Chapter 48

"Ah? Oh, Hello, madam." Du Xiaoli said to Li Xuemei.

"You..." what else did the maid want to say? Li Xuemei raised her hand and said, "forget it, it's just a child."

"Yes, madam," replied the maid, blessing her body.

"Don't be afraid, little sister. I just wanted to ask you a few questions today." Li Xuemei said.

"Excuse me, madam." Du Xiaoli saw that Li Xuemei was very kind, not as terrible as Xiaocui said last time.

"What's your name? Who are there in your family? Is this orange planted by your own family? Why haven't you seen this fruit before?" Li Xuemei picked up an orange and asked.

The oranges were separated from them when they entered the house. I didn't expect they had been sent to her so soon.

Du Xiaoli nodded and said, "my name is Du Xiaoli. My brother and I were at home. This orange used to grow in the mountains. Later, I found it edible, so I planted it and sold it myself."

"Only you and your brother? How old are you? Why are you selling oranges, not your brother?" Li Xuemei asked.

"My brother is now studying in the school in the county, so I'm the only one to sell oranges," Du Xiaoli replied.

"Do others have seed?" Li Xuemei asked.

"No," said Du Xiaoli.

"How many oranges do you have?" Li Xuemei continued.

"Eight hundred pounds," Du Xiaoli estimated the number of oranges on the tree and said.

"Oh? So many?" Li Xuemei knocked her fingers on the rocking chair, as if thinking about something. After a while, she said to Du Xiaoli, "don't sell your oranges to others. Keep them all for me. The price won't be unfair to you. How about it?"

Du Xiaoli looked at Li Xuemei's appearance and didn't discuss with himself. He just meant to inform her. Thinking about who to sell, he nodded and said, "thank you, madam."

"If necessary, I will inform you in advance. You will tell sister Hong your address later."

"Yes, madam." Du Xiaoli answered cleverly and asked, "I don't know whether madam wants sour or sweet?"

"What's the difference?" Li Xuemei asked when she heard Du Xiaoli's words.

"Well, madam, if you want to eat sour, it's time to pick them. By the end of August and the beginning of September, the oranges will begin to become sweet, and by the middle of September, they will be as sweet as honey." Du Xiaoli explained.

"And these things." Li Xuemei looked at the orange in her hand, turned it around in her hand and said, "I know. Go back. Xiao Hong, send her out."

"Yes, madam!" sister Hong came over from one side and said to Du Xiaoli, "little sister, come with me."

"Good bye, madam." Du Xiaoli smiled at Li Xuemei and followed sister Hong out of the yard.

After a while, a man dressed in government came in. It was Sun Zheng, the county magistrate of Zhou county.

"Master." everyone in the room saluted sun Zheng.

Li Xuemei also got up from the rocking chair, greeted him and asked, "why did you come back so early today?"

Sun was touching Li Xuemei's stomach and said, "come back and get something. I just heard that you asked the orange buyer to sell you all the oranges? Even if you like it, let someone buy some. How can you buy so many?"

Li Xuemei patted sun Zheng's hand and said, "Sir, you forget that the magistrate's wife is also pregnant. Now the sour fruit is almost out of season. If we send this orange to the magistrate... Isn't there an official transfer recently? It might be useful. Besides, this orange is also a rare fruit. It's special to give some to other officials."

"Madam is considerate." Sun Zheng said with a smile, "you're the only one there."

"Don't worry, sir. I'll think about it." Li Xuemei said. She took an orange, peeled it and handed it to sun Zheng.

Du Xiaoli followed sister Hong to the yard. Seeing Luo Qi and lenger waiting under the tree, he waved to them.

"Are you finished?" they asked.

"Well," Du Xiaoli nodded and said, "we can go back now."

"Xiaoli, I have agreed with my wife that you can't sell those oranges. Do you know?" sister Hong reminded.

"I know. Don't worry, sister Hong." Du Xiaoli said, "it's just that the orange tree is a little far away. If you can, try to come in the morning or inform me the day before, so that I can pick it and wait for you."

"I'll talk to my wife," said Sister Hong.

At the back door, the old ladies had been waiting there with Du Xiaoli's basket. Seeing Du Xiaoli, he said, "it's forty kilograms in total. My wife said that when you were young, I'll calculate twenty copper plates for you. It's 800 copper plates in total. This is broken silver. Take it."

Then she took out some silver coins to Du Xiaoli.

Du Xiaoli just heard the woman say 800 copper coins. She thought she really gave herself so much, which startled her. Fortunately, they chose silver coins.

"OK, I'll take you here. If you need me in the future, just tell the guard here to find me." sister Hong took them to the door and said. "Thank you, sister Hong, goodbye!" Du Xiaoli waved to sister Hong before they went to the fruit market with Luo Qi. They got on the carriage and went back to Du Zhuang. Back at Niujing's house, Du Xiaoli got down from the carriage and saw Han Mingyi and Ji Liufeng lying under the eaves. He waved to them and shouted, "brother Xiaoyi, brother Liufeng." "girl, why did you come back so early today?" Ji Liufeng didn't know where to get a expensive Imperial concubine chair. Seeing Du Xiaoli coming back, he sat up and asked. "The county magistrate and his wife bought all the oranges." Du Xiaoli came in and said. Han Mingyi also sat up and asked, "then you came back?" "yes!" Du Xiaoli moved two stools, one for Luo Qi, and then sat down next to Han Mingyi and said, "I'll tell you something." Du Xiaoli told Li Xuemei what she wanted to sell her oranges, and asked, "you say, what does she do with so many oranges?" "It's not easy. Give someone away." Ji Liufeng said. Although Ji Liufeng was born in the Wu family, he was more flexible than his father and saw things in officialdom more thoroughly. As soon as he heard Du Xiaoli say so, he understood Li Xuemei's practice. "Give someone away? Do you need so much to give someone away?" Du Xiaoli glanced at Han Mingyi and asked. Han Mingyi nodded, agreed with Ji Liufeng and said: "No one else has seen the orange you found. If you give it as a gift, it's unique. As the county magistrate, sun Zheng must have moved around with other officials. Now the emperor is punishing officials for corruption. Many people dare not give or accept bribes. The money is not given. If you give oranges, they are just ordinary fruit and will not be included in bribes Face, both special and closer. "