Back at the inn, after a night of research, she decided to move directly to the countryside. Only by getting close to the land could she understand what was suitable for planting.
The next day, when she announced this, everyone else agreed, except for Pingting, who wore a long face.
“Pingting, you’ve lived a life of luxury since you were young and never suffered. Why don’t you go and stay at Prince Xian’s mansion with Fan Lao Er and the children, and spare yourself the hardship with us!”
She understood her eldest sister-in-law’s good intentions, but she couldn’t just because she was pampered, refuse to share hardships with her eldest sister-in-law.
Besides, she had never lived in the countryside before and was quite curious.
“Fan Lao Er can handle it, and so can I. Eldest sister-in-law, you don’t need to consider my feelings, I can do it!”
When Fan Xudong heard his wife was willing to endure hardship with him, he was so happy he almost used his hands and feet to give her a massage.
After discussing it, they packed their belongings and found a nearby village to temporarily settle down.
Qingshan Village.
It was said that this village was the poorest and had the most unruly people in Pingling Town. Some even said that the people of this village could scare away wild beasts for ten miles with their demeanor.
This showed how terrifying the village was!
When everyone heard that the Empress had chosen such a village to live in, their faces twitched uncontrollably.
“Wife, the people in this village are not easy to deal with. Are you sure you want to live here?” Fan Zehao spoke, voicing everyone’s true feelings.
Zhao Jiaqi nodded fiercely, very sure she wanted to live here, her gaze unwavering as she looked at the mountain village ahead.
“Definitely and absolutely!”
What she had her eye on was not the unruly people, but the abundant land, the proximity to a vast mountain range, and the relatively small population, making it a good place.
The group arrived at Qingshan Village, attracting the attention of the villagers.
They looked at them as if they were rare animals. Within a quarter of an hour, the village chief arrived. He looked at the group led by Fan Zehao and asked.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Fan Zehao took two steps forward: “Uncle, we are out sightseeing. We saw that this place is beautiful with its mountains and clear waters, and it’s a good place, so we’d like to stay in the village for a while!”
The village chief scanned Fan Zehao from head to toe, his lips curling downwards. Their village had mountains and clear waters?
Which eye had gone blind to say such a thing?
Just as he was about to refuse, five ingots of silver suddenly appeared before him, flashing dazzlingly.
“We will be temporarily staying in this village. We don’t know if fifty taels is enough? If not, we will go to the next village.”
The village chief had never seen so much silver in his life. His eyes fixed on the gleaming silver, and he nodded his head more enthusiastically than a painted rattle drum: “Enough, enough, absolutely enough! Don’t talk about temporary stay, you can stay a lifetime, and our village will welcome you!”
Qiao Chuan smiled ingratiatingly, his eyes constantly glancing at the silver.
Fan Zehao didn’t tease him further and threw the silver in his hand into his embrace: “Do you have any empty houses? Find us a few so we can settle down!”
In those days, there was no silver, no grain, and even wild vegetables on the mountains would not be lent out. As for empty houses, there were plenty in the village.
“At the west end of the village, about ten households have no one. You can stay there!”
Qiao Chuan was very generous with them. There were no dogs or chickens in the village, only houses. They could live anywhere, a simple mud house, an empty shell.
It had no chickens, no feathers, and even a place where rats would cry. What was there to guard?
Fan Zehao followed Qiao Chuan’s directions, and they walked along the dirt path to the west. The further they went into the village, the more shocking it became.
There were still a few scattered people at the east end of the village, but in the west, not a single person could be seen.
They found a few houses with windows, and the group settled in temporarily. The guards and maids began to tidy up the rooms and purchase daily necessities.
Fan Zehao and Fan Lao Er went into the mountains to hunt for game so they would have food to eat that night. Zhao Jiaqi and Pingting went to the mountains to find some wild vegetables to mix with their meal.
The five children, upon hearing that their fathers were going hunting, excitedly followed behind, running wildly, beyond control.
“Eldest sister-in-law, did you and eldest brother live in houses like this before?”
“Yes, it was similar to this house. Back then, we only had one quilt, and it was patched. Fortunately, my husband had the skill of hunting, so we didn’t suffer much. After we got married, life gradually got better.”
They chatted as they walked into the mountains, their feet sinking into the soft earth. Along the roadside, not a single wild grass could be seen, but there were quite a few red hemp plants.
Red hemp, commonly known as Apocymum venetum, was a medicinal herb. Why weren’t the villagers harvesting it?
She picked some and put them in her basket, intending to ask the village chief about it later. Pingting saw her eldest sister-in-law picking a bunch of flowers and leaned forward to pick one. It was pink and quite pretty.
“I’ll pick some too and put them on the windowsill to brighten the place up.”
“This is collecting medicinal herbs, which can treat many diseases. Perhaps the medicine you drink when you are sick will contain this!”
Upon hearing that it was for collecting herbs, Pingting’s face almost turned green. She quickly threw the few stems she had picked back into her basket.
Disgusted, she rubbed her hands on her skirt: “Ew… Eldest sister-in-law, didn’t you say you were looking for wild vegetables? Why are you picking a bunch of herbs? No one in our family is sick, just throw them away quickly!”
As soon as it was mentioned as medicine, Pingting felt it was inauspicious and wished to stay far away from it.
She hated being sick the most. Medicine was incredibly bitter, and one sip would make her want to vomit. If she could get better without medicine, she would rather endure it than take medicine.
Zhao Jiaqi gave her two words: “Behavior.”
When it was called medicine, she threw it away, but when it wasn’t mentioned, she thought the flowers were pretty and wanted to put them on the windowsill to brighten the place up. The contrast between before and after was too great.
So superstitious at such a young age.
They didn’t find wild vegetables, but they did collect some medicinal herbs.
After coming down the mountain, the two of them didn’t go home directly but went to the east end of the village. After inquiring with a villager, they finally found the village chief’s house.
Qiao Chuan looked at the two of them carrying baskets filled with flowers and plants, and a bunch of question marks immediately flashed in his mind.
What were these two women up to?
They wouldn’t be trying to trade these things for grain, would they?
The thought of this possibility made Qiao Chuan’s heart pound and his teeth chatter. He turned and called his wife out.
“Oh my, who are these young wives? They are so beautiful. Come, please sit!”
Qiao Chuan’s wife, Li Yan, saw them and enthusiastically stepped forward to greet the guests. The village chief became a spectator, sitting on the side and smiling foolishly, not saying a word.
Zhao Jiaqi and Pingting thought the village chief was shy and avoiding impropriety, so they didn’t notice his awkward expression.
“Madam, we are sisters-in-law. Please call me Fan Damaizi, and call her Fan Xiaoniangzi!”
Li Yan saw that they had introduced themselves and poured two bowls of plain water, smiling and saying: “My name is Li Yan. If you don’t mind, call me Sister-in-law Qiao along with the villagers. There are no such rules in our countryside. Calling me Madam, Madam, I’m really not used to it!”
It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to it, but rather that no one had ever called her that before, which made her feel quite awkward.
Zhao Jiaqi and Pingting exchanged smiles.