Chapter 21
Liu Qiaojiang's family lived near the book school, not far away, but the neighbors all had a normal relationship with her. Village Chief Zhou knocked on the door, but there was no response.
"Liu Qiaojiang, it's me. I have something to discuss with you."
Perhaps because he heard the voice of Village Chief Zhou, Liu Qiaojiang slowly opened the door. When he saw two unfamiliar people behind him, his expression immediately changed and he wanted to close the door to see off the guests.
Zhou Yunyi: "Hello, Aunt Liu."
Liu Qiaojiang forced a smile and nodded.
"Liu Qiaojiang, it is for the children in the village to study. You know that the previous gentleman went to live in other places. Going to the town to study is not only expensive, but also far away. It is really difficult."
Village Chief Zhou spoke sincerely. Liu Qiaojiang looked back and forth at Song Tingran and asked, "Are you the new gentleman?"
"It's not me, it's my husband Shi Yan who teaches."
Song Tingran introduced Shi Yan cordially. He took a step forward and said, "I am the teacher of the book school. Anyone, whether they are boys or girls, can come to study and learn etiquette."
Liu Qiaojiang frowned and continued to ask: "Does your wife agree?"
Shi Yan looked back at Song Tingran behind him, smiled from the bottom of his heart, and said, "Of course I agree."
"Okay, I'm doing this for Daniu Village, not because of you. If I find out that I won't teach well in the future, I will go to the book school and smash all the tables and chairs for you."
At the door of Liu Qiaojiang's house, they negotiated some ideas about desks and chairs, including his husband's desk, plaques, etc. Liu Qiaojiang wrote them down one by one, and with his rich experience, he said he would make them as soon as possible.
"How much deposit do we need to pay?"
As Song Tingran said, he was about to pay. Liu Qiaojiang snorted and closed the door.
Just...close it.
Village Chief Zhou smiled and said, "That's just the way she is. When the time comes, we can just pay together."
Village Chief Zhou also came out for a while and took Zhou Yunyi away. She turned around and made faces at Song Tingran and Shi Yan, which was very cute.
"Shi Yan, is there any way you can contact the third child, Chang Yuqiao, and the third child, Qiao Jinshu?"
"Jinshu is fine. He is in the village next door. I can write him a letter. I believe he will be very happy when he receives the letter, but..."
Shi Yan frowned and looked at Song Tingran. She didn't understand what was going on for a while. She also had a bad premonition in her heart and asked, "Is he dead?"
Shi Yan was astonished and quickly explained: "Jinshu is in good health, but her mother has always disagreed with the marriage. The last time she went home, she was arrested by her family."
So it turned out that from the memory of the original owner, Xiaoqi Qiao Jinshu was the only one who truly admired Song Tingran, and she even came here privately because she had met her once when she was a child. At that time, the original owner was still chubby and soft. Waxy.
There was a verbal agreement between them, and he kept it in mind.
But the original owner didn't take it seriously at all. Qiao Jinshu was still a baby at that time, three years younger than her.
Things in the world are unpredictable, Song Tingran muttered in his heart.
"Let's do this. You first send a letter to Qiao Jinshu and explain the situation at home. If he is willing to come back but his family refuses, I will go there in person to resolve the matter."
Song Tingran thought broadly, the worst case scenario was that Qiao Jinshu would regret it, just like Wen Ci and Wen Li, they would all be accepted as brothers and remarried, but the matter had to be resolved.
"Don't worry, wife, but... Changyuqiao is in trouble. When he was twelve years old, he was sold by his family to make a living by singing and playing music in a tavern. He had no food some time ago, so he returned home. , my home is far away, I really don’t know what’s going on now.”
Shi Yan's tone was full of worry, and he walked to the door of his house unknowingly. Song Tingran said to him: "Write a letter to Changyuqiao as well, and check the situation first."
"it is good."
The house is now prosperous. Wen Ci and Wen Li are making bedding in the yard, Sang Cheng is watering the fields, and Xiao Yuchen is coming back with two buckets of water. He looks a little out of breath. This is probably not his first trip.
Song Tingran remembered that there were two public wells in the village, neither of which were close to her home.
If in the past, there was only a little field at the back, all we had to do was go to the river at the foot of the mountain and fetch water.
Nowadays, there are many fields and many people in the family. It is a long way to fetch water from the public well, and the stones are slippery when going to the river, so the risk index is high.
In the future, Song Tingran plans to be a supplier. It is imperative to dig a well on his property or build a road from his property to the river.
She estimated that her family's money should be around fifty or sixty taels of silver, which was enough, so she could get started without further delay.
Song Tingran went directly to Zhao Yu's place, but unfortunately she was not at home. Her husband said that the cattle cart had not returned yet.
She was a little disappointed, but as soon as she walked to the village road, she saw the figure of an oxcart in the distance. She waved wildly at Zhao Yu and waited there.
"What happened today? Wait for me here at noon."
Zhao Yu tied up the bullock cart and collected the money one by one. When Song Tingran saw everyone leaving, he grabbed her arm and said, "Sister Zhao, I want to ask you something."
Zhao Yu withdrew his arm in disgust, not liking such an intimate gesture, and frowned slightly.
"If you have something to say, don't be coy."
Song Tingran told the whole story about wanting to dig a well. She knew that Zhao Yu had a wide network of contacts because he drove cattle carts, so he must know some reliable workers.
"There are people who know how to dig wells in the village, but the price is not cheap. There are free public wells in the village, so why should we pay for one ourselves?"
Song Tingran was not embarrassed to tell the supplier first. He just said that there were many people in the family and there was plenty of space, so it would be more convenient to have one for his own use.
Zhao Yu expressed his understanding, checked the knot of the rope that tied the cow, and said, "You should go home first. I will tell you if there is news."
"Then thank you, sister Zhao."
This was considered a matter of resolution, and she walked home happily.
"Song Guike, we are from a furniture store in Ping'an Town."
Song Tingran didn't react when she heard Song Guike, but when she heard about the furniture store, her ears perked up. When she turned around, she saw the owner of the furniture store riding a carriage, dragging a lot of things behind him. .
There has never been a carriage in the village, and only Zhao Yu's family is running the ox-cart. This huge momentum quickly attracted the attention of many villagers.
The carriage stopped steadily next to Song Tingran. The owner of the furniture store was very polite and got out of the car.
"I worked overtime to make the things you ordered. I was worried that you might be in a hurry, so I sent them over right away. I was a little worried that I couldn't find the right place, but we met on the road before they arrived."
"Thank you, shopkeeper. I never expected you to be so fast."