Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 1177: Chapter 1087: Female Prime Minister 25

Mrs. Wang was busy making winter cotton clothes for the family. Although they now had money and could buy ready-made clothes from outside, Mrs. Wang was still in the habit of making clothes for the family by hand.

Mrs. Wang believed that the clothes she made were warmer. The winter clothes outside always seemed too thin to her.

Hearing what Shuangshuang said, she smiled and told Yin Zheng, ”Our daughter makes a good point. You should follow her advice; we shouldn’t turn the good villagers into lazy folks, as that wouldn’t be good.”

Yin Zheng increasingly felt that his daughter was extraordinary, her intellect surpassing his own.

Whenever he casually raised a topic, his daughter could instantly analyze the pros and cons and provide a solution.

Yin Zheng always thought highly of his daughter, and now felt a bit regretful she wasn’t a boy. If she were, such intelligence would make a perfect official.

Just then, Yin An returned from buying meat in town. Yin Zheng immediately took Yin An to see the village chief, preparing to discuss their plans.

Yin Zheng could have managed this alone, but he insisted on bringing Yin An along because he felt that Yin An’s silent, hard-working nature would be a disadvantage in marriage and daily life.

Hence, Yin Zheng planned to involve Yin An in everything, giving him ample opportunity to train and improve.

Yin Zheng didn’t expect him to be as eloquent as his second brother, but at least he shouldn’t remain silent all day, appearing too easy to bully.

When Yin Zheng arrived at the village chief’s house, the village chief was sitting on the doorstep smoking, with Mrs. Ding behind him sighing, unsure how to start advising him.

Sure enough, the government didn’t exempt taxes, and after paying them, the remaining grain barely lasted half a winter, if that. Those with money could buy some grain, but without money, they’d have to forage in the mountains.

The mountains in winter posed great danger; with no food, the wild animals were in a state of hunger. Hungry animals are hazardous, and humans trespassing their territory could easily become prey.

Seeing Yin Zheng, the village chief forced a smile, inviting him in. Yin Zheng, without hesitation, sat down and explained his thoughts and plans.

The village chief, seeing through people, immediately understood that Yin Zheng intended to support the villagers.

The village chief looked at Yin Zheng with gratified eyes, pondered for a while, and patted his shoulder, ”You’re a good kid. Rest assured, the villagers will remember your kindness.”

The village chief knew that doing so would cost Yin Zheng dearly, but there was no alternative. If the villagers didn’t benefit from Yin Zheng’s support, they’d starve.

With Yin Zheng’s ability to subsidize the villagers, the village chief couldn’t possibly refuse; he could only ensure that the villagers would help Yin Zheng whenever needed.

The village chief gathered everyone in the village square, where it was spacious for talking, and explained Yin Zheng’s plan to purchase mountain goods from them.

Upon hearing the purchasing method, the villagers became delighted, as they were frequently underpriced when selling mountain goods in town.

Following Yin Zheng’s method, they could earn several times more, and with the extra money, they could buy much more grain, enough to survive this winter with ease.

The village chief, seeing the villagers’ joyful expressions, felt relieved and smiled.

”Everyone, listen to me. Yin Zheng’s purchasing from us is out of goodwill, knowing this winter would be tough, he wants to support us.

But we mustn’t forget gratitude. When each household dries the mountain goods, ensure they’re clean and sorted, don’t mix good with bad, and keep everything tidy.”

The village chief said this to inform the villagers that Yin Zheng’s actions weren’t due to wealth or foolishness, but his desire to aid the villagers. The village chief couldn’t let Yin Zheng do good deeds thanklessly.

”Rest assured, village chief, we aren’t ungrateful people.”

”We guarantee the mountain goods will be clean and ready for Yin Brother to use right away.”

”Yin Zheng’s heart is pure, just like his name.”

Everyone heartily agreed with the village chief, their faces, troubled for many days, now smiling, each calculating the amount of mountain goods they had at home.

Some households with superior mountain goods secretly rejoiced at the prospect of exchanging them for more silver.

Others, realizing their careless harvesting for quantity, resolved to gather better quality next time they went to the mountains.

Because of Yin Zheng’s decision, much of the looming sorrow over the village dissipated.

With Yin Zheng’s help, although not ensuring no hunger this winter, there was at least no fear of starvation.

The villagers approached Yin Zheng to express gratitude, and he laughed heartily, ”No need to thank me, I’m just doing my part in the village, having been supported by everyone before. Isn’t it right to give back now?”

Yin Zheng’s words brought comfort to everyone, enhancing his reputation in the village.

In the matter of collecting mountain goods, Yin Zheng involved Yin An, who handled the goods’ weighing and silver collection while Yin Zheng kept an eye on him to prevent any escape.

While busy with mountain goods, Yin Zheng and Yin An were occupied in the village square, leaving Shuangshuang to handle purchasing winter firewood and charcoal with Mrs. Wang.

Since they had money, Shuangshuang thought of buying Silver Frost Charcoal, which produced no smoke when lit, suitable for indoor heating, albeit expensive as ten pounds of regular charcoal equaled one pound of Silver Frost Charcoal.

Speaking of Silver Frost Charcoal, a thought struck Shuangshuang, as she had the formula. Unlike medical skills requiring practice, Silver Frost Charcoal could be easily made given the formula, crucial to its production.

The source of the formula was easy to explain; after splitting the family, Yin Zheng bought numerous books from the bookstore.

Yin Zheng, with a keen mind, didn’t limit himself to serious books, acquiring various texts, including fragrance manuals and Qi Nong’s Essential Techniques, both new and old. Shuangshuang could easily say she found a formula tucked in a book.

Shuangshuang realized merely assisting with mountain goods wasn’t enough for villagers to survive winter fully; unforeseen ill health could pose significant trouble.

Thus, she thought of teaching villagers to make Silver Frost Charcoal, offering them a lasting livelihood, sparing them from future famine threats due to natural disasters.