Jai Mei's Unforeseen Journey to Ancient China

Chapter Four: Jai Mei Tells Her Husbands Her Plans

As they walked back home, Jai Mei couldn't shake off the feeling of excitement about their plans. She turned to Hao Zhang and said, "It's good you'll be teaching the others how to hunt. We can finally be more self-sufficient."

Hao Zhang grunted in response, still seeming distant, but Jai Mei knew he was considering her words.

He couldn't deny that she had a point. He was the only one with the skills to provide for the family in the forest.

Jai Mei turned to Hao Zhang and said, "Hey, I was just thinking about the chickens we caught today. What if we keep them and sell the extra eggs for some extra coin? And maybe we could even build a chicken coop and keep a male and female to breed for more chickens and more eggs."

Hao Zhang's face remained stoic as he considered Jai Mei's proposal. "We'll see how it goes."

Jai Mei nodded, understanding the skepticism in his tone. They walked back home in silence.

When they arrived home, Jai Mei called for a family meeting. Liu Feng, Chun Wei, and Shu Wang came to the main room where Jai Mei and Hao Zhang were waiting.

"Today, we caught some chickens," Jai Mei said as she approached her husbands. They looked up at her with interest.

"How many did you catch?" one of her husbands asked.

"Three," Jai Mei replied. "I plan to keep all three of them."

"What are you planning to do with them?" her other husband asked.

"I have an idea," Jai Mei said. "We can keep two of them to breed for more chickens and eggs, and we can eat the other one. It's been awhile since you all had some meat."

"And starting tomorrow," Jai Mei said, turning to Hao Zhang, "you'll be teaching us how to hunt. We need to be able to provide for ourselves if we're going to make a living out here."

Jai Mei continued, "And I will be teaching you all proper etiquettes, how to read and write, and even some poetry. I wasn't born low-born, I was just disowned by my family. I want to make sure we all become refined individuals."

"And Shu Wang will teach us all the basics of embroidery and sewing," Jai Mei added. "And I'll pay for an advanced embroidery class for Shu Wang and he can teach us all once we've mastered the basics."

Chun Wei didn't say much, but he nodded in agreement, a small smile on his face.

Liu Feng was particularly excited about the prospect of improving his critical thinking skills.

Shu Wang, in his soft-spoken way, expressed his gratitude towards Jai Mei's for wanting to help them. "Thank you, Wife.

She then said: "I have a few ideas to help us make more money. Firstly, we should catch a boar so that we can utilize various parts of it to earn profits. I plan to use the animal fat along with flowers and herbs to create scented soaps. We can sell the meat by the catty to the villagers, and the bones and skin to the craftsmen."

"Additionally, we can earn by selling the fish and shrimp we catch. I also gathered some vegetables to be planted, which we can sell as well. Moreover, I have collected nuts, flowers, and herbs to produce scented oils that can moisturize the skin and maintain its youthfulness."

The husbands were taken aback. What had inspired Jai Yuna to start providing for the family? However, they didn't express their disbelief but simply nodded, hoping that maybe she was telling the truth.

Jai Mei then said let's begin fertilizing the soil with the manure and eggshells you collected earlier today," she said, turning to the other husbands.

Jai Mei looked at the well, worried about the foul smell emanating from it. She knew it was not safe for drinking and would need to be cleaned before they could use the water for their crops. She suggested splitting the task in half, with some working on cleaning the well while others tended to the field.