After a rough day, Hao Cheng decided to rest and recuperate. She took some copper coins she had scavenged from the house, bought some vegetables and noodles from the villagers, cooked a big bowl of noodles on the stove, filled her stomach, covered herself with a thin quilt and fell asleep.
When the sun shone through the cracks in the roof onto Hao Cheng's face in the morning, she stretched out her hand to block her view, and after making sure that she was really wearing it, she got up again and washed herself with a wooden brush dipped in salt. According to her previous memory of the original owner when she was a ghost, she found a pair of shorts that were convenient for work and put them on.
Paper and pens were too expensive, and Hao Cheng was not going to waste money on them. She first went to the cupboard and took out a piece of whitened clothing that the scholar's mother had washed, cut a square piece of cloth with scissors, and wrote the schedule of what needed to be purchased on it with a finely ground carbon stick.
There was not enough food, so I bought two months' worth of food first. I bought 20 kilograms of fine grains and 20 kilograms of coarse grains and mixed them together to cook. I also had to buy gray flour and glutinous rice flour for making pasta. I could make pancakes, dumplings, and glutinous rice balls to change the taste.
There was only one stool left, so I had to get two more. I had to replace the door lock with a sturdy one so that I could feel at ease. The tiles on the house were broken and it would leak when it rained, so I bought some tiles and asked Aunt Dong to fix it. The pigpen was empty, so I had to go to the village to catch two piglets to raise.
She couldn't bear the hardship of working in the fields, but she was good at raising chickens and ducks. And when the chickens and ducks grew up, she could eat their eggs.
Hao Cheng roughly calculated the bill, carefully hid the ten-liang silver note in a broken clay pot, took the piece of cloth covered with words, tightly grasped the ten-liang silver note, and left early in the morning.
When she arrived in the town, she first rented an oxcart for twenty cents. Then she bought the items one by one according to the list, and used her eloquence from fighting with old ladies in the vegetable market in her previous life to bargain for every penny she could get.
The vendor shook his head repeatedly and said, "Young people nowadays are really good at talking. Come on, I'll give you another five cents off."
"Knowing that you buy things at a good price, I will definitely come to you to buy next time." Hao Cheng took the change with a smile, and asked for a few green onions as a bonus when he went to the vegetable stall to buy vegetables.
In her previous life, she would not be so stingy when she had some assets, but now she has limited money and has not yet figured out a way to make money, so every penny is very precious.
By the time the last cage of chicks and ducklings was put on the carriage, it was almost time for lunch. She bought two big meat buns for two cents on the street and went back to Xinghua Village in the loaded ox cart.
After cleaning the whole house, all the new things were neatly arranged. Looking at the full house, Hao Cheng's eyes were filled with tears. Although she lost the material possessions she had worked so hard for in her previous life, at least she now had a house, land and savings.
But she still had to find a job to work, otherwise no matter how much money she made, it would all be gone. Anyway, she still had time to think about it, so there was no need to rush.
At noon, she made a bowl of plain noodles and baked more than ten pancakes with the ingredients she bought. When the sun was not so scorching, Hao Cheng took the dagger and backpack she bought today and went out. Xinghua Village is surrounded by mountains and rivers. It rained a few days ago, so she should be able to find some fresh ferns and fungus. If she is lucky, she might even catch a few pheasants.
When she went out, people in the village came to greet her. It happened that Zhang the Butcher's daughters Da Hu and Xiao Xiong also wanted to go into the mountains to chop wood, and said they could take her with them. Although the twin sisters were four years younger than Hao Cheng, they were already taller than Hao Cheng. They were strong and full of energy, and it would definitely be much safer for Hao Cheng to follow them than to go into the mountains alone.
Hao Cheng was not as thin-skinned as the scholar, so he greeted her with a smile. After walking for a while on the mountain road, Hao Cheng's feet were worn out. As a result, the two Zhang sisters had to slow down their journey to take her into consideration. Xiao Xiong was very dissatisfied with her: "If you can't walk so fast, don't follow us. We have to go back before dark. If you walk so slowly, we will have to cut down fewer trees!"
Da Hu was more calm, and he tugged at his sister to signal her to stop talking: "My sister is outspoken, and she's not that kind. Sister Hao Cheng, don't take it to heart. We can just chop wood nearby, and we can get back in time."
The little bear snorted and muttered, "How much firewood is there here? Shouldn't I have brought her with me? She's such a nuisance."
After all, it was a bother for others. Although Xiao Xiong's words were not pleasant, Hao Cheng did not say anything. He just shook his head at Da Hu to indicate that he did not mind, and then he started looking for the mountain products he wanted in the mountains.
She put some herbs that could be used as seasoning in her backpack, and luckily found a few pepper plants. She also picked a lot of gray-white mushrooms, and finally found a chestnut forest.
It is September now, not long after the autumn harvest, and it is the season when chestnuts are ripe. Hao Cheng is naturally very surprised. Seeing her so happy, Zhang Xiaoxiong poured cold water on her again: "You really have never seen the world. There are chestnut trees everywhere, and you are so happy."
She thought this weak scholar had picked up some treasure, but it turned out that he just found the chestnut trees that can be seen everywhere.
Hao Cheng was in a good mood and didn't argue with the bad-mouthed little brat. The chestnut trees in the village belonged to the village, and they had to be bought with money. She could pick chestnuts from the mountains for free. With so many chestnuts, she could make so many good things. Sugar-fried chestnuts, chestnut cakes, chestnut biscuits...
In the end, apart from a bunch of mushrooms and some peppers, she carried a heavy basket of chestnuts. When she returned, she shared the pancakes she had made at noon with the two Zhang sisters.
Zhang Xiaoxiong changed his mind immediately after eating the pancake: "Sister Hao Cheng, how did you make this pancake? Why is it so thin and delicious?"
Although it was a little cold, the pancake was thin and crispy, with tender eggs inside. She couldn't stop eating after taking a bite.
Hao Cheng's tone was not very warm, but he was polite after all: "Whatever you want, I'll bring you more next time if I go up the mountain with you guys."
With many delicacies such as baked pancakes and sugar-roasted chestnuts, Hao Cheng successfully conquered the stomachs of the two Zhang sisters. She didn't need to go out of her way to get close to them, because the delicious Zhang Xiaoxiong would definitely come and call her for a ride when he went up the mountain.
Hao Cheng followed the Zhang sisters for a few times, and the three of them became close. Hao Cheng learned from them where wild animals were and where good things were found, and also learned a lot of hunting skills. Zhang Xiaoxiong, the chatterbox, also told her that her uncle Kou's wife seemed to have hooked up with some big shot from the capital.
Hao Cheng didn't care too much: "What big shots can come to our town to discuss business? They are just the servants of the ladies and gentlemen who are sent to buy things."
Zhang Dahu also helped: "Anyway, your uncle is not a good person, and he holds a grudge. We are worried about him, too. Anyway, Sister Hao Cheng, you just need to be more careful."
Hao Cheng nodded to indicate that he had remembered it: "Then if you have any news, come and let me know."
After going back and forth many times, the blisters on her feet became thick calluses, and she finally got used to walking on the mountain road. Now she didn't have to follow the two Zhang sisters, and she could go into the mountains alone to ensure safety. The mountain that Xinghua Village is close to is a treasure land. After walking on the mountain road alone a few times, she really discovered something good.