Chapter 807: Keep in the Heat

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Binglan said, “I understand. I’ll visit Yang County later and check it out for myself. If possible, I’ll build a factory there and buy their medicinal herbs. Of course, I’ll offer them fair prices.”

She knew the merchants did not have to worry about herbs because the villagers had plenty of them. Therefore, the merchants could even pay a lower price by purchasing the herbs in bundles.

The merchants could then sell the herbs to medical centers and earn money for themselves, while the villagers barely earned anything. However, the villagers could not change the situation in their favor.

After all, they could not sell their herbs in medical centers directly because the village roads were hard to traverse.

Su Wenxiu sighed and said, “The medical centers in Yang County cooperate with the merchants. That’s another reason why the villagers won’t earn much even if they sell their herbs to the medical centers directly.

“The medical centers might also deliberately choose not to purchase the herbs straight from the villagers.”

“Those damn profiteers,” Su Wenzhe could not help but curse. He hated such people the most because he knew how hard it was for the villagers to grow herbs.

The villagers only wanted to make a decent living but could not contend against those with power. Still, Su Wenzhe and Su Wenxiu knew their sister was capable and did not fear facing such challenges.

Moreover, Lan Ruozhu had the final say in all of Dingzhou, and Su Binglan was technically a princess. She would undoubtedly help the Yang villagers.

Nonetheless, Su Wenxiu would not have considered speaking about it if his sister did not mention building a medicinal herb factory. Although he did not want to trouble Su Binglan, he ultimately voiced his thoughts.

Su Binglan knew her brothers cared about the Yang villagers. She said coldly, “Don’t worry. I’ll open a factory there and only accept herbs from the villagers instead of the merchants and medical centers.’

After some thought, Shen Qiuhua said, “By Yang County is pretty remote. Zhengde and Xueye might not be able to bring their teams there to build the factory.”

Su Binglan smiled, saying, “That’s okay, Mother. I’ll just hire the local contractors.”

Su Fengmao sighed and said, “Oh dear, you’re going on another journey, aren’t you?”

Although he hoped for his daughter to help as many people as possible, he worried about her overworking herself. He felt highly conflicted at that moment.

Su Binglan knew her parents were concerned about her, so she said softly, “It’s okay, Father. I promise not to overexert myself. I know what I’m doing. Also, I make sure to eat well and get enough rest.”

Shen Qiuhua said, “Your Uncle Qiuhui sent me a letter urging you to visit the capital. You promised him you’d visit some time ago, right, Binglan?”

Su Binglan felt helpless, saying, “l planned to visit earlier, but I have many things to do now. I guess I’ll have to visit sooner or later.

“l need to help the villagers with spring plowing and then start up the paper mill and the printing factory. Now, I have the medicinal herb factory to consider, too.’

Su Binglan finally realized that she might not be able to do everything in a short period. She probably could only visit the capital in the summer. She then considered selling ice creams and popsicles in the capital.

Shen Qiuhua was supportive of her daughter. When she heard Su Binglan’s plans, she said, “Don’t worry, Binglan. You can do whatever you need to, and you will have my utmost support.

“I’ll write your uncle a letter and tell him about the things you need to settle before visiting him.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Su Binglan knew Shen Qiuhui cared for her and only wanted her to visit the capital for fun. However, knowing Su Binglan, she

would probably plan more work when she visited.

••

Although most knew the building as the staff dormitory, each room was spacious, with a kitchen and a bathroom. It was convenient for those who lived there.

Lin Yishi and his family lived on the first floor. Since Old Madam Lin also lived there, Shen Qiuhua feared it would be inconvenient for Old Madam Lin to walk up and down the stairs.

Therefore, she arranged for the Lin family to live on the first floor. The family’s dorm had three rooms, and Old Madam Lin had one to herself. Meanwhile, Lin Yishi and Cai Shi shared a room while their son took the remaining one.

Of course, Lin Xiaoxi was still young and insisted on sleeping in his parents’ room. Hence, Lin Yishi and his wife placed two beds in their room, one for themselves and one for their son.

The young couple cooked in the kitchen and then had dinner at the dining table. The family was still shocked and in disbelief.

Old Madam Lin felt the warmth of the dormitory and could not help but sigh, saying, “It’s still cold at night, even though it’s spring. Still, I don’t feel like I’m freezing living here,”

She felt everything was unreal.

The whole family felt nervous when they first arrived at Su Teng Village. They only realized that Su Binglan was not exaggerating about the village’s condition when they finished settling down.

Cai Shi smiled and said, “Miss Wang from next door told me that Miss Su designed these dorms with thick walls to keep the heat in.”

Old Madam Lin nodded. “I’ve been sleeping soundly these past two days. The blankets and mattresses are nice and warm. They’re made of high-quality cotton, too.”

Cai Shi had also slept well and began to look much better. She said, “The pillows and mattresses smell good. I heard the manager dried them out in the sun, so that’s why they smell like sunlight.

“Princess Binglan is so generous. She even gave us ten days’ worth of meal tickets. We can use them in the cafeteria, but we’ll have to start paying for the food once we finish the tickets.’

Although they would have to pay eventually, the cafeteria food was cheap. Moreover, the portions were enough to fill one’s stomach. Even so, the family felt Su Binglan had helped them enough and did not want to trouble her anymore.

The family still had some of the travel money Su Binglan had given them. They used the remainder to buy some fresh vegetables to cook for dinner. There was a vegetable stall when the family left the dormitory area. The seller sold winter vegetables, including cabbages. The family bought some cabbages and wild vegetables from there and then went to the tofu shop to buy a pound of tofu to stew with the cabbage.

Although the family made a simple dish, they found it delicious and fulfilling. Moreover, Lin Xiaoxu seemed to enjoy the tofu, so his parents bought more.

Lin Yishi and Cai Shi heard that tofu was nutritious and good for the skin. They also only discovered tofu after coming to Su Teng Village. The former became emotional, saying, “Everything is so convenient here. Mother, I’m considering making scones tomorrow..”