Reborn Together: The General and I Reach for Power
Chapter 48 - 46 Good Days

Chapter 48: Chapter 46 Good Days

A big pot was simmering an old hen, and the aroma of the meat wafted through the entire village with the steam.

Chen Zigeng and Hei Dan squatted by the stove, feeding the fire.

Hei Dan kept sniffing, afraid of missing the delicious scent.

Old Mrs. Chen looked at the chicken feathers in her hand, blinking her eyes as if she wanted to cry, but before the tears could come, she started swallowing her saliva repeatedly.

Xie Liangchen rolled up her sleeves, busy at the stove, her face flushed red from the heat.

"It’ll be ready after simmering a little while longer."

Xie Liangchen said, glancing outside to see more than a dozen children’s eyes looking back at her, full of anticipation.

Old Mrs. Chen sighed, wondering where Miss Chen got her odd ideas from. Every time she managed to persuade her. Today, she had made up her mind not to kill the chicken, but somehow, she got talked into it by Miss Chen.

"Girl," Old Mrs. Chen asked, "is the Huang Jing you threw into the pot really more expensive than the chicken?"

Xie Liangchen nodded, "Grandmother, this is wild Huang Jing that is over ten years old."

Old Mrs. Chen asked, "Was it the stuff you were steaming and drying a few days ago?"

Xie Liangchen laughed, "Yes, but the Huang Jing isn’t fully prepared yet. Cooking it with the chicken this time is just to test its flavor."

Old Mrs. Chen had a doubtful expression, feeling as if Miss Chen was deceiving her.

Just when she was protecting the two old hens, unwilling to kill them, Miss Chen rushed to the kitchen to start cooking the Huang Jing.

Then, Miss Chen chirped at her ear, "Grandmother, I’ve already put the Huang Jing into the pot. If you don’t kill the chicken, you’ll waste the Huang Jing. Huang Jing is indeed more valuable than the chicken, so think carefully about what you should do. It’s more economical to kill the chicken."

Miss Chen had such a way with words she could persuade the dead to come back to life. Although Old Mrs. Chen silently resisted, when she saw the group of children, each one frail and thin with hungry eyes, she couldn’t help but give in to the old hen.

The aroma of the chicken grew stronger, and Old Mrs. Chen kept her mouth tightly shut for fear that her saliva would pour out through her missing teeth.

She looked again at the crouching children outside.

Old Mrs. Chen thought that after drinking this bowl of chicken soup, the children in the village would listen more to Miss Chen.

Not just the children, but also the villagers who came to fetch their children had faces full of embarrassment and gratitude.

"The children have earned some Silver Coins," Old Mrs. Chen comforted everyone, "In a few days, they’ll help us gather herbs and catch frogs. Besides, everyone helped Miss Chen this time, contributing a lot. Without this, where would the chicken come from? Isn’t that right?"

The people in the village knew that Old Mrs. Chen said this to put them at ease.

The villagers who were sent back began to prepare the supplies for going up the mountain tomorrow, making up their minds to set off before dawn. They needed to gather more herbs so as not to burden Old Mrs. Chen’s family constantly.

Chen Yongsheng came over to discuss the herb collection matters with Xie Liangchen.

"We’re collecting more and more herbs, and the business Silver is not little either. We should discuss how to divide the Silver," Xie Liangchen said, "Besides setting aside some as capital, the village should keep a portion for communal use, and the rest should be distributed according to the amount of herbs everyone gathers and collects."

Chen Yongsheng replied, "When you do the accounts, keep your share. The village’s herb trade depends on you."

Xie Liangchen had already considered this: "We’re using the Silver from everyone’s gathered herbs for purchases now. Even if there’s any surplus, it should remain within the Chen Family. When our herbal business is stable, even if Uncle doesn’t mention it, I will take some Silver from it."

Chen Yongsheng couldn’t help but worry upon hearing this: "How can that be? Without you, there wouldn’t have been any business at the Paper Workshop."

Xie Liangchen shook her head: "Listen to me, Uncle. Like Grandmother said, what can we as a family of three expect to achieve alone? Everyone should have a full meal. Now, as long as we set our own rules properly, wouldn’t we still earn Silver in the future?"

Before Chen Yongsheng could object further, Xie Liangchen continued, "The amount of Silver we’re handling is increasing. The village inevitably has herbal stockpiles, and we should arrange for someone to patrol the village early on."

Chen Yongsheng said, "This incident has already alerted us, and we should handle this matter properly. There are quite a few twelve or thirteen-year-old boys in the village. Starting tomorrow, I’ll make time to teach them martial arts. The number of young men in the village isn’t many; we’ll have to rely on them in the future."

Xie Liangchen had seen these young boys. They usually didn’t have enough to eat and were not tall yet. However, in one or two years, they could be like adults.

Now we rely on people to carry the herbs, but in the future, with carts and horses, we’ll need a team to transport the herbs. Starting to organize things now will ensure everything goes smoothly in the future.

After talking with Xie Liangchen, Chen Yongsheng felt much clearer-minded, knowing exactly what needed to be done next. Now he realized that Liangchen was not an ordinary girl, continuously surprising him.

"Your uncle entrusted Chen Family Village to me, and I couldn’t handle it well," Chen Yongsheng laughed as he looked at Xie Liangchen, "Now that you’re back, even if your uncle knows in the afterlife, he will be at ease."

Xie Liangchen shook her head: "It was Uncle who led everyone through the turmoil." Many surrounding villages had been abandoned, but the Chen Family Village had so many families remaining. One can imagine how much hardship they went through.

As they talked, they heard Old Mrs. Chen outside saying, "Come out quickly, the chicken is ready."

That night, the children of Chen Family Village could still smell the aroma of chicken in their dreams. The bowl of chicken soup they drank was simply unforgettable.

"Earn more Silver so everyone can have chicken soup," many children silently chanted in their hearts.

Chen Zigeng, however, was having trouble falling asleep, not only because life was so good but also because his grandmother kept smacking her lips beside him.

"Zigeng," Xie Liangchen called out to her brother from across Old Mrs. Chen, "How about I tell you a story? The story of the little frog isn’t finished yet."

Chen Zigeng turned over and sulkily said, "Sister, I’m asleep."

...

In a small courtyard north of Zhenzhou City.

Li You was talking to an old man on a wooden bed.

The old man lay with his back to Li You, as if he had fallen asleep. Li You recounted the events of Chen Family Village to the old man from start to finish.

After finishing, the old man still didn’t turn around.

Li You got up and saluted the old man, "Sir, I will take my leave now and come to visit again tomorrow."

Before leaving, Li You took out a drawing of herbs by Miss Xie from his pocket and pressed it down on the table with a paperweight.

Li You strode out with a hint of a relaxed smile on his face. Although the old man still ignored him, at least he didn’t drive him away.

There was finally hope.

After Li You left, Mr. Dongli on the bed opened his eyes. He got up and went to the table, looking down at the drawing of the Yangtao Vine.

This drawing was interesting; he suddenly wanted to meet that girl.

...

Morning.

Chen Family Village was already bustling with activity.

Xie Liangchen carried a bamboo basket on her back, taking people from the village on their way to the Papermaking Workshop in the city.

After Lord Li You herself resolved a case, more people were willing to sell herbs to Chen Family Village, and the herbs sent to the workshop were increasing.

The Papermaking Workshop was piling up with herbs, almost to the point of being unused. Manager Li was worrying when he saw several carriages arriving outside the workshop.

The lead government officer said, "By the order of General Song, send the herbs to Qi State."

Manager Li breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that General Song had already arranged everything.

As he watched the herbs being loaded onto the carriages, Chang Yue approached Xie Liangchen from behind: "Miss Xie, our master is back and waiting for you in the courtyard."