It is late autumn and the leaves have turned yellow.
Carrying a bamboo basket on her back, Jiang Miao met villagers collecting firewood as soon as she reached the foot of the mountain.
"Why is Miaoya back? Didn't your mother-in-law come back with you?"
Since the Shen family moved to the town, only Mrs. Zhang has come back a few times. Now that Shen Yanqing has won the imperial examination and the Shen family has become rich again, the villagers have come forward to say hello.
"Well, let's go to the mountains to pick some wild fruits." Jiang Miao replied with a smile, and the villagers were a little flattered.
According to Jiang Miao's bad temper in the past, she would not pay attention to them at all. How could she stop to talk like this? Is this because she has become rich and her temper has changed?
Zhao Xiuxiu, who was next to her, was originally jealous of her increasingly beautiful appearance, but when she heard that she was coming back to pick wild fruits, she laughed scornfully.
"Tsk! Could it be that the Shen family doesn't give you food, but they want to eat wild fruits?"
"Xiu Xiu!" Zhao's mother quickly pulled her daughter away when she saw that she was speaking freely. The Shen family could not afford to offend her now.
"I'm right, she is a child bride with no name and no status. The Shen family doesn't look down on her at all. She will be kicked out when brother Yan marries a noble girl from the capital!" Zhao Xiuxiu looked gloating, Jiang Miao looked so good. No matter how good-looking she is, there is no point in it, Shen Yanqing has a bright future and will never marry her.
After she finished speaking, the scene was a little awkward for a moment. Although everyone thought so, no one said it directly. Besides, with Jiang Miao's appearance, she couldn't be a real wife, but she was more than enough to be a concubine. They didn't dare to bring her down. excuse me.
Jiang Miao's eyes suddenly sank, and a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"The Shen family told you that they don't like me anymore."
Zhao Xiuxiu pursed her lips and couldn't answer, "It's no need to say this, anyone with eyes can see it. If you don't believe me, ask them?"
"Oh, really?" Jiang Miao glanced at the people around her, and everyone shook their heads.
"I did not see it."
"Neither do I. Miaoya is gentle and virtuous. Mrs. Zhang even praised me so much when she came back last time!"
"that is.……"
"You!" Zhao Xiuxiu was furious. These women were really old and faint, and they were telling lies with their eyes open.
She wanted to curse loudly, but Mother Zhao quickly covered her mouth with quick eyes and hands, and said to Jiang Miao with a flattering look on her face.
"Xiuxiu is ignorant. Miaoya, don't be as knowledgeable as her. I'll scold her when I go back."
"Then Auntie must teach her well. If you tarnish a person's reputation, you will go to jail. Those who know it will think that she is young and ignorant, and those who don't know will think that she is talkative and uncultured." Jiang Miao said in a deep voice, and Zhao's mother looked a little embarrassed. , Xiu Xiu is one year older than Mia Ya, but she was raised to be pampered and willful.
"Mom, that bitch scolded me!"
"Shut up! You're going to marry me. Who dares to marry you if your reputation is ruined?" Zhao's mother hates that iron cannot become steel. Zhao Xiuxiu frowned and looked unconvinced. She just didn't like Jiang Miao. Without her, she might not have married. The one who was given to Shen Yanqing was himself.
The incident at the foot of the mountain did not affect Jiang Miao's good mood at all, and she went straight to the hawthorn tree humming a song.
The red fruit hung on the branches. Except for the birds and the children who were greedy for snacks, no one in the village ate it. Jiang Miao picked one and put it in her mouth and took a bite.
"So sour..." Her little face was wrinkled up and her teeth were sore. This scene happened to be caught by Zhao Xiuxiu. Zhao Xiuxiu looked gloating about her misfortune, so she said that Jiang Miao was definitely not popular in the Shen family, and she might not even I couldn't eat enough, so I ate this sour fruit.
She released the breath she had held in her chest, glanced at Jiang Miao proudly, and walked to Zhao's mother to collect firewood.
Jiang Miao looked puzzled. Is this person sick?
She shook her head and ignored it. She picked up half of the basket of big, red hawthorns on the branches.
In addition to hawthorn, she also found chestnuts. This chestnut tree had obviously not been touched by anyone. The green thorny balls were packed with delicacies from the world. She picked them happily, but she didn't know that the villagers not far away looked at her with pitiful eyes.
.
Could it be that what Xiu Xiu said was true? The Shen family didn't want to see Mia Ya. Otherwise, why would she even eat the thorn fruit that pricked her mouth?
Jiang Miao didn't know that she had been misunderstood. After picking up chestnuts, she went to pick some green plums. The bamboo basket was filled to the brim. Jiang Miao carried it home with difficulty, and Mrs. Zhang was startled.
"Tell me, are you stupid? Are you tired of picking so many sour fruits?"
Jiang Miao wiped the sweat from her forehead and forced a smile.
Of course she was tired, but when she thought about the prepared food, she was willing to be even more tired.
Chestnuts can be used as both staple food and snacks, and they can be stored for a long time. She decided to pick them all from the mountain when she had time.
After taking out a portion of chestnuts and hawthorns and washing them, Jiang Miao decided to make chestnut cakes and sugar snowballs, and the green plums were made into candied fruit. When the ones on the mountain were picked, she also wanted to make green plum wine.
These methods are relatively simple. Steam chestnuts in a pot to make chestnut puree, then add honey to enhance the flavor. The chestnut cake is soft, delicate, sweet and delicious.
Mrs. Zhang likes sweet and soft snacks. She ate two pieces of them when they were hot right out of the pot before stopping. Daya and Zhou Ling prefer sugar snowballs, each bite is sour and sweet.
"I didn't expect that the food made from the wild fruits that no one wants in the mountains is so delicious. Why didn't anyone find it before?" Mrs. Zhang looked puzzled. If she had known about it before, she wouldn't have been hungry.
"That also requires Miaoya's craftsmanship."
"That's what you said." Mrs. Zhang nodded when she heard Shen Yingxue's words. Only Miaoya could make this snack, and the wild fruits in the mountains were not cheap to their family.
"I will go up to the mountain to pick them all tomorrow to avoid being snatched away by others."
So when Jiang Miao looked at the fruits piled up in the yard the next day, her eyes almost popped out.
"Mom, why did you pick so many?" You couldn't have picked all the fruits on the mountain.
Mrs. Zhang drank two glasses of water and said proudly.
"This is so much, your father and I haven't even finished picking a single tree."
She also felt that she had picked too little.
"I know mom and dad are capable, but we can't tire ourselves out." Jiang Miao stepped forward and squeezed her shoulders, and Mrs. Zhang looked impressed.
"It's not hard work. It's much easier than doing farm work. Are you selling the snacks today?"
"The sales are very good, and many people want to try it." Especially the sugar snowballs, with bright red fruits wrapped in white icing, look very tempting, and they are cheaper than other snacks, with a pack only costing 50 yuan. Customers
Everyone who saw it didn’t want to buy it back and try it.
"That's good, that's good, your father and I will pick it again."
Mrs. Zhang couldn't sit still. This was a business without capital. The more fruits they picked, the more money Miao Ya would make. Mrs. Zhang was obsessed with money, and Jiang Miao couldn't stop her.
"Then I'll calculate the wages for mom and dad. I can't let you suffer in vain."
"OK."
Mrs. Zhang did not refuse this time. She and Mr. Shen only worked for Miao Ya. After a long time, they were afraid that the first and second bedrooms would have opinions and would have nothing to say after receiving the money.
