrate's subjective opinions played a significant role in the specific rulings.

For rural folks like them, if they accidentally offend someone, they're truly helpless and have no one to turn to for help.

Fortunately, Magistrate Lu of Qingshan County was a well-regarded official. Under his rule, Qingshan County not only did not have a culture of not picking up lost items, but also had a very clean and honest atmosphere.

It was precisely because of this that Xu Zhichun dared to confidently set up a stall in the city to sell konjac tofu, konjac knots, and ice jelly, which were products he had never done before.

Stealing someone's secret recipe is like killing their parents. Besides, their business is small by any measure. The wealthy families wouldn't even look at such a thing and wouldn't bother to coerce people for it. If they were to be sued by their rivals and end up in the hands of Magistrate Lu, wouldn't they deserve it?

Even if small business owners are envious and jealous, they don't have the ability or courage to actually do evil.

After inquiring about the county magistrate's character, Xu Zhichun then inquired about contemporary laws.

Knowing a little about the law will never be a disadvantage in any era.

Unexpectedly, the government selected four teahouses of varying quality in the city as ancient-style legal education bases. Every two days, storytellers would present four or five legal education stories in these teahouses to educate the people and remind them to always remember that there are laws to follow and to act in accordance with the law, and to avoid impulsiveness and always abide by the law.

It is said that this was one of the measures taken after Magistrate Lu arrived. And it must be said that these stories of popularizing the law spread far and wide, and their popularity among the people was quite high.

How much entertainment can there be in this era? Legal education stories are still stories, and stories are inherently captivating.

Whoever hears a story from the teahouse and returns to the village is the coolest guy in the whole village. He only needs to sit under the big tree at the village entrance and shout that he wants to tell a story, and a crowd will gather around to listen.
Xu Zhichun thought that Magistrate Lu was quite interesting and a good official with many ideas.

If the dates match up tomorrow, she'll go and listen to it.

Then think carefully about how to attribute the credit to the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Even if you don't make any money, it's good to gain some reputation.

This can't be rushed. After all, she "accidentally" obtained the potatoes and sweet potatoes from the "merchant," and she doesn't fully understand the situation since it was only the "merchant's" side of the story. Waiting until after several months of planting and harvesting would be too late. She needs to work on it for at least a few more days, figuring out a few good dishes made with these two ingredients, before she has a legitimate reason to report it.
Xu Zhichun sorted the five different varieties of sweet potatoes, including snow lotus fruit, and then went to feed the chickens and pigs.

The chickens and pigs in her family grew incredibly well thanks to her generous supplements of feed, fish bone meal, and cornmeal.

Especially the two pigs, with their skin having a light, healthy pink hue and their glossy, smooth fur, everyone who saw them couldn't help but praise them.

The chicks grew rapidly, changing every day, and the hen laid eggs more frequently, seven or eight a day. The uncle and aunt couldn't possibly eat them all.

Two hens looked like they wanted to brood, and Xu Zhichun planned to let them—there was plenty of chicken feed, and they could afford to raise another thirty or forty.

Xu Zhichun thought about seeing if there were any ducks for sale in a couple of days, and decided to buy about twenty to raise.

Ducks grow quickly; they're fat and ready to eat in just 100 days.

Fatty duck is delicious whether stir-fried or stewed, but stewed konjac tofu is absolutely amazing.

In the afternoon, Liang Lizheng's grandson ran over and asked Xu Zhichun to come to his house, saying that his grandfather wanted to see him. Xu Zhichun knew that the land deed must have been processed, and he was excited, so he went quickly.

She thought for a moment, then packed some potatoes and sweet potatoes, along with two large snow lotus fruits, and went off with the basket.

Liang Lizheng noticed the potatoes and sweet potatoes and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, what are these? They look like they grow in the ground, but we don't have these here, do we? Did you buy them from the city?"

"You're a true expert in farming; nothing can be hidden from you."

Xu Zhichun couldn't help but smile, and gave Liang Lizheng a thumbs-up in praise.

Liang Lizheng hurriedly said, "It looks like something that can fill your stomach, but since you paid for it, you should keep it for yourself. It's too much of a waste."

“I bought a lot,” Xu Zhichun said to Liang Lizheng, using the guise of a “merchant.”

Liang, the village head: "You haven't been scammed, have you? More than a tael of silver, more than a tael!"

Liang Lizheng was heartbroken and speechless. Even if she could earn money now, she shouldn't squander it like this. She was still young and not mature enough.

Xu Zhichun found it amusing, thinking to himself that they were indeed father and son, as the village head and Liang Sange's stories were exactly the same.

"Village head, those two merchants didn't seem like cunning people. Anyway, we tried these sweet potatoes raw, and they were really delicious. This kind of sweet potato is even more delicious, we all love it. Come on, Xiao Dong, take this and wash it for your sister and share it. Cut a piece for your grandpa too." As soon as the child heard that it was edible, he didn't care whether it looked good or not. He happily said "Okay" and went off.

Wow! It's so sweet!

"Sweet and crunchy, delicious!"

The siblings exclaimed in surprise and couldn't wait to bring it to their grandfather to try.

"Grandpa, eat up, it's delicious!"

Liang Lizheng didn't think much of it, but he was very considerate of his grandson, so he took a bite and was stunned.

this--

Xu Zhichun curled her lips into a smug smile.

See? It's delicious, not just something to fool kids.

"What's this called?"

"This is sweet potato. We've tried it, and it's best eaten raw. Other sweet potatoes are also good to eat raw, but they're not as crisp or as tender and juicy. They might be better cooked."

Liang Lizheng was flexible and adaptable. He finished the piece in his hand in a few bites, sent his two grandsons out, and said, "You're quite lucky. It's good stuff, really good stuff."

Regardless of how the sweet potatoes or potatoes taste, this sweet potato alone is quite good.

However, this sweet potato doesn't look like something that can fill your stomach; it's just a snack.

Anyway, it's fine.

Liang, the village head, chuckled and said, "It's really good stuff. Let's grow some at home too. Let's buy a hundred or so catties of each. What's the price?"

Xu Zhichun was taken aback.

Over 100 kilograms?

She didn't plan to sell so many items from her whole family.

It's not that I'm stingy, it's that I don't have enough.

There must be other families in the village who would love to have such good stuff. Even if she managed to pull it off, she couldn't possibly keep taking it out of the harbor warehouse indefinitely.

Xu Zhichun forced a smile: "Village head, well, I've cleared all the land at home to plant, so I'm afraid I can't sell as many as you. I don't know if any other families want them. If so, I'll have to share some with them. How about this, the merchant said that sweet potatoes can be planted after the vines have grown. You only need about ten catties of sweet potatoes, and I'll also give you about ten catties of potatoes, okay? The price will be one coin per catty. That's the price I get from the merchant too. I won't make a profit off anyone."

One cent per pound is actually too cheap, but there's no way around it, I can't give it away. If I give it away, no matter how good the product is, every household will come over and ask for it. Then who should I give it to and who should I leave?

The price can't be too high either, or the villagers will definitely not be willing to buy it.

If only her family grows them and no one else has any, it's hard to say whether someone will secretly dig them up. It's impossible to prevent, and it will also affect neighborly relations.

Xu Zhichun had no intention of pleasing everyone, but she also didn't want to get into arguments with people.

Liang Lizheng was stunned.

He was worried that Xu Zhichun would have so many potatoes and sweet potatoes that she wouldn't be able to sell, so he gritted his teeth and said he would give her over a hundred pounds of each out of kindness. Anyway, the family earned a lot of money thanks to Xu Zhichun, so it wouldn't hurt to spend a little to help her out.

She actually couldn't bear to part with it!
Liang Lizheng pondered: Maybe those two merchants really weren't lying? Maybe she had a good eye and didn't misjudge people; maybe this really is a good product?
To be honest, human nature is largely the same. As long as Xu Zhichun kept it hidden, Liang Lizheng couldn't help but want more.

(End of this chapter)