The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 98 Jade Plaque

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"Alright, alright, stop fooling around..." Yang Ming chuckled. "Let's talk serious. Actually, everyone knows that Zheng Yu married a wife to have children. His wife must have known that when she married him. As for feelings? We can interpret it this way: Zheng Yu originally didn't tell his wife his plans, but now he has! What does that mean? It means that Zheng Yu has started to value his wife and no longer treats her as a breeding machine. As for affecting their relationship? That's utter nonsense. Because they have feelings for each other, he told her the truth. How can that be considered affecting their relationship?"

After thinking about it carefully, the two women realized there was some truth to it, and they both fell into deep thought...

"We can't look at problems with old perspectives; we have to consider the actual situation..." Yang Ming said.

"Then let's just tell her directly..." Wei Qingqing thought for a moment and said.

"When we're talking to her, we absolutely have to be tactful. We can't just say anything. We have to repeatedly emphasize to her that she will never give her child to anyone. It's all just an act. Zheng Yu knows about this too. Well, we should say that Zheng Yu instructed us to confront her... Of course, we can't say that to Zheng Yu. We have to make him feel from the bottom of his heart that he is atoning for his sins. If you tell him that we're just putting on an act, he might just kill the child..." Yang Ming said.

"No way?" Wei Qingqing was somewhat incredulous.

"Eighty percent..." Aunt Liu agreed with Yang Ming's words; Zheng Yu really was that kind of person.

"It's that serious..." Wei Qingqing felt somewhat incredulous.

"Of course, you should know that Uncle Zheng Yu has some mental issues. If you push him too far, he's capable of anything..." Aunt Liu said very seriously.

"It's settled then. I'll talk to Zheng Yu, but who's going to talk to his wife?" Yang Ming said.

"She went..."

"She went..."

The two women pointed at each other simultaneously, their movements perfectly synchronized.

"Sister Liu, go!" Yang Ming made the decision.

"Why should I? Your bias is too obvious!" Aunt Liu said, quite displeased.

"My husband, of course he's on my side..." Wei Qingqing said with a smug look on her face.

"Why? Because you're the future village chief..." Yang Ming laughed.

"Can I quit being the village chief?" Aunt Liu asked pitifully.

"Uncle Da Bao has already garnered you votes. If you feel you can live up to the villagers' trust, then don't become the official..." Yang Ming said.

"..." Aunt Liu's face fell.

"The time has come to test your coordination skills as the village chief, but there's no rush. We'll talk about it when the baby is about to be born," Yang Ming said.

Yang Ming was also afraid. If he had told her in advance, he might have angered Zheng Yu's wife and caused her to abort the child, which would have been troublesome.

It is said that Zheng Yu's wife is only a month pregnant, and the baby is not yet fully formed. The fetus is unstable, and if it were seven or eight months, it would be impossible to terminate the pregnancy.

"I'm not the village chief yet..."

"It's okay, you'll definitely be elected village chief..." Wei Qingqing giggled behind Yang Ming.

"Yang Ming, this is the mess you made, why should I clean up your mess? If you want me to go, your wife has to team up with me." Aunt Liu glared at Wei Qingqing resentfully.

"Who wants to team up with you?" Wei Qingqing immediately became anxious.

"Or maybe I shouldn't go..." Aunt Liu said rather shamelessly.

"Let Fangfang go with you. By then, their house will definitely be finished..." Wei Qingqing sold out her good friend and sister-in-law without even thinking.

"Then let's add Fangfang too, and the three of us can go together..." Aunt Liu laughed.

"..." Wei Qingqing was depressed.

Seeing Wei Qingqing's depressed look, Aunt Liu laughed even harder, "Serves you right for making me angry just now..."

"Yang Ming, there aren't many jade stones left. Hurry up and get some more," said Aunt Liu as she picked up her work again.

"Okay, okay..." Yang Ming suddenly thought of the dragon egg that the two of them had sucked dry. He wondered if that thing could be used as jade. Anyway, it was hard, but it had a curved shape.

"Oh, right, speaking of jade, I suddenly remembered, has our company's application been approved yet?" Aunt Liu suddenly looked up and asked.

"Let's wait a couple more days. I've got Lao Yang keeping an eye on things there. We'll give you the certificate in a couple of days..." Yang Ming said.

"Hmm..." Aunt Liu responded without saying anything more.

"Where are Mom and Aunt Zhang? Where did they go?" Yang Ming asked as he and Wei Qingqing sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Mom, Aunt Zhang, and Fangfang all went to the countryside to grind grain with Aunt Pang..." Wei Qingqing picked up her sweater again and continued knitting.

"Oh..." Yang Ming responded, sliding off the kang (a heated brick bed). "You and Aunt Liu stay home and play. I'm going to go outside and take a look."

"Hmm..." Wei Qingqing responded.

As soon as Yang Ming left, Aunt Liu put down her work and pounced on Wei Qingqing. The two women started playing around on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Yang Ming went to the hot spring pool and took out a flattened eggshell from the corner of the cabin. Yes, it was an eggshell, not the shell, because it was so soft. It was the eggshell of a dragon egg.

"Ya Ya, how can I make this dragon egg hard again?" Yang Ming would ask Ya Ya whenever he didn't understand something, and Ya Ya always had an answer for him.

"Boil it in boiling water to remove the acidic substances. Of course, remember to change the water frequently while boiling..." Ya Ya immediately gave her answer.

"Wow, it's that simple?" Yang Ming nodded. "Ya Ya, buy all twenty kinds of farm tools that you mentioned this morning that can fully charge the ring within a day."

"Take it out?" Ya Ya asked.

"There's nowhere to put it after we take it out! We'll just store it in the warehouse for now..." Yang Ming said.

"Okay..." Ya Ya replied and began the purchase. "...Purchase complete..."

While Ya Ya was buying farm tools, Yang Ming took eggshells home. Instead of going into the east room, he took a cutting board and a cleaver to the west room. He used the cleaver to cut the eggshells into rectangular pieces, each an inch long and six-tenths of an inch wide. He then poked a hole at one end with a toothpick to thread a string through it. Next, he took an induction cooker, plugged it in, poured water into the pot, and started boiling the eggshells. Gradually, the water in the pot began to emit a vinegary smell, which was the vinegar that had been boiled.

Yang Ming quickly changed the water in the pot...

After changing the water four or five times, the water in the pot no longer smelled sour, and the slices of egg that had been cut up all regained their firmness, becoming warm and moist, just like fine jade.

Yang Ming picked up the egg slice and played with it in his hand. The egg slice was flat and smooth, and the earlier worry about it returning to its original curvature did not happen.

Yang Ming then rummaged through his belongings and took out a jade pendant that was about the same size as an egg. He compared them and weighed them one by one with an electronic scale. To his astonishment, he found that the two were surprisingly similar in weight, and even if they differed, the difference was not much.

"It seems this thing can definitely be used as mutton fat jade," Yang Ming muttered to himself.

If the eggshell fragments of the dragon eggs could be used as mutton fat jade, then Yang Ming would make a fortune. You see, that female egg-laying dragon lays one egg every day, and there are three more dragon eggs waiting to hatch in the farm space. Once they hatch successfully, the number of female dragons that can lay eggs may increase. Even if it's just one more, once it reaches adulthood, the production of 'mutton fat jade' will increase accordingly.

"It's so bare, it looks awful..." Yang Ming muttered to himself, then contacted Ya Ya: "Ya Ya, does the sales system have any carving machines?"

"Sculpture belongs to art, so of course there isn't any. But there is a kind of snake-like animal. This snake has a single horn, similar to the dragon in Chinese mythology. Its stomach can produce an acid that can soften almost any object. Then, the acid is used to outline the relief of this animal on the surface of the object..." Ya Ya said.

"Oh? Really?" Yang Ming was somewhat surprised. This world is truly full of wonders.

"Of course it's true. However, nurturing such a relief takes a long time, about three months. If this animal evolves into two horns, the time can be reduced to one month. If it evolves into three claws and four limbs, the time can be reduced to half a month. If it evolves into four claws and four limbs, the time can be reduced to eight days. If it evolves into five claws and four limbs, the time can be reduced to four days..." Ya Ya emphasized the introduction of this creature to Yang Ming.

"Then... does this kind of relief have any special function?" Yang Ming asked.

"The reliefs weren't effective; it was the acid from those snakes that worked. Objects corroded by this acid are fundamentally altered, emitting a magnetic field. Being exposed to this magnetic field year-round can improve physical condition, slow down metabolism, and delay aging. Of course, this magnetic field has different levels, limited by both the material and the type of snake. Objects corroded by the acid from five-clawed snakes are the most effective, producing the strongest magnetic field. Being exposed to this magnetic field year-round can allow an average human to live to five hundred years old. Objects corroded by the acid from one-horned snakes are the least effective, producing the weakest magnetic field. Being exposed to this magnetic field year-round can only ensure that people are less prone to illness..." Ya Ya said.

"That's amazing?" Yang Ming's eyes widened. "How many gold coins would a five-clawed snake cost?"

"Five-clawed snakes are considered deities in the local area and are absolutely forbidden to be bought or sold. However, since the sales system is private, they can be purchased, but the price is very high, definitely beyond what the current master can afford."

"..." Yang Ming said, annoyed, "Why don't you name a price? How about comparing folding space?"

"The folding space is simply incomparable..."

"How much difference?"

"Let's go for a ninth power on the price of folded space."

"..." Yang Ming was shocked. The price of the folded space was 1000000 squared, but the price of the five-clawed snake was on top of that, up to the ninth power. How long must that string of zeros be?

"In fact, the price of farm tools has a bottom line, but the creatures on various planets in the universe have the real unlimited potential," Ya Ya said.

"I see. So, how much does the unicorn snake cost?" Yang Mingping asked, calming his shock.

"1500 gold coins".

"So cheap? What about the two-horned snake?"

"225 gold coins."

"Where's the three-clawed snake?"

"Hmm... With your current level, sir, don't even think about it. Let's wait until you reach level four before considering these things."

"Then... let's buy a pair of unicorn snakes..." Yang Ming instructed.

"Yes, sir..." Ya Ya quickly started operating the system. "The growth period of a unicorn snake is ten years. The system only sells newly born unicorn snakes. Only adult unicorn snakes can secrete that acid in their stomachs. Therefore, the unicorn snake kept in the space will only be able to play its role around this time next year."

"..." Yang Ming was stunned. It seemed that if he wanted to carve, he would have to do it himself at this stage.

"...The evolution of unicorn snakes is very special. They need to eat a special fruit to be able to evolve. The type of this fruit is unknown," Ya Ya added.

"..." Now, Yang Ming was completely frustrated.

Yang Ming decided to put all these messy matters aside for now, took the egg slice to the east room, and handed it to Aunt Liu: "Aunt Liu, take a look, is this jade alright?"

"This..." Aunt Liu examined the egg slice carefully. Although it felt smooth and warm to the touch, it had a strange feeling. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it felt like this piece of 'jade' had been taken from some kind of creature. "Not ivory? Why do I feel like it's ivory? Like it was taken from some kind of animal?"

Yang Ming was startled. Was Aunt Liu's senses too sharp? How could she have noticed this?

"This is mutton fat jade, how could it be ivory?" Wei Qingqing quickly said. Actually, she was also nervous. The moment she saw this 'jade', she recognized it as the shell of a dragon egg.

"Really? Maybe I'm seeing things? I don't know what's wrong with me these past few days, but I always feel like I'm acting a bit strange. At night, when it's quiet, I can hear a pin drop, and I can feel a speck of dust falling on me." Aunt Liu felt that she might have some kind of neurological problem these days.

"Really? Then you should take a rest." Yang Ming breathed a sigh of relief. After hearing what Aunt Liu said about the symptoms, he understood that it was because she had been drinking goat milk these days. Goat milk itself has the effect of enhancing intelligence, and after drinking it, the nerve response will naturally be enhanced. In fact, Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing also experienced the same phenomenon.

"So, do you think this is usable? What should the price be?" Wei Qingqing asked.

"Of course it's usable, but it's still a bit rough and needs some polishing. As for the price, that's not something I can decide; you can decide for yourselves," said Aunt Liu.

When the contract was signed, it was clearly stated that the profits from Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) would be divided among everyone after deducting costs.

"That works too. If it's like that, we can only sell it for the price of raw material. If it's processed, the price will be different," Yang Ming said.

It is said that the hardness of this egg-shaped piece is absolutely incomparable to that of mutton fat jade. Apart from acidic substances, there is no way to destroy it by human power alone.

"These jade pendants of yours are all half-finished products. Let Uncle Liu finish them for you. I guarantee he won't charge you any money..." said Aunt Liu.

Uncle Liu is the same Grandpa Liu that Liu Nannan mentioned.

"No need. He's so old, I feel bad troubling him all the time. I'll just go to the county and buy a carving machine; it won't cost much," Yang Ming said.

Nowadays, most carving is done electronically. Items carved by carving machines are elegant and beautiful, but they lack spirit...

CNC engraving machines are mostly used for carving wood, but egg slices can definitely be processed using a CNC engraving machine after being soaked until soft.

"Okay..." That was all Aunt Liu could say, even though she secretly wanted Yang Ming and the others to go find Uncle Liu.

"Do we have to go to the county to buy it?" Wei Qingqing is now somewhat reliant on Yang Ming's farm space. When she wants to buy something, the first thing she thinks of is the sales system. If she can buy it through the system, Yang Ming will just buy it directly without telling them at all.

Having gotten used to the machines bought from the vending system, Wei Qingqing always felt a sense of distrust towards machines produced on Earth. She felt that machines produced on Earth posed significant safety risks, and that an inexperienced operator could easily cause danger.

"Of course, you can also buy it in the city, but it's a long way..." Yang Ming knew exactly what Wei Qingqing meant. This 'carving' was really unrelated to agriculture, and it wasn't sold in the sales system at all.

"Go ahead, and come back soon..." Wei Qingqing said.

"Hmm..." Yang Ming nodded, then turned and left.

The sound of a car engine rang out as Yang Ming drove his transport truck toward the county town.

The purchase of the engraving machine went smoothly. The county's machinery factory had just introduced a machine tool that produces electronic engraving machines last month, and new products have already been launched this month.

This machinery factory is a state-owned enterprise and a star enterprise that the county party committee and county government pay close attention to. You know, at this time, many state-owned enterprises have either gone bankrupt or been contracted out. The fact that this machinery factory has been able to survive until now shows that its vitality is indeed amazing.

When Yang Ming returned to Zhengjia Village with the carving machine, it was already dark.

The road from Zhengjia Village to the township was not yet completed and was very bumpy. However, the transport vehicle was extremely stable, and walking on it was not much different from walking on a highway. The trees on both sides of the road rushed past, while a donkey cart was slowly moving forward.

Yang Ming turned on the headlights to illuminate the area ahead, where he saw Xue Hua, Zhang Yingning, Sun Fangfang, and Aunt Pang. Aunt Pang was the one driving the carriage.

Yang Ming drove up to them, rolled down the window, and leaned out: "Mom, what are you doing here?"

"Is that Mingming?" Xue Hua was sitting comfortably in the car, leaning against a flour sack, when she suddenly saw her son-in-law and couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Where have you been?"

Aunt Pang pulled the reins, and the donkey cart slowly came to a stop.

"I went to the county and bought a carving machine..." Yang Ming put the car in neutral. "Mom, aren't you cold? Why don't you get in my car?"

"No need, no need, this little donkey cart is beautiful, go on your way..." Xue Hua waved to Yang Ming.

Sun Fangfang said, "With a donkey cart to ride in, who would ride in a car? How old-fashioned..." This girl was also wrapped in a big cotton-padded coat, which was obviously prepared in advance by Aunt Pang, who knew it would be cold when she came back today.

"Go on, go on, we're having a great time here..." Zhang Yingning waved to Yang Ming repeatedly. She was also wrapped in a big cotton-padded coat, and she and Sun Fangfang squeezed Xue Hua tightly together.

With Aunt Pang blocking the wind in front and the flour sack in the back still warm from the freshly made cornmeal, Xue Hua wasn't cold at all. Instead, he felt quite relaxed. It was really strange. Surely, this donkey cart couldn't be as comfortable as a sofa at home, right? But sitting on the sofa, he didn't feel this relaxed at all.

"Alright, alright, I'll be going now..." Yang Ming said, closed the car window, put the car in gear, and the car slowly drove away.

The little donkey cart slowly made its way along the road.

"To be honest, riding in a donkey cart is more comfortable than riding in our car..." Xue Hua said with some emotion.

"Is your car a luxury brand?" Auntie Pang asked with a smile, wrapping the cotton-padded jacket around herself.

"Mercedes-Benz, a very famous brand in the automotive industry, I'm so jealous..." Sun Fangfang said.

"Hehe, it's just a car. I feel it's not as comfortable as your donkey cart." Xue Hua wasn't being modest; she genuinely didn't think there was anything to show off. Ever since the couple used a Mercedes and thoroughly intimidated Old Wang and Old Li, Xue Hua's original desire to show off suddenly vanished. Instead, she felt that she had overpaid for the car. However, the car was indeed of good quality—smooth, comfortable, and responsive—which gave her some comfort.

"How much did you spend on that car?" the plump aunt asked with a smile.

"One million..." Xue Hua said casually.

"How...how much?" The plump aunt was stunned.

"One million isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either. A Mercedes-Benz costs about that much," Zhang Yingning said.

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(End of this chapter)