Qin Sen asked Qin Junyao, but he was actually speaking to Zhao Liangcai.
Without Zhao Liangcai's support, Qin Junyao’s endeavors would be difficult to accomplish.
"Third Uncle, it does require a substantial investment, but once the first batch of Cistanche is harvested, things will improve."
Qin Junyao's plan was to provide the Haloxylon seeds. She would purchase whatever amount of Haloxylon the villagers grew, and also hire villagers to plant the Haloxylon and create a grid. This would provide the villagers with a secondary income.
Regardless of whether Qin's father became the village head, they lived in the village and needed to maintain good relations with the villagers.
Her original plan was to combat desertification and plant Cistanche alongside the villagers. However, Qin's grandmother changed her mind, as the villagers might not be able to protect the Cistanche once it was grown.
Qin Sen saw that Zhao Liangcai's expression was calm and that he did not disapprove of Qin Junyao's plan. He nodded slightly and ceased his probing.
At noon, Qin's mother made sweet pancakes to go with the Laba congee.
The local custom was that no vegetables were eaten on Laba Festival; eating vegetables would cause weeds to grow in the fields the following year.
Following the local customs, the Qin family also celebrated Laba.
In the afternoon, when Qin Junyao returned home, she took two of the Qin family's rabbits.
"Don't we have two rabbits at home?" Zhao Liangcai asked Qin Junyao, carrying the rabbits, as they walked up the mountain.
Qin Junyao, holding Axzi's hand and an empty basin, looked down at the path as she walked carefully. "The ones at home have names. We can't eat them."
"Is it because the ones I gave you are too precious to eat?"
Qin Junyao pouted slightly. "Not at all. By the way, do you know where they slaughter pigs before the New Year? You can't even buy pork in Yan County anymore."
"Can't buy pork?" Zhao Liangcai stopped to wait for Qin Junyao to catch up.
Qin Junyao, holding Axzi's hand, walked to Zhao Liangcai's side. "After the Northwest Camp finished collecting grain, many people sold pigs and chickens. But later, there were fewer and fewer. When we got married, there were still two pork stalls, but now there are none."
"Aren't you going to distribute meat to your subordinates' families for the New Year? Not this year?"
Zhao Liangcai carried the two rabbits with one hand and reached out to take the empty basin from Qin Junyao.
"Lockzi is handling all of that. In a couple of days, when my injury heals a bit, I'll take some people into the mountains to hunt two wild boars."
Qin Junyao objected, "Don't go. Wild animals in winter are fiercer than usual when they're hungry. Some villagers went into the mountains and didn't hunt anything, but they got injured."
"We still have some cured meat at home. It's enough."
"Sister-in-law, we only have two pieces of cured meat left. It's not enough," Qin Junyao's words were cut short by Axzi.
Qin Junyao swayed Axzi's hand and warned him with her eyes, "It's enough."
"It's not enough. Granny Ma uses half a piece of cured meat to make one batch of buns. She can still make four batches of cured meat buns now. I remember," Axzi extended his finger and made a "four."
Her lie exposed, Qin Junyao smiled awkwardly at Zhao Liangcai and quickened her pace, overtaking him.
Axzi turned back and gestured to Zhao Liangcai. He pointed to the mountain and then to himself, meaning not to forget to bring him along if he went to the mountains.
His older brother had gone into the mountains twice without him, and he remembered all of that.
Axzi had been raised by Zhao Liangcai, so how could he not understand? It must have been his younger brother wanting cured meat buns at home that led to only two pieces of cured meat being left.
Back home, Qin Junyao went to find Granny Wang and asked her to finish the cotton-padded clothes and deliver them directly to Qin's grandmother at the Qin family's house, and also arrange dinner.
Zhao Liangcai, meanwhile, retrieved a small box from Dengzui's house.
"Where's Axzi?" Zhao Liangcai was somewhat surprised not to find Axzi in his own room.
Qin Junyao, while spreading Xuan paper, replied to Zhao Liangcai, "Mr. Zheng called him over for a practice session."
"Mr. Zheng is still the best. Don't be too busy. Look at this." Zhao Liangcai placed the small box on the table and opened it.
Qin Junyao stood up to look, and her eyes were dazzled. The box contained gold bars.
"Did you rob a bank?"
Zhao Liangcai pinched Qin Junyao's face. "There wouldn't be this much gold in a bank. Didn't I mention before that I had a batch of items to sell?"
"The doorman just said Dengzui looked for me. I assume this is what he brought back."
"This is for you. I won't bring the money from Hua Niang home. The salt lake is a bit short on funds."
Qin Junyao took out the gold bars from the box and examined them. "How much is all this? And you're giving it all to me? We don't need this much at home. If the salt lake is short on funds, you can use it." Su Dan Novel Network
"No need. You need quite a bit of money to hire people for land reclamation and planting Haloxylon in the spring. This is eight hundred taels, which should be enough for you for a while."
Zhao Liangcai patted Qin Junyao's head. He didn't have much time to spend with her, so he wanted to give her more money for her security.
Eight hundred taels of gold was equivalent to eight thousand taels of silver. Just over twenty days ago, they only had fifty taels at home, and now it had become eight thousand taels.
Qin Junyao had no idea whether Zhao Liangcai was rich or not.
"We don't need this much. What did you sell to get so much gold?"
Zhao Liangcai pulled Qin Junyao down to sit and pushed the box towards her. "I saw quite a bit of food added to the storeroom. Did you spend a lot of your dowry money?"
"This will make up for it. What I sold were things I acquired during wartime. There are also many antiques and paintings that couldn't be sold at a good price, piled up in the salt lake's storeroom."
"Yaoyao, I didn't marry you so you could use your dowry money to subsidize the family. If you lack anything, tell your husband. As long as it's not dragon liver or phoenix marrow, I can get it for you."
Zhao Liangcai's gaze was sincere, making it impossible for Qin Junyao to refuse.
She would accept it and then prepare more food for Zhao Liangcai.
"Alright, keep it here for now. Ask me for it when you need it." Qin Junyao put the gold bars she had taken out back into the box and closed the lid.
She gritted her teeth and forcefully lifted the box, wanting to find a place to put it.
"Oh dear, give it to me quickly. Where are you going to put it?" Zhao Liangcai reached out and took the box.
This was Qin Junyao's only flaw: she wanted to do everything herself, even though there was a strong man like him present.
"Put it under the bookshelf. I'll take it out and divide it later when I have time. Be careful with your injury."
In the time before dinner, the two sat opposite each other at the desk. One calculated how many pounds of Haloxylon seeds and how many perennial Haloxylon trees were needed, while the other looked at different letters and messages, analyzing the situation.
Dinner was white rice and stir-fried rabbit meat. Axzi, at the table, asked his brother to catch more rabbits when he went into the mountains.
The rabbit meat was stir-fried by Liu Yu, and it was delicious and appetite-stimulating.
After dinner and washing up, Qin Junyao wanted to play the zither, but Zhao Liangcai wanted to sleep until dawn.
Zhao Liangcai, who had slept very well the previous night, had no intention of letting Qin Junyao get her way.
Having abstained from meat for a long time and indulging only once due to concern for Qin Junyao's health, Zhao Liangcai was determined to have some meat today.
What was originally agreed upon as a plan for the two of them to go to Yan County together the next day to discuss the purchase of hemostatic powder with Ling Shuangshuang, turned into Zhao Liangcai going alone.
Qin Junyao, following Zhao Liangcai, became the second "lazy worm" in Axzi's words.
If Yangshu Village lacked a festive atmosphere last year, this year it was lifeless.
The village, which should have smelled of meat, didn't even carry the aroma of steamed buns.