When asked, she said there was a large area.
Aunt Zuo took Chun Nuan to see it.
It was indeed just as she thought.
"Whose land is this mountain area?"
Chun Nuan wanted to buy it.
"I don’t know whose it is; it should be ownerless," Aunt Zuo said. "If you want to buy it, I can help you ask the village head."
"Sure." Chun Nuan just needed to acquire an estate as part of a dowry.
Aunt Zuo took Chun Nuan to find the village head.
"This mountain is called Hu Family Mountain. It has never been bought, mainly because it’s full of rocks and wild trees, unsuitable for farming," the village head, an honest old farr, said. "Girl, if you want to buy it for farming, I’d advise against it. The crops here never change; after a season of hard work, you won’t harvest more than a few grains. If you really want to buy, go for the estate over at Chaoyang Mountain; those lands yield well, being both sunny and fertile."
"The price over there is probably high too, right?"
"It’s indeed pricier, but it yields returns early on. Buying this mountain could an throwing money away."
The old village head was genuinely offering kind advice.
"It’s fine, the silver I have is only enough for a place like this."
Chun Nuan insisted on buying it, and the village head, helpless, had to tell her to go to the county for the transfer procedures.
"Can we go tomorrow? I’ll have my younger brother go."
"Yes, yes, this mountain hasn’t been bought; it’s been wasteland for decades."
Chun Ning spent twenty taels to buy a hundred acres of Hu Family Mountain, which grew nothing but weeds.
"Sister, the village head said this place doesn’t grow crops. Shouldn’t we buy Chaoyang Mountain as well for your dowry?"
"Chun Ning, when have you ever seen make a losing deal?"
Chun Nuan asked with a smile.
Chun Ning was stunned... That’s right, his sister, being so clever, wouldn’t buy a barren mountain for no reason.
Even if she had little silver, she wouldn’t spend it wastefully.
As she would say, spend where necessary, save where you can, it’s perfectly reasonable.
"Sister, is it because of the dicinal herbs on the mountain?"
"There’s not much in terms of dicinal herbs, but there is one thing that’s worth it."
That is Huang Jing.
This mountain is full of Huang Jing, also known as Tiger Ginger.
In ancient books, this plant is called a Daoist fairy herb. It is listed alongside ginseng, lingzhi, and tuckahoe as the four fairy herbs, and it’s said that consuming it prolongs life and could make one immortal with long-term use.
When Chun Nuan went to see it, Aunt Zuo said it was called Tiger Ginger, and her little nephew thought it was old ginger and dug it up for the family to eat, which backfired.
Chun Nuan was delighted to see the abundance of it over the hills.
It shows that this place is suitable for growth; it’s a treasure land.
Spending twenty taels to buy this mountain made Chun Nuan very happy.
Chun Ning still didn’t know the dicinal value within them.
After an explanation, Chun Ning suddenly understood.
So, his sister truly never did anything useless, let alone a money-losing business.
"These Huang Jing, after being washed, stead nine tis, and sun-dried nine tis, can replace grain in hard years, sweet and tasty, also known as rice substitute," Chun Nuan said. "After buying this mountain, we’ll need to find soone to help watch over it."
Previously, it was an ownerless mountain, and these were wild things that anyone could dig up.
Now it’s their own family’s, so naturally Chun Nuan wanted to protect it.
"How about having Aunt Zuo’s nephew guard it?"
That child was only about eight or nine but was quite clever.
"Of course, and pay him so wages."
It’s always easier to have soone nearby to look after it.
Hu Sanwa didn’t know that because he misidentified a plant and caused his family trouble, he got a small job.
Though small, the Xiao family offered to pay him two taels of silver a year, which was no small sum—his own father might not even earn two taels in a year.
"Sanwa, you must keep this mountain well for Miss Xiao; you can’t let anyone dig around or disturb it."
Every spring, when food is scarce, many people go to the mountains to dig for wild vegetables.
"Auntie, I know. Miss Xiao is our family’s lifesaver. Even if she didn’t give silver, I’d still guard it well and not let anyone dig around."
"That’s right." Aunt Zuo was clever, thinking of how the Luo family followed the Xiao family and prospered: "Sanwa, don’t underestimate this job. If you do it well, you can work with the Xiao family in the future, earning a monthly wage, and you won’t have to worry about having money to marry a wife."
"Auntie, really, a monthly wage?"
"There is, of course, there is."
Aunt Zuo wasn’t making it up; she heard it from Aunt Luo.
Aunt Luo said the Xiao family employed a nurse, Mrs. Wu, and her daughter, who both received monthly wages, saving quite a bit each year.
Lately, Mrs. Wu was also cooking and preparing dicine for Mr. Qian Yuanli, and Mr. Qian paid her one tael of silver as a monthly wage, earning more than a grown man.
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