Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Song Shian had thought that the story about pressing soybeans for oil was just a casual excuse made up by Jiang Chun and his daughter to placate Old Lady Li.

To his surprise, a few days later, Jiang Chun actually planned to go to the county town's oil mill to press oil.

Moreover, he insisted on taking Song Shian along, saying that the doctors at Baohe Hall should check his pulse to see if he needed a new prescription.

Song Shian gave him a suspicious glance.

Unsolicited kindness is either a trap or a deceit.

This guy was not only pressing soybean oil for him but also taking him to see a doctor, showing such meticulous care; there must be an ulterior motive.

Was he eyeing the position of the future Prime Minister's wife, hence this excessive attentiveness?

What a delusional dream!

He could let anyone else bask in his glory, but it was absolutely impossible for this lewd woman to do so.

Not even a bit.

Seeing Song Shian standing beside the carriage in a daze, Jiang Chun reached out and pinched his slender waist, then with a strong pull, lifted him onto the mule cart.

Because the action was so swift, Song Shian only realized what had happened when he was already seated on the cart.

He was instantly both embarrassed and angry, his pale face turning bright red.

How outrageous, this was simply a great humiliation!

He had been carried onto the mule cart by a woman; if the ministers at court found out, they would surely mock him!

And this woman was none other than Jiang Chun, whom he wished to eliminate as soon as possible!

But she moved too quickly, giving him no chance to protest.

Instead of reflecting on her actions, Jiang Chun, the culprit, laughed and teased him, "Husband, why are your cheeks so red? Are you shy?"

Song Shian was speechless with anger, turning his back to her, unwilling to look at this filthy creature.

Jiang Chun flicked the reins, driving the mule cart towards the official road leading to the county town while "kindly" comforting Song Shian, "It's just a hug around the waist, husband, no need to be shy, we are married after all."

Song Shian snorted coldly in his heart, "Not for long!"

Seeing that he remained silent, Jiang Chun, fearing that this upright gentleman might lose face, stopped teasing him.

Instead, she began to ponder her sign-in system.

In the past, she would directly check in at shops in town after earning sign-in points, but with limited types of shops, she could only focus on pawnshops and pharmacies.

However, Hongye County, being a key point along the Grand Canal, was much more prosperous than Hongye Town due to its thriving water transport.

Especially Donghuan Street near the wharf, where shops lined up densely.

For this reason, Jiang Chun had not checked in for three days, accumulating six sign-in points.

She rubbed her hands together, hoping to get something valuable today and not waste the trip.

If Jiang Chun went to the county alone, it would take her only an hour, but with the delicate and frail Song Shian in the back of the cart, she dared not drive the mule too fast, fearing that he might suffer from the bumpy ride, which would cost her more silver.

So it took them a full one and a half hours to arrive.

After paying two coins per person as a head tax at the city gate, Jiang Chun drove straight to the oil mill.

There was no oil mill in town, so pressing oil required a trip to the county, which was very inconvenient.

Moreover, due to the lack of advanced pressing techniques, the oil yield was extremely low, with about ten pounds of soybeans producing only one pound of oil.

No matter whether these soybeans were cooked into bean porridge or exchanged for tofu, it would be better than pressing oil.

Not only that, but pressing oil also incurred processing fees at the oil mill, three coins per pound of oil.

Clearly, it was not cost-effective, so few families in town or nearby villages could afford to press soybean oil.

In a sense, when Li scolded Song Shian for being nothing but a waste of money, she wasn't entirely wrong.

The process of manual oil pressing was very complicated and could not be completed in a day. They could only leave the soybeans at the oil mill and come back another day to collect the pressed oil.

Jiang Chun rolled up her sleeves and sternly told the oil mill owner, Mr. Zhang, "These soybeans are from our best fields, each one plump and round. Uncle Zhang, don't you dare 'accidentally' mix them up with inferior beans from middle or lower fields. I'll smash your oil mill if you do!"

Mr. Zhang hurriedly bowed, "Oh, my dear Miss Jiang, even if I mixed up others', I wouldn't dare mix up yours. Don't worry."

Before Jiang Chun could respond, he turned his head and spat, correcting himself, "No, no, my Zhang Family Oil Mill is a century-old brand, always precise and clear. Each customer's goods are marked with cloth strips, so there's no way I could make a mistake."

Who in Hongye Town didn't know the butcher's beauty?

And who dared to provoke her?

She was like a demon from the sea!

Last year, a reckless young man dared to tease her.

Without needing her father Jiang Tu or her uncle Zheng Tu to intervene, she beat him until he cried for his parents.

If his parents hadn't begged on their knees before her, she would have broken all three of his legs.

Since then, not only the men of Hongye Town, but even those from Hongye County, dared not provoke her.

Jiang Chun's expression softened slightly as he said, "Alright, I'll come to pick up the bean oil in a few days."

Zhang Fatty beamed, "It will definitely be ready by noon the day after tomorrow at the latest."

Jiang Chun didn't specify which day he would come, only nodding, "Alright, I understand."

He then walked to the mule cart, gave it a strong push with his feet, and easily jumped onto the cart's shaft, whipping the reins and heading toward Baohe Hall.

Zhang Fatty raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead, letting out a long breath.

He then found his own cowardice somewhat amusing.

So what if she was just a strong woman who slaughters pigs? What was there to be afraid of?

No matter how fierce she was, he hadn't provoked her; she couldn't just beat him up for no reason, could she?

Jiang Chun certainly wouldn't beat someone up without cause, but if someone provoked him, that was another story.

As soon as he parked the mule cart in front of Baohe Hall, an old man with white hair and beard rushed over.

He let out a startled "Oh!" and then rolled his eyes, collapsing beside the mule cart.

Jiang Chun: "..."

She was so angry she laughed.

Was she encountering an ancient version of a scammer?

She turned to Song Shian and spread her hands, "We're in trouble. We've run into a scoundrel. The money for your medicine might not be safe."

Song Shian glanced at the old man lying on the ground, rolling his eyes and moaning dramatically, and frowned.

He wished she would get entangled with scoundrels, but not now.

He knew his condition well; he truly needed to see a proper doctor.

It wasn't easy to make the trip to the county town, and he had almost vomited from the jostling. If the money in her hands was extorted by the scoundrel, he wouldn't be able to see the doctor today.

The next time they came, who knew when that would be.

So he slowly uttered two words, "Report it to the authorities."

The old man lying on the ground shuddered, his shoulders involuntarily shrinking.

Jiang Chun, however, widened her eyes in surprise.

This was the first time she had heard Song Shian speak since she arrived three days ago.

His voice was clear and magnetic, like someone had gently touched her eardrums with a cotton swab, making her feel a bit numb and ticklish.

Her toes involuntarily tensed for a moment.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself down.

Then she jumped off the cart, turned around, and pulled out a pig-slaughtering knife about a foot long from the basket, walking a few steps and squatting down next to the old man.

She tapped his leg with the back of the knife, grinning, "Broken leg? Doesn't look like it to me. Want me to break it for you to make your extortion easier?

Tell me, at your age, why do you only grow older and not wiser? Trying to extort someone who is in a hurry to see a doctor and doesn't have time to argue, but you should at least find out who can be provoked and who can't.

People who try to extort money from the 'Pork Beauty' haven't even been born yet.

What, still lying there? Do you want me to send you to reincarnate?"

As she spoke, she raised the pig-slaughtering knife high above her head, aiming it at the old man's head.

It seemed as if the knife would come down sharply in the next moment, chopping off his head.

The old man sprang up like a carp leaping out of water and ran away, his legs moving faster than any young man's.

Jiang Chun idly swung the pig-slaughtering knife in her hand, thinking that the reputation of the "Mother Night Demon" who could stop children's night crying was still quite useful.

She stood up and shrugged at Song Shian, "Report to the authorities? The word 'official' has two mouths. Without some silver to grease the wheels, the constables won't listen to you."

Song Shian pursed his lips, turned his head away, and remained silent.

He naturally understood this.

But in his view, spending a little money to avoid a big problem was worth it.

However, he hadn't expected that a bad person would be dealt with by another bad person. She had scared the man away with just her reputation, without much effort.

This was something he hadn't anticipated.

In the next moment, he felt a tight grip around his waist, and he was lifted off the ground.

Then, his feet landed on the ground.

Perhaps fearing he might lose balance upon landing, Jiang Chun also reached out to support his arm.

Being hugged again, Song Shian couldn't help but say, "No need for your interference, I can get down myself."

Jiang Chun chuckled, "Oh my, my husband is blushing again?"

Song Shian: "..."

He flicked his sleeve and walked straight toward the clinic.

Jiang Chun didn't rush to follow. She first tied the mule cart to a nearby post, then walked to the yellow sign under the clinic's entrance to check in.

[Ding! Check-in at "Hongye County Medical Hall" successful, received 5 taels of Codonopsis and 3 taels of Goji berries.]

Jiang Chun felt a surge of joy.

The check-in points in the county were indeed better than those in the town, yielding two items this time.

Codonopsis and goji berries were excellent for nourishing the body, perfect for Song Shian's health.

If she remembered correctly, stewing chicken with codonopsis was the best, but Song Shian was a vegetarian, so that was out of the question.

She would need to think about how to prepare these herbs.

As for the goji berries, they were much simpler to use—cooking them in porridge, stewing with vegetables, or brewing tea were all good options.

Putting away the check-in system, she headed towards the medical hall.

Just as her left foot crossed the threshold, she heard Dr. Cao, the resident physician of Baohe Hall, say, “Your foundation has been damaged. If you don't take proper care, you may develop chronic ailments.

To fully recover, the prescription must include high-quality ginseng.”

Jiang Chun: “???”

Ginseng? And it had to be high-quality ginseng?

This money-guzzling, wasteful son-in-law—couldn’t she just get rid of him?