36 & 37

After Julie finished speaking, she got up and went back to her room to sit cross-legged and cultivate. She had been stuck at the third stage for a while without any progress.

The next day,

Julie woke up very early, around five in the morning.

She got up early because she wanted to go to the village butcher to buy some pork, and then get some eggs and vegetables. She also remembered that the soybeans and sesame seeds she bought before still hadn't been pressed into oil, so she planned to take care of that too at the tofu maker's place.

Just as she stepped out of the courtyard, she saw Haven sweeping the yard.

When Haven turned around and saw Julie, he smiled and said, "Wife, you're up early. Are you hungry? Should I make you some food?"

Julie thought about his cooking skills... not much better than hers, so she decided to forget it and just wait for Bailee to get up and cook instead.

"No need, I'm not hungry yet. You keep cleaning. I'm going to the kitchen to get the soybeans and sesame seeds for oil pressing, and then I'll buy some meat and vegetables."

After saying that, she walked quickly toward the kitchen.

When Haven heard this, his eyes lit up.

He quickly followed her into the kitchen.

Julie rarely went into the kitchen, so Haven hurried to help look for things. Very quickly, he found the sesame seeds and soybeans.

Haven didn't want to miss this rare chance to be alone with his wife.

"Wife, let me go with you. I can help carry things," he said, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

Julie didn't really mind. If he wanted to come, then let him.

Julie carried fifty jin of soybeans and five jin of sesame seeds on her back. In her hand, she held a big jar, while Haven carried a smaller jar, which they would use later to store the oil.

"Alright, let's go." They needed to hurry and come back quickly because Liu Ying and the others would arrive around seven o'clock.

First, Julie went to a family in the village that had been selling tofu for many years. They were an old, well-known business.

Bai Qi was making tofu as usual. He had just finished curdling the soy milk by adding salt brine. When the soy milk turned into pieces about the size of corn kernels, he skillfully cut it into neat, square blocks with a knife. The tofu was now ready to sell.

It was the first time Julie had seen someone making tofu up close. The tofu was still steaming hot and smelled fresh.

Normally, Bai Qi and Julie didn't interact, but Bai Qi knew she was the newly appointed village chief.

Also, everyone knew her personality had changed a lot recently. No one in the village dared to gossip about her anymore, afraid she would find out and beat them up openly.

After all, Li Yajun was still lying at home, recovering from a broken arm.

Bai Qi actually thought it was a good thing. Some people in the village just liked to gossip and stir trouble.

The previous village chief was too soft. Even if he scolded people, it was weak and useless, and it only made things worse, turning the village into a mess.

Now it was different. Julie's strong methods scared everyone. No one dared to gather and spread rumors anymore.

They were afraid the village chief would suddenly appear and catch them, and they would end up suffering.

In Bai Qi's opinion, it served them right.

People were like that — when you are weak, even if they have no reason, they will step on you and make things worse. When you are strong, they will be scared of you and act carefully, afraid to get in trouble.

Even though Bai Qi found Julie's change strange, he still smiled brightly and said, "Village Chief, what brings you here so early in the morning? What can I do for you?"

Bai Qi was in his fifties but still strong and healthy. He even looked younger, around forty years old, probably because of his positive attitude.

He never joined the village women in gossiping and didn't allow his husband to do it either.

Julie was a straightforward person. She said, "I heard you have an oil press machine here. If it's convenient, I would like to borrow it."

It was the first time Julie had met Bai Qi. In her memory, the original owner had only seen Bai Qi a few times and never interacted with her.

So, Julie didn't know if borrowing the machine would be free or if she needed to pay.

No matter what, she was already here. She couldn't just leave without doing anything.

It's not like Bai Qi would ask for a lot of money.

When Bai Qi heard it, she realized it was nothing serious. It was a small matter.

Other people in the village sometimes came to borrow her machine too, and she always let them use it for free.

After all, they all lived in the same village, seeing each other every day.

"Sure, it's in the courtyard. You can use it directly. Others in the village borrow it too, and I never charge anyone. You just have to do the work yourself. Bailee knows how to use it, right?" she said, looking at Haven.

This kind of job was usually done by men.

Haven answered gently, "I know how to use it," and glanced at Julie.

But he saw that his wife's attention was completely on the tofu.

Alright, it seemed even a piece of tofu was more important than him.

Julie really wanted to eat it.

The freshly made tofu smelled so good that the scent floated right to Julie's nose.

She was thinking whether she should braise it or make a soup.

One pound of soybeans could make about two-tenths of a pound of oil.

One pound of sesame seeds could make about four-tenths of a pound of oil.

Haven was very quick and skilled. After he finished pressing the oil, he poured it into the jars they brought.

Julie took the jars, one in each hand, and asked him to carry the two pieces of tofu she had bought.

The tofu had cost her three copper coins.

She decided she would braise one piece and use the other one to make soup.

Next, Julie went to her next stop, the butcher Ma's place.

Butcher Ma had just finished slaughtering pigs and sheep. He laid the meat on the table outside, and you could choose whichever piece you wanted.

Because he had just killed the animals, there were bloodstains on his face and clothes. He gave off a fierce aura that made most people feel scared.

Julie stayed calm. She had seen far worse before.

Killing pigs was nothing to her.

Julie kept her eyes on the meat, thinking about how much she should buy.

The weather wasn't hot anymore. Buying more meat wouldn't spoil it easily.

When Butcher Ma saw the village official arriving, he quickly put down his knife and wiped his hands on a cloth before walking over.

"Village leader, here to buy meat? Which part would you like? I'll cut it for you." He thought he wouldn't even charge her later.

New officials always needed to make a good start. Selling meat cheaply was no big deal.

Anyway, she probably would only buy a pound or so.

But Julie didn't come all this way just to buy a little.

How could a pound and a half be enough to eat?

"How much is it per pound?" she asked. She still wasn't too familiar with the prices in this time period, especially for meat.

The butcher answered instinctively, "Pork is thirteen copper coins per pound. If you want ribs, it's cheaper, only eight coins per pound. Lamb is twenty coins per pound."

Julie stayed silent for a moment, then asked Haven beside her, "Is there anything you want to eat?"

If there was, he should say it now. Otherwise, she would just decide for him.

Haven was happily surprised. A gentle smile appeared on his face. "Wife, I'm fine with anything."

The butcher quickly looked away, not daring to stare at them.

He thought to himself that he already had enough sweetness to last the morning.

"Give me three pounds of pork belly, two pounds of fat meat, two pounds of ribs, and three pounds of lamb. By the way, do you sell pig trotters?" she asked.

Even though her cooking wasn't that good, she knew that pig trotters cooked with peanuts made a very nutritious soup.

The three Gu brothers: "…"

Sure enough, when the butcher heard her mention pig trotters, he couldn't help but sneak a look at Haven—or more exactly, at his belly.