Wei Damao rubbed his hands and chuckled. Thinking of that scene, he couldn't help but ask, "What food? We rough folk don't understand this. If Madam Ren knows how, please teach us."
Zhao Jiaqi nodded without hesitation, "No problem at all. And all these sweet potatoes will be given to the village for free, as the village's first pot of gold to help them get rich."
"Once you've prospered, then teach others. Don't be afraid of them learning. Once the entire town or even the prefectural city forms a scale and becomes famous nationwide, many merchants will come looking for you to buy from. You'll only earn more then."
Madam Ren's generosity truly shocked the villagers, who were almost ready to kneel and kowtow to her.
"On behalf of the villagers, I thank Madam Ren. Your great kindness will be recorded in the village ancestral hall's chronicles and passed down forever. We will also erect a tablet for you, so that the villagers of Xikou will offer incense to you for generations to come!"
Zhao Jiaqi's heart couldn't help but pound uncontrollably. She didn't want to end up in the ancestral hall and have her tablet placed there so soon.
She immediately stated, "All that is not necessary. I just hope we can live well, at least without worrying about food and clothing. That's all."
In the afternoon, the village chief gathered all the villagers in a large open space and began to learn how to make sweet potato noodles and sweet potato starch with Zhao Jiaqi.
Both of these could be made into delicious food and could be stored for a long time. As long as they were stored properly, they wouldn't spoil for half a year to a year.
The entire village turning out to learn this skill was quite a spectacular sight.
Zhao Jiaqi wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was now very grateful to her maternal grandfather in modern times. After learning his skills, she hadn't starved much since arriving here.
Xiao Ba and Ah Shi, who were watching from the side, began to admire Zhao Jiaqi. If a woman had such broadmindedness, a man would be even more extraordinary.
No wonder this country produced such intelligent and capable generals!
Xiao Ba took the opportunity of her rest to ask his doubts, "Sister-in-law, don't you think you're losing out this way?"
"Many people get rich secretly and can't stand to see others do well. Why are you the opposite? Don't you know the story of 'a measure of grain brings kindness, ten measures bring enmity'?"
Zhao Jiaqi looked back at Xiao Ba and said after a long pause, "Then if I was afraid of your younger brother killing me, I could have simply not saved you back then!"
This was his point of confusion, and he retorted, "Then why did you save me!"
She pointed her finger at the villagers, "See here? They are all the elderly, weak, women, and children. The few young ones are those who survived the war.
"How innocent they are. Their families can't even afford to eat, yet in such a situation, they still extended a helping hand to me. This made me feel the love of a big family. As for you, it was because they moved me that I took action. If you want to thank someone, you should thank them."
Xiao Ba pursed his lips and looked at those people, a flicker of light in his gray eyes.
Zhao Jiaqi didn't expect her simple words to move him to give up his ambush. This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak.
"If the sons and sons-in-law of these people were still alive, why would they have to work so hard to make food and earn money? The pillars of their families are gone, and they have to bear it with their frail shoulders. If the war continues, no matter who wins, no one will benefit."
Xiao Ba frowned, not understanding the meaning of this sentence, "Why?"
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled, "Can't you see how few young and strong men there are in such a village? If this continues for a long time, and all the men are gone, do you expect the women to reproduce on their own?"
"Also, there are those who profit from the conflict. When two powerful nations fight, the smaller nations are overjoyed. Perhaps they are discussing behind your back, watching two fools fight fiercely, then seizing the opportunity to strike. They might be able to take over these two fools' countries without expending much effort."
Xiao Ba burst out laughing, but his heart grew cold.
Looking at the scenes before him, this was still a victorious battle for the Yun Kingdom. Yet, there were so few people in the village. What about his own country?
Was it even worse than this?
If all the young and strong men died, his country would fall without anyone attacking it.
Just as Sister-in-law Ren said, could women reproduce the next generation on their own?
Obviously not!
Zhao Jiaqi saw that he had fallen into deep thought. Just as she was about to go check on the villagers, Ah Shi called out to her, "Sister-in-law, how can a woman like you know so much?"
She immediately retorted three times, questioning Ah Shi, "What's wrong with being a woman? Aren't women people too? Don't they have thoughts?"
Her expression was displeased, and she continued, "If I were a man, I would have gone to the battlefield long ago. I would have directly grabbed the emperor of the Zongsheng Kingdom and asked him where he got the courage to wage war.
"He completely disregards the lives of the common people, doesn't he understand that water can carry a boat but also capsize it? Is he trying to kill everyone so that he can be a lonely ruler?
"Doesn't he understand that peaceful coexistence is good for everyone? Are they unable to eat or wear clothes? Do they have to fight to the death? Have they no shame?"
Ah Shi was provoked by her words and pointed at her angrily, "You... you shrew!"
Zhao Jiaqi raised her eyebrows, leaned closer to him, and stared at his unnaturally shifting expression, "I was talking about the emperor of the Zongsheng Kingdom. Why are you in such a hurry? You call me a shrew? Then what are you? Eating my food, living in my house, and not giving any money. Are you that so-called idiot!"
"You... you have a sharp tongue and are unreasonable."
Zhao Jiaqi gave Ah Shi a pair of white eyes and turned around to grab Xiao Ba's arm and bite him hard. "If I don't bite you, I'm not worthy of the 'sharp tongue' your subordinate just used. Now can you understand what 'sharp tongue' means!"
Xiao Ba rubbed his bitten arm and looked at the departing Zhao Jiaqi in disbelief. Who was like this? He didn't say it, so why did she bite him?
This further cemented the accusation of being an unreasonable shrew.
That night, in a room in the village chief's house, the kerosene lamp burned all night until dawn, when the light was finally extinguished.
The next day, they bade farewell to Zhao Jiaqi. Before leaving, he threw down a bank note worth ten thousand taels. "We're going home. I still owe you a life. Tell me one wish now, and I'll fulfill it for you, so I can leave with peace of mind."
Zhao Jiaqi shook her head. Her wish would be fulfilled by her husband naturally. "Not for now. If I ever need it someday, I'll find you. Then, it won't be too late for you to fulfill it!"
Xiao Ba pondered for a quarter of an hour and gave her an address. "When you've thought of it, come to this place. I will definitely fulfill your wish."
After saying that, he left without looking back, very dashingly.
With their sudden departure, Zhao Jiaqi dared not be careless. She immediately went to the town and relayed the matter to Xu Dong.
For the next few days, Zhao Jiaqi watched the villagers make noodles and sweet potato starch, while also secretly observing the changes in the village. Occasionally, she would take Junjun to the forest to pick mushrooms. However, ten days passed in a flash, and there was no news.
Even the information from Xu Dong was just one word: 'Peace'. This truly puzzled Zhao Jiaqi. She even doubted if her scolding could awaken Xiao Ba and make him stop ambushing.
It wasn't until mid-November, when the weather grew increasingly cold.
Fan Zehao, clad in shining silver armor and riding a tall horse, followed by a low-key luxurious carriage, arrived at Xikou Village to pick up Zhao Jiaqi.
As soon as they entered the village, the village chief led the villagers to kneel and welcome him. He was a great general, a very high official, and had become one from being a farmer. This truly brought honor to them, country folk.
"Please rise, everyone. There is no need to be alarmed. This general is here to pick up his wife and daughter."
The villagers exchanged glances. General's wife and young lady?
Who could it be?