Chapter 18: What’s Next Month?

What can be found in the deep northern mountains in September?

“Ginseng! Next month, the trees and wild grasses on the mountain will begin to wither, and the berries on the ginseng plants will turn bright red, making them easier to spot compared to before. After next month, heavy snow will fall, sealing off the mountains and making them completely inaccessible.

Not only will villagers from our village head into the mountains in small groups next month, but many specialized ginseng diggers from other regions will also come. Finding ginseng requires both experience and luck. Among us, only Eldest Brother knows how to find it. If we can find one with a long growth period, we won’t have to worry about our livelihood for several years. Even if we only find younger ones, they’ll be enough to cover our food expenses for several months.” Leng Yun said with a proud expression.

But then his expression darkened, and he added softly, “However, searching for ginseng requires venturing deep into the mountains. The outer areas have long been stripped bare. The deep mountains are filled with countless dangerous beasts and poisonous insects, making it very risky.”

He wanted to earn silver, but he wanted his eldest brother to stay safe even more.

When he grew up, he would earn lots of silver so his eldest brother wouldn’t have to face such dangers.

Wen Nuan Nuan clicked her tongue in amazement, thinking to herself that there was a reason ginseng was so expensive in ancient times.

The difficulty of harvesting it was incredibly high—it was literally a matter of life and death.

Fortune favors the bold, no wonder it gave rise to specialized ginseng diggers.

She then asked, “So, will your eldest brother come back to dig for ginseng?”

“He will. The Academy has scheduled farming breaks, and ginseng digging isn’t included in those breaks. But the Academy’s teacher, taking pity on our family’s poverty, will grant Eldest Brother a few days of special leave.”

Wen Nuan Nuan thought that the Academy teacher wasn’t just sympathizing with Leng Xiao’s family’s poverty; the main reason was likely Leng Xiao’s exceptional academic performance. Top students, no matter the era, always receive preferential treatment from their teachers.

Especially a top student who was poor, diligent, and of good character.

If she were the teacher, she would also show him extra consideration.

She had originally thought Leng Xiao was just a scheming civil official or power broker, but she hadn’t expected him to have the skills to venture deep into the mountains.

Indeed, the male lead in a major protagonist novel was a jack-of-all-trades.

Heaven truly favored him.

“The most commonly dried items are large hazelnuts and chestnuts. They’re delicious whether roasted or stir-fried, and they’re filling too.” Seeing Wen Nuan Nuan’s expression change slightly, Leng Yun thought she was worried about Eldest Brother and quickly changed the subject.

“Pine nuts are also tasty, but they’re too small. They’re troublesome to eat and not very filling.”

Wen Nuan Nuan chuckled and teased, “Little Brother, is your standard for measuring things whether they’re filling or not?”

Leng Yun scratched his head sheepishly. There was no helping it—he had been too afraid of hunger.

It didn’t matter whether something tasted good or not, as long as it could fill his stomach.

Wen Nuan Nuan naturally understood the reason. She stopped smiling and took her two younger brothers by the hand, saying, “Let’s have lunch. We need to eat our fill to have the energy to work.”

Not long after noon, Leng Tian returned with a large bamboo basket piled high with cotton!

The three of them were overjoyed.

Wen Nuan Nuan hurried forward to take the basket. “Eldest Brother, go wash your hands. There are pastries, candies, and cooled tea on the table in the main hall. Go have some to soothe your throat.”

Leng Tian had already eaten a hearty portion of stir-fried beef with peppers and large Steamed Buns, so he wasn’t hungry.

But after walking such a long way back, he was indeed a bit thirsty. After thanking her, he went into the main hall to drink some water.

Leng Yun had already cleverly brought over the drying tray, and Leng Chen stepped forward to help pull the cotton out of the large bamboo basket.

“How much cotton is this?” Wen Nuan Nuan had no sense of weight.

Especially for bulky items.

She couldn’t estimate it.

Leng Yun had an innate sensitivity to weight. Taking the bamboo basket, he hefted it and glanced at the cotton already taken out, reporting a number: “Fifteen jin.”

Just then, Leng Tian finished drinking water and walked out, chiming in, “It is indeed fifteen jin.”

Wen Nuan Nuan clicked her tongue in amazement. Little Brother truly lived up to being a future tycoon—this talent was perfectly suited for it.

“In total, we exchanged for thirty-five jin. The other twenty jin were sent directly to the cotton-fluffing shop. The shopkeeper said that after deducting cotton seeds and losses, it could be fluffed into two large eight-jin quilts.”

Wen Nuan Nuan hadn’t expected to exchange for so much. She and Eldest Brother had previously calculated that at most, they could get twenty-five jin of cotton. This was a full ten jin more!

Almost double!

“How did you manage to exchange for so much?” she asked in surprise.

Leng Tian held nothing back and explained everything: “It was Little Brother who told me. When exchanging goods, for expensive items in large quantities, seek out the local wealthy households. For small quantities or special items, look for local affluent families. The remaining leftover goods can be exchanged with shopkeepers.”

“This year, there’s been little rain, and the grain harvest hasn’t been good. But cotton planted on wasteland is extremely drought-resistant, and just like previous years, it yielded a bumper harvest. So, when trading food for cotton, you can bargain.”

“Pork belly usually exchanges for at most three jin of cotton per jin. Six jin of meat would be eighteen jin of cotton. I went to a wealthy household in town and got one jin exchanged for four jin. They said twenty-four jin was inauspicious, so they added another jin, making it a full twenty-five jin!”

“For the pig’s trotters, I went to a wealthy farming family. They happened to have a woman in childbirth with little milk, so they took all four pig’s trotters and three jin of spare ribs in exchange for ten jin of cotton.”

“You guys are amazing!” Wen Nuan Nuan was utterly convinced. Their minds were truly brilliant, one outshining the other.

It was a pity they were still young and lacked opportunities to shine. With minds and wits like these, no matter what field they entered in the future, they would be industry leaders.

And indeed, that’s exactly what they became.

The three little ones blushed slightly on their tender faces.

Wen Nuan Nuan’s fingers itched at the sight—she really wanted to pinch the cheeks of these future big shots.

Collecting her thoughts, she brought over the three bolts of cotton cloth she had taken out to sun earlier.

One was dark blue, one sky blue, and one water-red.

The first two were clearly prepared by Wen Nuan Nuan’s parents for their son-in-law, Leng Xiao, though the original host would never have given them to him.

The water-red one was meant for her own clothes.

Now that Wen Nuan Nuan had inexplicably transmigrated here, to avoid the same tragic fate as the original host, she naturally didn’t hesitate to take them out.

“I don’t know how to tailor clothes and have no sense of fabric. Last night, Eldest Brother said there’s an elderly woman in the village who knows how to make clothes. Take these and ask how many sets she can make. Second Brother and Little Brother can use the sky-blue bolt. Eldest Brother and Leng Xiao can use the dark blue one. As for the water-red bolt, we’ll use it for bedsheets and quilt covers. At home, outsiders won’t see it, so no one will laugh at us.”

“Sister-in-law, the water-red bolt was given to you by your parents. How can we use your dowry!” the three little ones protested urgently.

“I have several wooden chests full of clothes, enough for the next few years. Besides, there are two bolts of water-red fabric. I kept one bolt in case you might not need it. It’s fine, don’t refuse. When you earn money later, you can buy me even better fabric, right?” Wen Nuan Nuan waved her hand dismissively.

She continued, “Go ask first and see how many sets of your preferred styles she can make. This is good cotton cloth, so prioritize making undergarments. If there isn’t enough for outerwear, buying some coarse cloth won’t cost much. As for your eldest brother’s clothing measurements…”

“Eldest Brother has an old set in our room. We can take that for comparison and just enlarge it a bit,” Leng Chen chimed in.

As for why Leng Xiao’s clothes were in his younger brother’s room instead of the bridal chamber, Wen Nuan Nuan understood perfectly well.

The original host and Leng Xiao hadn’t even shared a room, let alone had any physical contact.

On their wedding day, the original host had refused, so Leng Xiao slept in his brother’s room. He returned to the Academy the very next day, and their second meeting was only when Leng’s Mother passed away and they had to handle the funeral arrangements.

Wen Nuan Nuan didn’t mind this at all. She simply urged, “Then take the fabric and cotton with you, and while you’re there, get measurements taken for the padded jackets. The weather could turn cold any day now.”

The three brothers exchanged glances. Leng Chen spoke up, “Little Brother and I are the same size. He and Second Brother can go together—that should be enough. I’ll stay home.”

They couldn’t leave their sister-in-law home alone.

This was their shared understanding.