Chapter 23: Saltpeter Earth

Sun Shi had sharp eyes and immediately captured the unnaturalness on her face.

"It's you!"

Sun Shi rushed over and scratched Zhu Shi's face wildly. "It's you, isn't it! It's you who spread it, isn't it!!"

"No, it's not me..." Zhu Shi dodged in a panic. As soon as she looked up, she met Li Shoude's gloomy gaze, so scared she could barely stand. The words in her mouth came out uncontrollably: "I, I didn't go out and talk nonsense; I only said that our family had formed a marriage alliance with the Huang family in the county seat..."

As soon as she said this, everyone in the room looked at her.

Especially the Li Old Woman, who rushed over, grabbed her hair, and slapped her several times fiercely.

"So it was you, you cheap hoof, who ruined the good thing!! I'll beat you to death, you cheap skin! You dare to go out and talk nonsense! Let's see if I don't tear your cheap mouth today!"

Ever since this happened, she had nowhere to vent her anger. She had been beaten by Jiang Shi and had nowhere to seek justice, so she could only endure it. Now, as if she had found a vent, she beat and kicked Zhu Shi.

"Mother, I was wrong, don't hit me anymore..." Zhu Shi begged for mercy. "Woo woo woo... I was really wrong..."

She originally just wanted to show off to the villagers that her family was about to form a marriage alliance with a wealthy family in the county seat, unlike this group of mud-legged people. She didn't expect things to turn out like this.

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't gone out and talked nonsense, the villagers wouldn't have known about the Huang family!" Sun Shi was full of resentment, riding on Zhu Shi and scratching and hitting her with her only remaining good hand, as if she wanted to vent all her anger.

Everyone in the room watched the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law beat and kick Zhu Shi, and no one stepped forward to stop them, all watching coldly.

Even the Li Family Old Man's gaze at Zhu Shi was gloomy.

The Li family's reputation had been completely ruined by this woman!

Now everyone in the village knows that the Li family wanted to sell their granddaughter, with whom they had already broken off kinship, for the eldest son's future!

The Li family was making a scene, but Jiang Xiaoxiao was living a leisurely and carefree life at their home at the end of the village.

The Li Zheng's son brought a group of people to the house the next day to dig a well.

Jiang Xiaoxiao led the people to the place chosen in the courtyard and began to dig the soil with a shovel.

Five or six big men, with great strength and used to farm work, kept their heads down and worked. In a short while, they dug a pit three meters deep in diameter.

"Jiang Sister-in-law, the land here is too dry, it's not easy to get water. It's estimated that it needs to be dug deeper." Liu Dagang said.

Liu Dagang was the Li Zheng's youngest son, sixteen or seventeen years old this year, with great strength and also a good hand at work.

Jiang Wei walked over and looked twice. Several people dug along the pit wall, and the well wall was reinforced with bamboo or wooden chips to prevent collapse.

Several people divided the work well, with people standing above, using bamboo baskets to lift the soil below and move it away.

Jiang Wei looked at the soil piled up like a small mountain, mixed with sand and stone, and couldn't help but curl her lips in satisfaction: "It's okay, Dagang, you guys just dig. I won't give you less for the labor."

"What are you saying, Jiang Sister-in-law? Digging a well is no trouble, what labor fee do we need." Liu Dagang waved his hand and smiled: "In our village, whoever wants to dig a well, the neighbors come to help. You just need to provide us with a meal."

Jiang Wei also smiled and responded a few words, then went to the kitchen to prepare food.

Jiang Xiaoxiao also followed to the kitchen to help. Before leaving, she glanced at the sand and soil a few times, and a guess vaguely formed in her mind.

She probably knew her mother's intention for asking people to dig a well...

Asking people to work, the family naturally had to prepare a few hard dishes. Jiang Wei picked a large piece of pork belly, cleaned it, added garlic, ginger slices, small green onions, and various seasonings, and made a full pot of twice-cooked pork.

As usual, she cooked big white rice, pinched a few vegetable balls, and boiled a pot of radish soup.

When she brought it to the courtyard, the rich fragrance overflowed, making the few people in the courtyard drool.

"Jiang Sister-in-law, why did you make so many dishes!" Liu Dagang was startled when he saw it. Not only was there meat and soup on the full table, but there was also white rice!

That was the big white rice that they couldn't bear to eat even during the New Year!

"Jiang Sister-in-law, just cook us some grain porridge. This meat is very expensive; you should keep it for your family to eat..."

"If you don't eat enough, how can you have the strength to work." Jiang Wei didn't say much and directly greeted the few people to come and eat.

Those few men were also very embarrassed, saying they would just eat some vegetable balls, but they couldn't resist Jiang Wei's persuasion and sat around the table to eat.

The twice-cooked pork was boiled until it was tender and melted in the mouth. The radish soup was just right for relieving heat and quenching thirst in this hot weather, and it was also greasy. Several people ate until their mouths were full of oil, with a satisfied face.

After eating and drinking, the few people had more motivation to work.

Before the afternoon, the depth of the well had reached ten meters.

Liu Dagang used his hand to scoop out a handful of moist mud and sand, full of joy: "Dug it! Dug it!"

Unexpectedly, this piece of land looked dry, but it reached groundwater so quickly.

Jiang Wei saw the mud and sand and was also a little happy: "Then that's fine, you guys keep digging first, I'll go to town to buy some blue bricks."

If you want to prevent the well from collapsing and the well water from being polluted, you still have to reinforce the well wall. Although it is okay to reinforce it with wood or stone, the family is not short of money now, so if you do it, do it the best!

Jiang Wei soon went to town.

The blue bricks were ready-made. She ordered a batch in town and asked someone to transport them by ox cart.

Several big men moved the blue bricks down and began to build the well wall, using clay to point the joints.

The weather was so hot that people were dripping with sweat. Several big men were sweating profusely, but they had no complaints at all.

In the afternoon, the well wall was finally built, and several people also built a windlass on the well, which would be convenient for drawing water in the future.

Jiang Wei made food and greeted the few people to come and eat.

Several people waved their hands repeatedly: "Sister-in-law, the meal in the morning hasn't been digested yet, so we won't eat."

After saying that, they were about to leave.

Jiang Wei stuffed ten copper coins into each person's hand: "It's okay if you don't eat the meal, but you must accept this labor fee."

Several people couldn't resist, and finally accepted the copper coins.

Liu Dagang touched the copper coins and sighed: "Jiang Sister-in-law, your work is easy, and you give meat and labor fees. In the future, I'm afraid everyone will fight to come to your house to work!"

Jiang Wei smiled and said nothing.

After the few people left, she took advantage of the early time to find a large basin to hold all the mud, sand, and soil on the ground, and added water to soak and stir.

After the mud, sand, and soil were dissolved, Jiang Wei began to filter with gauze to remove the mud and sand.

Jiang Xiaoxiao also rolled up her sleeves to help, "Mother, did you discover long ago that the land here contains saltpeter earth, so you were in such a hurry to buy this piece of land?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 24 =====

After the others left, she took advantage of the early hour to find a large basin, fill it with all the mud and sand from the ground, and add water to soak and stir.

Once the mud and sand had mostly dissolved, Jiang Wei used gauze to begin filtering, removing the sediment.

Jiang Xiaoxiao also rolled up her sleeves to help, "Mother, did you discover long ago that the soil here contained saltpeter, which is why you were in such a hurry to buy this plot of land?"

(End of chapter)