Chapter 45 : Every Level Is Difficult to Pass

With the arrival of many gossipers, the Xiao family hadn’t been so lively for a long time. Since the family had moved to the remote foot of the mountain, very few people came to visit.

This story begins after Xiao Hechuan became mentally disabled.

Since he was young, Xiao Hechuan was regarded as a child prodigy by the villagers. He was very talented in studying and could learn anything in no time. By the age of ten, his handwriting was already excellent. The teachers at the county academy couldn’t help but admire him and praised his handwriting as being on par with their own.

At that time, everyone thought that the Xiao family would rely on Xiao Hechuan to make a comeback in the future. If he passed the imperial examination and became an official, the Xiao family would benefit from his success.

So, if one were to ask which family had the best reputation in the village back then, it would definitely be the Xiao family.

But later, Xiao Hechuan became a fool. The Xiao family borrowed money from everywhere to pay for his medical treatment, but all their efforts were in vain. As time passed, their hopes faded, and everyone thought that Xiao Hechuan’s life would remain this way.

He was a talented person, but it was said that the Xiao family wasn’t blessed enough to live a rich and prosperous life.

Later, Xiao Mian, the second son of the Xiao family, got married. After more than three years of marriage, he still didn’t have any children. The youngest daughter in the family was also considered a “husband-killer,” and her luck worsened day by day.

Everyone thought that the Xiao family was out of luck and gradually became distant from them. Eventually, the Xiao family became a nobody in Xianhe Village.

Recently, however, the Xiao family had started becoming more generous and frequently went out. Some people with sharp instincts noticed the aroma of meat wafting from their home every day. Additionally, when they heard that a relative had come to stay, they all assumed the Xiao family had become wealthy.

The Xiao family still owed ten taels of foreign debt, which hadn’t been repaid in installments. Several families in the village came to collect, but they were stopped by the old village chief.

The old village chief, understanding the Xiao family’s difficult situation, advised everyone to relax and not pressure them too much.

He also felt deeply sorry for Xiao Hechuan, thinking that his life shouldn’t have been so miserable. Unfortunately, it seemed that God had been jealous of his talent, so the old village chief secretly helped the Xiao family, reducing their burdens in both obvious and subtle ways.

The families who came to visit the Xiao family were those to whom they owed money. They didn’t bring it up directly, respecting the old village chief’s wishes, but Mother Xiao understood that it was time to settle these debts.

The thirty taels of silver given by Mr. Zeng were now being put to good use. Mother Xiao used the money to pay off the debts and personally went to each household to settle the amounts owed.

The debt had been outstanding for several years. Mother Xiao, being skilled at handling people, gave each family an extra chicken as a gesture of goodwill. After all, it was a favor that they had lent the money in the first place, and an even greater favor that they hadn’t come to demand repayment for several years. She couldn’t let that go unacknowledged.

There were six families in total. Part of the debt had been repaid before, and now there was still a balance of ten taels left. Mother Xiao paid it all off in one go, and from that moment on, no one owed anyone anything.

But she knew in her heart that she was able to settle the debt so quickly thanks to her daughter-in-law, Jiang Sui. If Jiang Sui hadn’t been decisive and rescued the second young master Su, the Xiao family would never have received the money.

It wasn’t pleasant to owe others money, but now, finally, the debt was paid off.

Still, Mother Xiao didn’t forget the kindness of the old village chief. She bought chickens, ducks, fish, and two kilograms of rice wine to show her gratitude.

When the old village chief heard that the Xiao family had paid off their debt, he was genuinely happy for them.

“Cui Ju, your family has had a rough time these years, but you’ve overcome all the difficulties, and now things are getting better. But you have to let go of some things and live your life well. As long as the family stays together and everything goes well, you are the luckiest.”

Cui Ju was Mother Xiao’s maiden name.

The old village chief was actually giving her advice, telling her not to hold on to the grievance over Xiao Hechuan’s condition for too long.

Unexpectedly, Mother Xiao smiled with relief.

“Old village chief, I let it go a long time ago. Even if I couldn’t before, I still have to live my life. But our family has finally turned its luck around. Since Suisui married into our family, things have noticeably improved in less than two months. This is a blessing for our family, and I naturally have to cherish it.”

The old village chief is right. As long as the whole family can stay together and live in peace, that is the greatest luck.

—

While Mother Xiao was dealing with the debt these past two days, Jiang Sui had already used the seasonings she bought to upgrade the meat sauce and chili oil for the hot and sour noodles.

She ground cumin into powder and fried spices like cinnamon and star anise to make a spicier, more flavorful oil.

White sesame seeds were added to the chili oil, giving it the perfect finishing touch and making it even more aromatic.

Due to limited resources, she couldn’t make sesame paste, but peanut butter was still possible. She ground peanuts repeatedly using a grinding wheel until they formed a fine paste, then fried them in a pan, turning it into delicious peanut butter.

The sun was strong these days, and the sweet potato starch that had settled out was dried up in just two days.

Now everything was ready except for the east wind. She could make the round sweet potato vermicelli once the iron colander she had customized arrived.

When the vermicelli was made, it would be dried in the sun. After storing enough, it could be sold.

But before that, there were still many preparations to be made.

For example, every day, they needed to bring a lot of things to set up a stall, including chairs, benches, pots, and pans, as well as at least two clay stoves for boiling water, one for cooking noodles and another for cooking soup.

Then there was the issue of transporting firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea to the town, which required a large cart.

The stall itself was also a consideration. There was a snack street in the town specifically for setting up stalls, but it needed to be rented on a monthly basis.

After renting the stall, she planned to set up a few small tables, cover the roof with an oilcloth, and set up a simple small stall.

But having a cart alone wasn’t enough. If they relied solely on manpower, it would take over half an hour to walk to town every morning. Pushing a cart full of things would probably take another hour.

Therefore, to save manpower and time, they had to buy a strong ox to pull the cart.

Taking all this into account, Jiang Sui naturally had to discuss the matter with Mother Xiao.

Buying an ox was no small expense, it would cost several taels of silver.

She wasn’t sure how many bowls of sweet potato noodles she’d have to sell in the future to earn back the investment, but buying an ox was definitely a wise move that would pay off.

Mother Xiao had paid off the ten taels of debt. During this time, she had entertained Su Yanqing and Mr. Zeng, spending quite a bit on their meals. She had also spent money on purchasing sweet potatoes and various seasonings. Now, she had less than ten taels left.

If you counted carefully, this stall had already cost five taels of silver.

She hadn’t touched Jiang Sui’s money and had used all the funds provided by Mr. Zeng.