The daily struggles of divorced women in ancient times

"Sister-in-law, can these two people really change?" Zhu asked worriedly.

Xia Mianwan thought for a moment and said, "Since it's for the sake of the child, it doesn't look like a lie. Besides, we've signed the document, so we're not afraid of them cheating. We're not native to the North, and we were exiled here, so we don't have much say. Besides, we don't know how to farm. With these two here, we won't be caught off guard."

Zhu trusted Xia Mianwan very much. To the extent of superstition, it can be said that Xia Mianwan ranked first and Zheng Xiaoqi ranked second.

It turned out that the Zheng family was robbed in the middle of the night.

There are two brothers in the Zhou family. They are two scoundrels who cheat and eat and are lazy all day long. A few days ago, it snowed and there was a snowstorm. The two brothers had nothing to eat, so they decided to try their luck in the mountains. Who would have thought that when they went to the mountains, they found a baby girl in the snow.

The two brothers of the Zhou family went forward to check the baby's breath and found that the baby was still alive, so they took the baby girl home.

The two brothers were not stingy and always believed that if one of them was well fed, the whole family would not be hungry. However, after having a baby girl, the two brothers became soft-hearted.

The two brothers thought that if they didn't eat, their children would have to eat, so they turned their attention to the Zheng family. Because the Zheng family was exiled, they thought they should have a lot of food stored at home.

There was really no other way, so the two of them boldly ran to Zheng's house to steal food. However, they did not expect that Xia Mianwan was so vigilant and caught them in the act.

Xia Mianwan kept saying that he wanted to send them to the ancestral temple, which frightened the two men so much that they stammered and told Xia Mianwan about picking up a baby girl.

Seeing that the two were talking sincerely, Xia Mianwan asked Zheng Xiaoqi to take them to visit Zhou's house.

There were indeed two girls. Upon seeing this, Xia Mianwan agreed to lend grain to the two Zhou brothers, but he had to sign a document and repay the debt with grain after the spring.

This matter was handled just like that.

The days that followed were much calmer. Village chief Liu had made good arrangements, and although there was a disaster, Liusha Village was not greatly affected. For a while, everyone lived a much more comfortable life.

After breakfast every morning, Chen Ge'er and Yu Jie'er would practice martial arts with Zheng Xiaoqi and Zheng Xiaocheng for half an hour. Although they said it was martial arts practice, it was mainly some basic skills similar to morning exercises.

In the afternoon, I will learn to recognize words with Zhou and Zhu.

Xia Mianwan sent the children to Zheng Xiaoqi, and the task of educating the children was completed, just like sending children to school in modern times.

With more time, Xia Mianwan began to think about opening a shop after the spring.

She had checked the jewelry area in the space before. Crystal and jade jewelry could not be sold at a high price in the north, so she did not plan to sell them. However, some scarves, hair ties, and hair bands could still be considered, especially mirrors. Mirrors are not rare in modern times, but they were rare in ancient times. Such a bright mirror could be used as the treasure of the store.

Xia Mianwan thought about it and entered the supermarket. She didn't consider the clothing area because she only had clothes for herself, and it would be too shocking to take them out.

I am reluctant to sell the food, so I eat less and less. But in order to build my reputation, it is not a bad idea to sell a little.

Xia Mian walked from district to district in the evening, looking and making notes of things that might be for sale.

Fortunately, a lot of supplies were purchased in the capital at that time, and Xia Mianwan thought it was okay to sell these supplies. After the spring, he would have to go to the county town and the prefectural city to see how much goods he could import there.

Her supermarket space is like a mobile storage box, so she doesn't have to worry about not being able to transport her things back.

With this in mind, Xia Mianwan decided to experiment with the shops in the town and open a grocery store similar to a modern large supermarket.

Zhu is good at embroidery, Zheng Lingwan is also deft, Zheng Xiaocheng and Zheng Xiaoqi know kung fu and can go hunting in the mountains, so there is a lot of room for maneuver here.

Xia Mianwan took some animal-shaped dolls and toys from the supermarket, intending to let Zheng Xiaocheng and Zhu try to make them and see if they could make something similar.

When in the capital, Xia Mianwan asked Cui'er to buy a lot of white flour. Xia Mianwan planned to use some of it to try to make some snacks. If the taste was good, she could sell them in the shop.

The shop mainly sells things that have been around since ancient times. Due to the shortage of supplies in the north, these things will become particularly easy to sell.

Xia Mianwan took a basket of toys and dolls and gave them to the two brothers Zhu and Zheng Xiaoqi, and told them her intention.

After finishing all this, seeing that it was almost time, Xia Mianwan went into the kitchen.

"Sister-in-law, you are here. Today I made pickled cabbage, cabbage stewed with meat, lamb with radish, a meat pot and a bowl of braised pork." Zheng Lingwan said hurriedly when she saw Xia Mianwan come in.

I can't go out in the winter, and I have no excuse to take out the vegetables in the space when I hibernate in the summer. I have to eat these few vegetables over and over again, which is really a headache.

"Okay, it's too dry. Don't forget the egg tea." Xia Mianwan reminded.

"Don't worry, I won't forget it." Over the past month, Zheng Lingwan has been with Xia Mianwan every day, and she has felt much more refreshed.

Seeing that no one wanted to help, Xia Mianwan took ten pounds of beef and prepared to clean it and make beef jerky.

The Zheng family’s water tank is filled with water every day. Xia Mianwan scooped a basin of water from the water tank and began to wash the beef.

"Sister-in-law, what are you going to do?" Zheng Lingwan asked curiously.

Xia Mianwan washed the beef and said, "I plan to make some beef jerky."

Zheng Lingwan was shocked, because it was not allowed to kill cows at will, and beef was very scarce and difficult to buy.

"Sister-in-law, do we have beef?"

Xia Mianwan then remembered that beef was very rare in ancient times. "Well, I asked Cui'er to prepare some at that time, so as not to make it bad again."

Zheng Lingwan didn't ask any more questions. She just nodded and went back to her work.

Xia Mianwan secretly blamed herself for being so careless. She must not make this kind of mistake again in the future, otherwise she would die without knowing how.

In this case, beef jerky definitely cannot be sold, and we can only make pork jerky and sell it. Mutton has too strong a smell and is not very suitable for making into jerky.

After washing the beef, Xia Mianwan used a knife to cut the beef into small pieces. This step requires great knife skills, but it was not difficult for her.

After cutting the slices, Xia Mianwan began to cook the marinade on a small charcoal stove. There were not many spices for the marinade in the town, so Xia Mianwan used all the ingredients in the space.

The aroma wafted out after the marinade was cooked for less than a quarter of an hour.

Zheng Lingwan couldn't help but sniff, "Sister-in-law, it smells so good!"

At this time, Chen Ge'er also ran over with his short legs, hugged Xia Mianwan's legs and said, "Mom, it smells so good!"

Xia Mianwan touched Chen Ge'er's little head and said, "Be good, Chen Ge'er. Go to grandma first. Mother is making something delicious. She'll call you when it's ready, okay?"

After hearing what Xia Mianwan said, Chen Ge'er, who was a smart little boy, bowed to Xia Mianwan and said, "Thank you for your hard work, mother!"

Chen Ge'er's voice still had a hint of childishness, which melted Xia Mianwan's heart.

……

When the marinade was almost cooked, Xia Mianwan poured the beef into the pot and cooked it slowly. After it was cooked, he took a few pieces of oil paper and spread slices of beef on the oil paper and placed them in a vent to dry.

Xia Mianwan saw that there was still some marinade left, so he took some pig's trotters and chicken feet and poured it in.

The gravy on the charcoal stove is bubbling, making it particularly warm on this winter day.