CHAPTER 116: CHAPTER 116: EVERYONE IS COUNTING ON BIG BROTHER

"Dad, what’s this?" Xiaomi asked curiously.

It looked like a wine jar and it wasn’t small.

Jiang Hu proudly raised his chin slightly: "This is canola oil. Dad specifically set aside a hundred catties of rapeseed and entrusted Shopkeeper Liu to take it to the county to press oil for us."

Xiaomi was surprised: "Really, this is canola oil?"

As she spoke, she hurriedly leaned in. Jiang Hu straightforwardly lifted the lid of the jar: "Look, it’s different from the lard we eat."

All three sisters gathered around curiously, Xiaomi took a deep breath: "It smells so good."

The scent of canola oil, she hadn’t smelled in years.

Jiang Hu carefully covered the jar again: "At noon, we’ll use this oil to cook."

The three sisters nodded repeatedly, indicating they were very happy.

Afterwards, Jiang Hu brought back a bag of big bones from the cart and untied it, knowing the second aunt was still in the field, he led the ox up the mountain too.

As long as it didn’t rain, the Big Water Buffalo would be led up the mountain to graze every day, and brought back in the evening.

Xiaomi and Xiaoxue pulled Iron Egg out, and incidentally closed the kitchen door.

What Jiang Hu had Iron Egg bring back was a pack of mung bean cakes. Jiang Xiaoxue gave Iron Egg a piece and let him sit beside her to eat slowly.

"One hundred catties of rapeseed, and only so little oil, it’s so little." One hundred catties is a whole sack, Jiang Xiaoxue had seen it before.

Xiaomi pondered, that jar probably could hold fifty catties of wine, the density of oil is different from water, that jar was filled three-quarters, roughly about thirty catties.

A hundred catties of rapeseed yielding thirty catties of oil, the oil yield wasn’t low.

But Xiaomi didn’t dare to say, she just nodded in agreement: "Indeed, very little, no wonder it’s so expensive."

It was said that over twenty copper coins were needed to buy a catty of canola oil, which could buy more than two catties of pork.

No wonder people say it’s something only the rich can afford to eat.

Soon, Jiang Hu came back with sweet potato vines on his back, the second aunt carrying a hoe, apparently Jiang Hu went specifically to fetch his wife.

As soon as he got home, Jiang Hu hurriedly showed off the canola oil and eagerly talked about many ways to use it, evidently having inquired a lot from Master Zhang.

Jiang Xiaoxue and Iron Egg didn’t have much of a reaction, but Xiaomi was speechless.

Seriously, earlier all three sisters were gathered around the oil jar, and Dad hadn’t introduced it in such detail!

The second aunt was curious and expectant: "I had only heard about it before, this is the first time seeing real canola oil, it’s completely different from lard, it doesn’t solidify when cold."

Xiaomi leaned close to her parents and asked innocently: "Dad, rapeseed can be pressed for oil, what about other things? Can other things be pressed for oil too?"

The seemingly casual question made both Jiang Hu and the second aunt feel a jolt of spirit. Jiang Hu then cautiously asked: "Xiaomi, what else do you think can be pressed for oil?"

Xiaomi frowned, thinking hard: "Peanuts? Soybeans? They look a lot like rapeseed, just one is bigger and one is smaller."

Jiang Hu took a deep breath.

Xiaomi looked at him puzzled: "Dad, what’s wrong?"

Jiang Hu forced himself to calm down: "It’s nothing, Xiaomi, don’t mention this to others in the future, okay?"

Xiaomi was confused, but still nodded, beaming: "Okay, only to Mom and Dad!"

Jiang Hu patted Xiaomi on the shoulder: "Alright, go out and play, Mom and Dad will store this away."

Xiaomi didn’t suspect anything, bouncing out of the kitchen, continued to cut sweet potato vines with her second sister.

In the kitchen, Jiang Hu took a small jar, prepared to take out one or two catties of canola oil, and put the rest in another room.

The second aunt held the small jar for him, puzzled: "Brother Hu, why did Xiaomi say soybeans and peanuts can be pressed for oil?"

Jiang Hu shook his head: "I don’t know either, maybe she herself doesn’t know why she said it, it just came out accidentally."

"Then why did you react so strongly, and not let Xiaomi tell others?"

Jiang Hu stopped what he was doing: "Second Aunt, Xiaomi is different from others, even if she says things casually, they probably are true."

Even though Jiang Hu himself found it incredible, his intuition told him that every word Xiaomi said should be taken seriously.

He knew it since their first payment of grain tax at Fu’an Village.

The second aunt was first surprised, then realized: "Then why are you so nervous, if soybeans and peanuts can be pressed for oil, that’s a good thing, maybe the prices of soybeans and peanuts will rise."

Soybeans are mostly used for sprouting or tofu making, peanuts are for snacking with alcohol, their prices aren’t exactly cheap, but not high either, better than leaving the land empty.

If both could be pressed for oil, the prices would certainly increase, and peanuts and soybeans could be sold for more money.

Just like sesame for sesame oil, it’s really expensive.

However, Jiang Hu shook his head: "I know what you’re saying, but our Xiaomi is still small, if word of this gets out from her, it might bring disaster to her."

Our child is only two years old and already knows so much, isn’t it obvious to others that she’s a golden child?

The second aunt was reminded and realized: "Yes, yes, good thing you thought of it, Brother Hu, Xiaomi has already drawn enough attention these past two years, we can’t attract any more."

Fortunately, it seems that it’s just better crops growing, although it makes outsiders envious of Fu’an Village, the farmers are still farming, not attracting the attention of important people.

But if it changed to something beneficial to important people, it would no longer be peaceful.

Jiang Hu resealed the canola oil and sighed: "Now it all depends on the eldest, if he does well in his studies and becomes a Scholar, he’ll be able to protect Xiaomi."

Even though the chances are slim, he still can’t help but think of it.

A Scholar doesn’t have to kneel before officials, can exempt the family from taxes, of course these aren’t important, what’s important is, having a Scholar in the family almost ensures protection from outside bullying.

Of course, both Jiang Hu and the second aunt are just thinking at the moment, they don’t even dare to tell Jiang Yu about wanting him to become a Scholar.

After all, it’s really not something you can achieve just by talking about it.

But Jiang Hu’s thoughts coincided with Xiaomi’s, letting the elder brother/eldest son become a Scholar, then they could confidently develop the family’s agriculture industry.

Though becoming a Scholar is a matter for several years later, for now, Xiaomi is pondering another matter, about sweet sorghum.

This spring, sweet sorghum was planted along with corn, in one or two months it will be ripe, and the sorghum stalks contain a lot of sugar, which can be used to make syrup.

Last year’s sorghum stalks were wasted, this year, they absolutely can’t be burned as firewood!