After wearing it: I traded a pig for a man.

Jiang Yunning heard this sentence as soon as she climbed out of the cellar.

I'm a little worried that if my low courtyard wall were to become a bandit stronghold, it would be questionable whether it could even hold off a wave.

"The shopkeeper said you went to the next county." Jiang Yun Ning washed her hands and saw dozens of chili seedlings placed against the wall, which were already covered with chilies that were about to turn red. She was so excited that she almost shed tears.

Finally, I can enjoy chili pepper freedom! I no longer have to hide the chili peppers in my storage space and be afraid to use them.

Xie Shengan's brows furrowed with seriousness: "There's a drought in the west, so I went to the neighboring county to collect grain and donate it."

Jiang Yun Ning nodded; these words also served as a reminder to her.

I should also stock up on more food. Anyway, there's space, and I'm not worried about it spoiling.

Regardless of the era, having food in hand is what gives you peace of mind.

That evening, Xie Shengan unceremoniously invited them to stay for dinner. Jiang Yunning specifically asked, "Does your restaurant use tomatoes in its stir-fries?"

Xie Shengan's statement was the same as that of the old woman who sold the tomato seedlings: "These things don't taste like much, and they're not eaten as food. They're mostly used for ornamental purposes. Nobody eats them."

Jiang Yuning smiled, went straight to the kitchen, made scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and then made tomatoes with sugar.

"Try it." She seemed to see the silver beckoning to her again.

The tomatoes in the room were juicy and delicious, unlike the sour tomatoes you find in the market these days.

Sure enough, Xie Shengan's eyes, which had initially been indifferent, became somewhat surprised after he took a bite.

"This is unlike any I've ever tasted before. It's not astringent or sour at all." He took another bite.

Jiang Yuning was very satisfied with his comments: "How about it? Will you buy it? My tomatoes are much better than other people's."

"I'll take it." Xie Shengan didn't hesitate at all. He looked at the size of the tomatoes in Jiang Yuning's hand, pondering how many he could use for one plate. Then he directly gave the price.

"Eighteen coins a pound," he said, then took a few more big bites.

Jiang Yuning shook his head: "Twenty coins. My tomatoes are better than others'. I'll give you two nice-sounding dish names: 'Golden Jade Abundance' and 'Volcano Snowfall'."

A look of amazement flashed in Xie Shengan's eyes, and he nodded immediately: "Deal."

Seeing how readily he agreed, Jiang Yun Ning instantly realized that he had deliberately left two coins out to make it a round number so that she could bargain.

Damn it, that's too low.

The Jiang family members standing nearby were so surprised to see Jiang Yun Ning close another deal so easily that they forgot to pick up their food.

Only Jiang Che and Jiang Anhe were devouring the plate of sugar-coated tomatoes.

When Jiang Laosan and his companions came to their senses, the plate was already empty.

"Oh, right." Xie Shengan took out another two hundred taels of silver from his pocket. "The soap is selling very well. From now on, I'll order five hundred taels worth every month."

Jiang Yun Ning felt that Chunmei and Hehua weren't enough. However, she thought she should have found a place to live in her big house.

In the early morning, the large willow tree in the village was filled with people, a sight that hadn't been seen in a long time.

Some were pushing wheelbarrows, while others had borrowed donkey carts or oxcarts from relatives. All of them were piled high with grain.

There were many people, but everyone's face was gloomy and sad, and no one spoke.

Jiang Yuntian yawned as he came out of the house. Jiang Che had already set up the oxcart in the yard.

"Sister-in-law, I'm taking Anhe to the county town. It's good for children to go out and see the world." Jiang Yun Ning lifted the curtain, and Jiang Anhe was still fast asleep on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Liu Yuzhi was surprised by her words and her face lit up with joy: "Okay. I'll wake An He up."

"No need." Jiang Yun Ning simply pulled Jiang Yun Tian's overcoat over her shoulder and hugged the sleeping Jiang An He. "Let him sleep. We'll wake him when we get there."

The oxcart swayed and rocked, with Jiang Yun Ning holding Jiang An He as they sat on the edge. Jiang Che and the other men continued on foot.

The procession set off towards the county town in a grand procession, with only the creaking of the wheels and the occasional mooing of cattle.

It took the group two or three hours to reach the county town.

Jiang Yunning roughly estimated that if they didn't walk, they could reach the county town in about an hour by oxcart.

Jiang Anhe was already awake, yawning and trying to wake up while nestled in Jiang Yunning's arms.

The line for delivering grain was very long, and if you got close enough, you could hear the devilish voices of the officials.

"Not enough, pour more."

Then, people from all the villages would go up and give some silver to bribe the officials.

Even so, they would still be deliberately kicked.

Jiang Yun Ning saw that there was a village on the other side, so he went directly to deliver the grain without having to queue. Moreover, the soldiers did not kick him.

"Dad, why don't they have to queue like us in that village?" she asked, somewhat suspiciously.

The village head, who was standing nearby, heard this and said with envy, "That's Qingshui Village. They produced a scholar in the county. You might not find two scholars in the whole county. The whole village is benefiting from this."

Jiang Yun Ning then realized that although a scholar was a commoner, he did not need to kneel before the county magistrate. Therefore, these officials naturally had to give him some face.

What if one day, the poor scholar becomes a successful candidate in the imperial examination?

Jiang Yunning sighed, "Knowledge really does change one's destiny."

She hugged Jiang Anhe and said, "Anhe, study hard. When you become a scholar, our family will no longer have to pay taxes."

When the time comes, we'll register all the land in our home under Jiang Anhe's name.

Legal tax avoidance.

Jiang Anhe was eating a tomato when she heard Jiang Yunning's words, so she nodded and said, "Don't worry, Auntie, I will study hard and earn money for you."

Recently, influenced by Jiang Yunning, he has also become a little money-grubber.

Sometimes, when Jiang Yuntian gave him a few copper coins for pocket money, he would put them in his small cloth bag and give them to Jiang Yunning, saying that he wanted Jiang Yunning to hide them for him.

Jiang Yun Ning felt a pang of heartache at times like this. He felt it was because the incident where Jiang You Fu stole the silver had left him with a lingering trauma.

After the land tax was paid, Jiang Yuning felt that the villagers' thin backs seemed to bend even more.

She suddenly had an idea to lead the whole village to prosperity. But she also felt that her abilities were limited, and in this chaotic world, it was already difficult enough to protect her own small family.

"Those who want to go into town, meet here in an hour. Those who want to go home, go back together now."

The village head shouted, and the group quickly split into two.

Jiang Yun Ning naturally wanted to go into the city for a stroll. Jiang Lao San, however, was too lazy to go and left with the others first.

The county town was much more prosperous than the town. The group spent three coins to leave their oxcart at a place that provided security, and after receiving a pass, they walked into the county town.

Long queues began to form again at the gate guard post.

Upon entering the city, Jiang Yun Ning unexpectedly spotted a familiar face.

"Brother Wang," she called out to Wang Dahe.

Wang Dahe, who had just finished his shift, turned around and stared at her for a while before recognizing her.

"Brother Wang, don't you remember me?" Jiang Yun Ning stepped forward.

Wang Dahe laughed: "Of course I remember, but you've changed quite a bit."

His impression of Jiang Yuning was that of a thin, sallow-faced village girl with dark skin, but the Jiang Yuning in front of him was clearly just a little fairer-skinned and had gained a few pounds.

Even though her facial features haven't changed much, she looks like a completely different person.

Indeed, people change drastically when they stop demanding what they can't have.

Wang Dahe sighed, then began to worry about his silly younger sister again, wondering when she would be able to give up on her heartless in-laws.