Chapter 24 Before the Drought

Xiao Ruan, who was just chewing a cucumber, was confused and asked, "Why is Sister Song doing this?"

Song Yanjin looked at him and said, "Anyway, you'll be right if you listen to me. Buy more vegetables that can be kept for a long time."

It is better to stock up now if fewer people know about it, otherwise it will be too late when everything is sold out and the price goes up.

There is a cart in the backyard, and I will go there with Baizhu to do some shopping later.

Xiao Ruan didn't understand what was going on, so he casually said something about it when he got home after dinner, but his family didn't take it seriously and instead scolded him a few words.

Song Yanjin and Bai Zhu staggered out of the house pushing their carts. They first went to the rice shop. When they had almost sold out the rice in the warehouse, the kind-hearted shopkeeper summoned the shop servants to deliver the rice to their doorstep.

The grocery store sells dried mushrooms, dried vegetables, salted fish, dried shrimp, sweet potatoes, yams, taro, flour, etc., all in large quantities. There is also a stockpile of pens, inkstones, especially paper, which is transported back and forth until dark.

Pork cannot be stored in hot weather, so Song Yanjin thought of the fried meat that the director made when he was in the orphanage before he traveled through time. The meat was fried in oil, stored in a jar, and then poured with oil to soak. When immersed in oil, the meat would not go bad.

I asked the butcher to slaughter two pigs, cut them up and send them home.

After an afternoon of shopping, the side room was almost full.

Being cautious, Song Yanjin took a hoe from the backyard and entered the bedroom. He and Bai Zhu moved the wooden bed away, and the two of them started digging the tunnel.

It can store food and provide shelter at the same time.

Someone knocked on the door in the outer courtyard, and Baizhu jumped out to open it.

The little boy outside the door handed her a letter and ran away. Bai Zhu took the letter and went to find the young lady.

Song Yanjin in the pit took the letter and opened it. There were only four words on it: "Wait for good news", signed by Ye Shian.

Song Yanjin was not surprised. It would take time to investigate, so there was no need to rush.

"Miss, can I ask what you are going to do with all that food?"

Baizhu jumped down and continued digging. He was so busy that he didn't have time to ask a question until dark.

After shoveling out a shovel of mud, Song Yanjin panted and rested on the hoe. "It hasn't rained for almost two months. Baizhu, do you think there will be a drought?"

Clang~ Baizhu lost her grip on the radish in her hand and it fell to the ground. If she encountered a natural disaster, she would be finished. "Miss, we will go and stock up on some food tomorrow."

"anyone there?"

The butcher's loud voice was heard outside the door. Unlike others who knew to knock on the door politely, Bai Zhu finally reacted and followed the young lady to get the meat.

Song Yanjin and Bai Zhu pushed two carts of meat to the backyard kitchen with great effort. After all, the butcher was a man, so they didn't let him into the yard.

The shelter pit could not be dug for the time being, so Song Yanjin was busy marinating the meat in the kitchen. He was busy until midnight when all the meat was marinated.

Fresh meat cannot be fried, and since the weather is hot, it can be hung up and dried in two days at most.

Baizhu cooked noodles while Song Yanjin was counting things in the warehouse. What they needed most at the moment was water!

The two of them didn't waste water for daily life. If the well dried up, she would just exchange some from the system and pour it in. It was obvious that taking it out would only attract Baizhu's attention.

The pit was not dug yet, so the two of them ate noodles and came back to transport the mud to the vegetable garden in the backyard. After they were almost done, Song Yanjin washed up and went to bed.

Green vegetables are only sold in the morning at the market, so Song Yanjin got up early and took Baizhu to pick vegetables, including radishes, pumpkins, lettuce, and greens. In order not to attract attention, they bought some scattered along the street.

Due to drought and water shortage, the quality of vegetables is not very good, but there is no choice at the moment.

After returning home, Song Yanjin retrieved the information on making dried vegetables from the system, which showed a method for easy storage without the need for dehydration.

Under these limited conditions, radishes, pumpkins, and lettuces could only be cut and steamed, then exposed to the sun. For this reason, Baizhu went out alone to buy a bamboo dustpan.

Green vegetables need to be boiled in water, but Song Yanjin said that they can be washed and then dried directly, which was the same way the dean made sauerkraut in his previous life.

After four or five days of stockpiling, I finally received a reply from Brother Ye.

Song Yanjin hung the meat on the bamboo rack, washed the salt off his hands and then took the letter to read.

The letter mentioned two reasons for the academy's closure: one was that the Imperial College had too strong a competitor, and the other was that the principal was not from the Xia Dynasty. The ruler of the Dongli Kingdom changed, and there was civil strife in the court. His family members were suspected of being spies, so the principal urgently sold the academy and prepared to escape.

Song Yanjin held the letter in deep thought. If she bought it now, it would definitely cause trouble when the matter was investigated. Brother Ye was already investigating the dean, and the academy would be confiscated later. The land of the academy was a piece of juicy cake, and there would definitely be many people fighting for it. How could a little girl like her, who had no power, fight for it?

I have stockpiled a large amount of goods and spent a lot of money. Now I have far from enough money to buy things.

All the meat was hung up quickly, and after lunch Song Yanjin took Baizhu out of the city.

The system found a nearby mountain. The weather was hot, so Baizhu put two water bags in his backpack.

There were common herbs at the foot of the mountain. Song Yanjin's target was deep in the mountains. He used a wooden stick to startle the snakes and clear the way. After a while, the system finally responded.

Xiaoyou with a baby voice: [Host, there are three wild ginsengs on the left! ]

Song Yanjin's pupils dilated. The capital city was indeed a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Even wild ginseng could be found there. He took the small hoe from Baizhubei Luoli and squatted down to look for it.

Three small wild ginsengs popped up in the grass. This is a big profit!

The two older ones, Xiaoyou said, were two hundred year old ginsengs, and the smaller one was a seedling. She scooped some soil with a handkerchief and put the smaller one in it, and this one was planted in the vegetable garden in the backyard.

After harvesting two wild ginsengs, Song Yanjin was full of energy and walked forward in high spirits.

"Miss, let's take a walk around the area." Bai Zhu was still a little afraid of the deep mountains, so she advised kindly.

The system has collected the medicine value points within a hundred meters ahead. Song Yanjin will not let go easily. He ignores the little girl and moves forward.

Xiaoyou: [There is a seven-leafed lily five meters ahead. ]

[There is a Polygonatum sibiricum plant at six o'clock. ]

Excited Xiaoyou: [Wow wow wow, there is a Heavenly Spirit Grass under the cliff, which can keep you young and beautiful. Hey~ There is a big snake guarding it, so the host is destined not to be able to get it! ]

Song Yanjin wanted to curse, why are you so excited?

All the herbs around had grown and the sun was setting. Song Yanjin did not linger for long and hurried down the mountain with Baizhu. He could not get in later when the city gate closed.

Back in the courtyard, Bai Zhu was so tired that she sat down on the corridor and wailed, "Miss, my legs are almost useless!"

Song Yanjin took off her backpack with a smile, "Then you take a rest first, I'll make dinner."

Compared with other maids, Baizhu, who came from the countryside, was considered to be very hardworking. She was younger than herself, so Song Yanjin was willing to take care of her.

After eating a big bowl of golden fried rice, Baizhu finally came back to life. He washed the bowl and went to the well to fetch water to wash the herbs.

Now that he has his own courtyard, some herbs can be dried and sold at a good price. Song Yanjin picked them all out and put them in a winnowing basket, and then he will dry them in the sun for a day tomorrow.

They were busy until very late, and Song Yanjin and Bai Zhu were still collecting dried vegetables in the yard by candlelight.

The two of them dragged their tired bodies to lie down and slept until noon.

After lunch, he carried the herbs to the pharmacy to sell. This time he dug up several precious herbs, and Song Yanjin was worried about Bai Zhu's asking price.