Chapter 321 - Chapter 321: Luminous Pearl Bracelet
Chapter 321: Luminous Pearl Bracelet
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
At this moment, Chu Qingzhi came over with a basket in each hand. When she saw this scene, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Mother, they don’t have any ill intentions. Don’t be afraid.”
Li Qingyu felt relieved. “Qingzhi, what are they trying to tell me?”
“They’re asking you where the next cornfield is.” When the monkeys heard Chu Qingzhi’s voice, they changed the target and gathered around Chu Qingzhi.
Li Qingyu clicked her tongue. “Everyone says that monkeys are smart. I didn’t expect them to be so smart.”
Chu Qingzhi placed the baskets on the ground. There were steamed buns in one basket and an apple in the other. “Monkeys, eat. You’ve worked hard.”
When the monkeys heard Chu Qingzhi’s words, they seemed to have heard the order of the monkey king and quickly started wolfing down the steamed buns.
After the monkeys ate and drank their fill, they marched towards the next cornfield.
The villagers nearby watched enviously. With the monkeys’ help, the work that took half a day to finish was done in an hour.
Some villagers were tempted…
Chu Qingzhi returned to the village with two empty baskets. On the way, she was stopped by Chu Lianghong. He was the eldest brother of Chu Rong’s third uncle and was cousins with Grandpa Chu.
“Qingzhi, can you get the monkeys to help us too?” His family had a lot of corn. In the past, when it was time to harvest the corn, he would have to mobilize the entire family to work for a whole day.
There were many monkeys in the mountains, so it shouldn’t be a problem to get another group. Chu Qingzhi agreed. “Grandpa, prepare some steamed buns and fruits. If they’re willing to eat the food you prepared, it means they’re willing to help.”
Chu Lianghong said gratefully, “Qingzhi, thank you.”
Chu Qingzhi smiled. “You’re welcome.”
It turned out that getting monkeys to help was so easy. With this thought in mind, everyone began to do the same.
The kitchen in the old house had been changed to a storeroom for corn. It was already half-filled.
Chu Qingzhi looked at the corn and thought, What can corn do?
After thinking for a long time, she could not come up with a good idea.
Actually, corn could be processed into many products, but the technology in this era was very behind. There was no choice. In the end, Chu Qingzhi decided to feed the corn to livestock.
What Chu Qingzhi didn’t know was that corn in this era was mostly used as food. The villagers used mills to grind the corn into powder. It could be used to cook porridge and pancakes. There were many ways to eat it.
Chu Qingzhi looked at the green beans. The green beans could be made into green bean cake, green bean ice cream bar, green bean cake, green bean sprout…
Green bean ice cream bar…
Chu Qingzhi thought for a moment and decided to release a new product, the green bean ice cream bar. In the future, she could also release the red bean ice cream bar.
After the idea was formed, she wrote the recipe for the green bean ice cream bar on a piece of paper and handed it to Shen Ruyue. “Ruyue, prepare a thousand green bean ice cream bars first. The price is fifteen copper coins each. Let’s see if people can accept this price.”
Shen Ruyue replied enthusiastically, “1’11 prepare it immediately.”
Under the setting sun, the scenery was all gilded, and the shadows were long.
The people who went out to work returned home one after another. The villagers gathered in the village. Chickens crowed and dogs barked. The entire village gradually became lively.
Chu Xujin and Ge Lihua returned just in time to see Chu Xuyuan and Chu Xuyao get off their horses.
Ge Lihua walked towards the two little guys and handed them the ten pieces of paper that had been rolled into cylinders. “These are for you.”
“What is this?” Chu Xuyuan took it.
Ge Lihua looked at the two little fellows with a gentle gaze. If her younger brothers were still around, they would be just as tall as Chu Xuyuan. “You’ll know when you unfold it.”
Chu Xuyuan became even more suspicious. He slowly unfolded the paper and exclaimed, “Examination paper?”
Chu Xujin leaned closer to his two younger brothers and whispered, “These are the exam papers of the Young Scholar Examination for the past ten years that Lihua asked the county magistrate to find for her. Take it back and study hard. Don’t let Lihua down.”
Chu Xuyuan and Chu Xuyao’s eyes widened in shock. “Exam papers of the Young Scholar Examination?”
The two children looked at each other and quickly bowed to Ge Lihua. “Thank you, Sister Lihua.”
Ge Lihua smiled. “Be good and study hard.”
The two little fellows said in unison, “Yes.”
Chu Xujin saw Ge Lihua’s smile again. It was like a black orchid blooming, making people unable to look away.
Grandpa Ning, who had been playing chess with the village elder for the entire day, was walking home with a few old men…
The village elder said jokingly, “Old Ning, our village is not too bad compared to the city, right?”
Grandpa Ning chuckled and said, “Not bad, not bad. I haven’t been to many villages. This time, 1 have a better understanding of what living in a village feels like.”
The village elder said enthusiastically, “Come back again when you have time. We can go fishing.”
Grandpa Ning smiled and replied, “Deal. I’m old. It’s indeed time to leave the responsibility to the children and enjoy a leisurely life.”
He thought to himself, “Why don’t 1 hand over all the family business to Ning Yuting and Chu Qingyue after they get married and move here?”
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was a good idea.
Dinner was not as formal as lunch. When the dishes were served, they started eating. After eating, the women in the village helped to collect and wash the dishes, while the men helped to carry the tables and chairs back to their houses.
Li Qingyu generously asked the villagers to bring the leftovers home to eat. The weather was hot now, and it would probably go bad in a day. To villagers, wasting food was sacrilegious.
As night fell, the sky turned dark, and the Chu Village gradually quieted down.
Chu Qingzhi dragged her tired body back to her room. As soon as she walked in, she saw an eagle lying on the table, as if it was sleeping.
Chu Qingzhi moved her fingers, and the four lamps in the room lit up.
The eagle was very sensitive to light. When the room lit up, it stood up and looked at the person warily. When it saw that it was Chu Qingzhi, it let down its guard.
Chu Qingzhi walked towards the eagle and took out a luminous pearl bracelet from its neck.
The bracelet was put together by dozens of luminous pearls, each of them flawless and smooth on the surface.
There was only one such bracelet in the entire Dating Dynasty. It was a tribute from a vassal country and was kept by the Emperor.
When Tang Jinghong entered the palace today, the Emperor asked Tang Jinghong what reward he wanted, and Tang Jinghong insisted that the Emperor give him this bracelet.
Tang Jinghong had made a great contribution in the northern border. Even though he was reluctant, the Emperor still made up his mind to part with this bracelet.
Tang Jinghong took the bracelet back and asked the eagle to send it back to Chu Qingzhi..