After Transmigrating, The Fat Wife Made A Comeback!

by Usui Takumii

not mine, wuxiaworld site. 1126 chapters and ongoing.

6. 61 to 80

Chapter 61

Qiao Mei thought for a moment and continued,

Then when you come over tomorrow, send me a few baskets. I don't have enough baskets for this 1,000 catties of bean sprouts.

Sure, no problem.

He naturally agreed to such a small matter.

Now that the matter of the bean sprouts had been settled, she remembered another thing she needed. There was the matter of Xia Zhe's address.

She looked at Xiao Liu and asked,

Xiao Liu, help me ask Uncle Chen if I can find out the address of my man. I want to send something over!

Alright, I'll ask!

Xiao Liu nodded in agreement.

Qiao Qiang, who was standing at the side, was already dumbfounded. He quickly entered the house and picked up a pen and paper to do some calculations.

It was a total of 1,000 catties of green beans now, which meant that they could grow about 130 baskets of bean sprouts. One basket could sell for 15 dollars, which meant that it would be nearly 2,000 dollars, including the cost.

The net earnings worked out to about 1,700 to 1,800 dollars.

Moreover, this amount was the earnings per day and they would continue earning money every day.

Clack!

At this point, Qiao Qiang dropped the pen in his hand and his eyes almost popped out.

His granddaughter could actually earn nearly 2,000 dollars a day?

No one would believe this. In this era where a big family's living expenses were only 100 to 200 dollars a year, earning 2,000 dollars a day was really unimaginable.

After Xiao Liu left, Qiao Mei also did her sums.

She did not expect to be able to make a lot of money just like that. Moreover, the money came so quickly and it was really unexpected.

It was all thanks to Uncle Chen Hu's help.

…

The next day, Xiao Liu brought Xia Zhe's address with him.

Xia Zhe did not go on a mission this time. Instead, he had gone to an isolated environment for special training for a few months, so he could not come out.

But it was possible to send things to him.

Qiao Mei thought about it for a moment. Her jade pendant and children are all brought to her by Xia Zhe. He has given her a better life, so she naturally has to thank him properly.

Besides, feelings grow by the day.

Perhaps if she sends something to him and writes a letter or something, she can let him discover her other strong points.

Thinking of this, Qiao Mei asked Xiao Liu to bring some beef and bean paste for her tomorrow.

With Chen Hu's help, he managed to bring 20 catties of beef and a few catties of bean paste the next day.

Currently, cows were still the main productive force so they could not be slaughtered freely. Therefore, the beef available was all from old or disabled cows. It was really very good to be able to get 20 catties of beef.

She was busy in the kitchen for most of the day before she managed to make two jars of beef sauce.

During the cooking process, the fragrance floated above the entire village for a very long time.

The entire village smelled the fragrance of the beef and ate their rice with it as accompaniment. It was really too fragrant, but they did not have the guts to go and ask for this beef.

After all, Qiao Mei's food aggression temper had left a deep impression on the people.

All her strength was used to protect her food, so no one had any intention of coming to her place to ask for food.

But Qiao Zhuang's family was different.

Upon smelling this aroma, Qiao Zhuang, who was at the dining table, handed a porcelain bowl to Qiao Yu and spoke to her coldly.

Go! Go get a bowl of that dish back!

Qiao Yu looked distressed, but because of Qiao Zhuang's forceful manner, she had no choice but to stand up and walk towards the door.

She felt that Qiao Mei seemed to have become a different person. It was not easy to lie to her now and the success rate of getting some food back was not high.

But she still walked out under the family's watchful eyes.

Soon, she arrived at Qiao Mei's house. As she stood at the entrance of the courtyard, the smell was even stronger.

She took a deep breath and almost drooled.

She decided that getting a taste of the food would be worth being mocked, or even beaten up, by Qiao Mei.

Elder sis Xiao Mei!

Qiao Yu stood outside the courtyard and looked inside with a pitiful expression.

---

Chapter 62

Qiao Mei and Qiao Qiang were sitting in the courtyard eating beef noodles.

After selling the bean sprouts these few days, she had some spare cash and got XIao Liu to send a few bags of rice and noodles to her. Now, there will be an abundance of food at home.

They did not need to fear going hungry again.

When Qiao Mei heard Qiao Yu's voice, she immediately put down her chopsticks, picked up a thick wooden stick and headed towards Qiao Yu to hit her.

If Qiao Yu had not squatted down immediately, her face would have been injured.

Didn't I tell you not to come to my house for nothing? You're not welcome at my house. If you come again, I'll break your legs!

Qiao Mei had a ferocious look on her face when she said that.

Qiao Yu shook her head and put on a pitiful expression.

She looked at Qiao Mei and gave a wistful look at the beef sauce on the table in the courtyard.

The beef sauce was so fragrant!

She already smelled it from afar. If she could get a taste, it did not matter even if she was beaten to death.

Elder sis Qiao Mei, no one at home knows that I'm here. Because of what happened last time, I haven't eaten for three days. I'm starving!

Qiao Yu blinked as tears welled up in her eyes.

Her nose was red and she pursed her lips.

What has it got to do with me that you haven't eaten? Am I supposed to feed you?

Qiao Mei yelled, anger all over her face.

Besides, I haven't even settled the score with you for what happened last time and yet you eagerly come looking for me. You really don't know what's good for you!

At the mention of the dowry, Qiao Mei got really furious.

The matter of the dowry was originally the fault of Qiao Zhuang's family. They punished Qiao Yu and now Qiao Yu was blaming her?

Qiao Mei shouted towards her surroundings,

I've already given Qiao Yu a bowl of beef sauce. If Second Grandpa doesn't get to eat it, then you can't blame me!

Qiao Yu was scared to death when she heard that and quickly said,

No, no! I didn't take it!

She hurriedly looked around her and quickly got to her feet to slip away when she saw that there was no one around.

If her family heard that she took a bowl of beef sauce and did not see the sauce in their house, they would definitely beat her to death.

The thought of a scene like that made Qiao Yu run back quickly..

Soon, she disappeared from Qiao Mei's sight.

Qiao Yu carried an empty bowl and slowly walked home, preparing to sneak in through the door. Upon entering, she did not expect to see Qiao Zhuang and his sons sitting at the table, smoking and waiting for her.

She was so frightened that she took a few steps back.

A few days ago, it was these few brothers who beat her up until she cried her heart out. It was as if they were venting all their anger on her alone.

Even though she was Qiao Zhuang's youngest and only daughter that he kept with him.

But… Qiao Zhuang had never cared about her existence.

In fact, he treated his granddaughters better than her. Other than Qiao Zhuang's wife, no one cared about her.

Where's the meat!

Qiao Yu's eldest brother, Qiao Fu, widened his eyes as he watched Qiao Yu walk in with an empty bowl.

The rest of them did not have nice expressions on their faces either.

Qiao Zhuang took out the pipe from his mouth and forcefully blew out a mouthful of smoke while looking at Qiao Yu.

She won't give it to you?

Yes… She said that if I go over again, she'll break my legs.

Qiao Yu stood at the door with the bowl in her hand and her legs trembling.

She had no idea what would await her next.

Qiao Zhuang's wife wiped her hands and walked over from the kitchen. Seeing her only daughter like this, she could not help but speak up for her.

Seeing that Qiao Mei came a few days ago, it's obvious that she's not an easy person to get along with.

It's only to be expected that she won't give us food.

Qiao Zhuang stood up and glared at her.

You're just a woman, you have no right to speak. It's only right and proper for me to educate my children!

With that, he continued to glare at Qiao Yu.

---

Chapter 63

Didn't you used to hang out with that girl? Why can't you coax her now? Has she become smarter?

There was a threatening tone in his voice, as if he would beat her up any second.

The sons of the Qiao family all glared angrily at Qiao Yu.

In the past, the two girls used to hang out together and it was also Qiao Yu who spread those rumors about Qiao Mei to give her a bad reputation. How did Qiao Mei become one of the few smart people in the village now?

Something was wrong!

This Qiao Yu must be hiding something from them.

At the thought of this, Qiao Fu strode over and raised his fist to smash Qiao Yu's face.

Qiao Yu got so scared that the color drained from her face and she dropped the bowl in her hand.

Qiao Fu, come back!

Qiao Zhuang sat on the stool and waited for Qiao Fu to go over before he started to speak softly. Qiao Fu stood at the door and glared at her indignantly before turning around and walking back.

Qiao Yu was still in a state of shock but the next moment, she heard Qiao Zhuang say,

I'll give you another chance. In the future, try your best to build a good relationship with Qiao Mei and get more information from her. Then bring more things home as our family still needs more food.

Qiao Yu could not help but nod vigorously.

Okay, okay, okay. I know, I know, father…

Her back was covered in cold sweat and she felt cold when the wind blew at her.

…

Early the next morning, Qiao Mei instructed Xiao Liu's assistants to carry the bean sprouts onto the truck.

Huffing and puffing, they quickly loaded the truck with the goods.

Xiao Liu got into the truck, waved to Qiao Mei and drove off with all his assistants.

Seeing these people coming and going these few days, the villagers nearby had been itching to know what they were doing.

Auntie Dong happened to pass by with her basket.

She craned her neck to look at the departing truck with a puzzled expression on her face.

Qiao Mei was still at the door when Auntie Dong walked up and asked,

Mei Mei, I've seen this truck going in and out these past few days. What are they transporting?

A few of the older women nearby also surrounded Qiao Mei.

It's bean sprouts!

Qiao Mei said loudly and started to explain to the people around her.

My grandfather's comrades know that I can grow bean sprouts, so they have asked me to grow some for them. This will provide them with a different kind of vegetable.

Helping to grow bean sprouts!

If she was helping, it would mean that she was not being paid.

If the people in the village knew that she could earn one to two thousand dollars a day, wouldn't she be eaten alive?

She would no longer be able to enjoy a peaceful life in the village.

Oh!

Realization dawned on everyone.

In the current day and age, vegetables were all collected from the various production brigades. There were not many varieties of vegetables, so it was normal for people to get tired of eating the same few types.

Given that it was sent to the city, that was normal too.

Hearing this, Auntie Dong asked coyly,

Mei Mei, auntie wants to ask if auntie can learn how to make bean sprouts from you?

When the other women gathering around heard this, they also looked at Qiao Mei eagerly.

In this season, if one could use green beans to grow some bean sprouts, it would definitely make a nice dish at home.

Qiao Mei hesitated when she saw the expectant gazes of the women around her.

It was not that she was unwilling to teach them, but even if she taught them the method and went through the steps thoroughly with them, they did not have the energy to grow such good quality bean sprouts.

When that happened and if they misunderstood it as she was unwilling to teach them properly, the loss would outweigh the gains of her efforts.

But if she did not teach them, the situation would be even worse.

Aunties, I don't know how to teach. If you don't mind me being unable to express myself well, then come in and take a look!

Qiao Mei led them into the courtyard and spoke to them.

Okay, okay!

Auntie Dong felt an instant sense of happiness and could not help walking in. If Qiao Mei could teach her while actually doing it, she would definitely learn it quickly.

The other aunties looked happy as well.

Then, more people gathered outside the courtyard. These were all the women and their daughters-in-law from the village.

Alright, come over here everyone!

Qiao Mei spoke to the people outside the courtyard.

---

Chapter 64

Everyone walked in and into the workshop behind the courtyard.

Xiao Liu had helped Qiao Mei build this workshop. It was very sturdy and spacious.

Currently, there were many baskets in the workshop. The way the baskets were stacked on top of one another made it look very spectacular.

There are so many baskets!

Auntie Dong was the first to speak.

She stared at all the baskets in the courtyard. She had never seen so many before and furthermore, they were all the same size.

It was a grand sight to see the baskets stacked together.

With so many baskets of green beans, a day's work here would not be any easier than working with the brigade.

Let's start now!

With that, Qiao Mei rolled up her sleeves and started working.

As she began, she explained every step very clearly with the precautions to be taken for each step.

Anyone who was not a fool would be able to understand the instructions.

The women gathered around immediately changed their impression of Qiao Mei. Initially, they had heard that Qiao Mei had a bad temper, but right now it seemed that her personality and temper were both very good.

Qiao Mei soaked the portion of beans alloted for today and then watered the beans that were soaked a few days ago.

These were the steps of making bean sprouts. After soaking the beans, they would be put into the baskets based on the volume and then watered. As time passed, the bean sprouts would start growing.

There was also a technique for watering. One could not just water the beans casually. One had to ensure that each and every bean in the basket absorbed enough water for the beans to grow quickly.

She busied herself watering hundreds of baskets of beans.

After half a day of hard work, the women who came to learn how to grow bean sprouts could not even stand up straight any longer. They squatted on the ground and panted from exhaustion.

This job was not fit for humans at all.

As they rested, they sized up Qiao Mei and their impression of her changed even more. Before they came by, Qiao Mei was the only person watering so many baskets.

Wasn't this too tiring?

They wondered who had said that Qiao Mei was lazy. The way they saw it, there was probably no girl in the village who was more hardworking than Qiao Mei.

They had really misjudged her in the past.

…

After returning home, a few women started to grow their own bean sprouts. They followed Qiao Mei's instructions and managed to start growing some.

But whenever they were free, they still came over to help Qiao Mei.

They found it quite pitiful that she had to do so much work alone every day and did not have any help at all.

Besides, they could continue to learn things when they helped her.

However, Qiao Mei did not constantly work in the courtyard in the way she had taught them. Instead, she only watered the beans once a day and used energy to maintain the rest of it.

Otherwise, she would not be able to finish watering so many baskets by herself even if she worked herself to death.

However, she was also very happy when the women came by to help.

After all, given that she was now pregnant, she must build a good relationship with the villagers so that her children would not get bullied in the village in the future.

Four days later, Qiao Mei finally made a few friends, namely six aunties and two sisters-in-law..

This was also the day when their bean sprouts grew out.

Since they all still had green beans at home now, they took some out to try for themselves. It would be best if they succeeded in growing them. Otherwise, even if they fail, it would still be within expectations and they would not have lost much.

To everyone's surprise, there were a bunch of tender bean sprouts growing out in each basin. The sprouts looked especially pleasing to the eye and good enough to eat.

Qiao Mei was secretly happy when she saw these basins of bean sprouts.

These bean sprouts were naturally similar to hers. After all, she had personally taken care of these bean sprouts. Every time she passed by these women's houses, she would go in to take a look and do an exchange of energy. She could then ensure that the bean sprouts were exactly the same.

If not, some people might think that she was being selfish with her instructions.

Otherwise, why would they fail when she succeeded in every basket? It must be because she hid some information and did not teach them everything.

Therefore, she needed to personally 'take care' of them now. Whoever was growing bean sprouts at home, she would 'take care' of them whenever she passed by. For those who had no interest or were in a bad mood, then she would not care about them.

---

Chapter 65

In this way, no one could blame her if anything went wrong. They must have done something wrong themselves.

After these people harvested their bean sprouts, news immediately spread among the village and almost every family started growing their own bean sprouts.

Qiao Mei heard that there was a saying in the village that only a family with good values would be able to grow bean sprouts well. If a family had bad values, the bean sprouts would not turn out well.

In the end, within the entire village, only Qiao Zhuang's family did not manage to grow bean sprouts well. It was not just him, not a single one of his sons' families managed to do it properly as well.

All their bean sprouts had a bitter taste.

This was all Qiao Mei's doing. It was also through the current experiment that she realized that she could not only control how the energy was given, but could also absorb the energy without returning it.

That was why the bean sprouts from Qiao Zhuang's family were all thin and small.

When Qiao Mei found out about this ability, she was stunned. She could not believe that she was so powerful.

…

The beef sauce that Qiao Mei made finally arrived at Xia Zhe's location after seven to eight days of transportation.

Commander Xia, your package has arrived!

A soldier shouted from the door.

As soon as he said that, the entire room fell silent.

Xia Zhe looked up in confusion. He had a package? Who would send him a package? No one at home had the habit of sending packages.

What was sent?

Xia Zhe asked curiously.

When the soldier heard this, he subconsciously swallowed his saliva and said,

Food!

He did not know what the jar contained, but it smelled very fragrant. It was so aromatic that just smelling it made one tempted to eat it.

Hearing that it was food, Xia Zhe found it even more odd.

His family had never sent him food before, so it was unlikely to be from his family. There was no one he knew who might send him food.

Who sent it?

Xia Zhe asked curiously.

The soldier said loudly,

It's from your wife!

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes lit up in shock.

When did Xia Zhe get married?

What?

Xia Zhe, you got a wife?

When was this?

Three people asked their questions loudly and in shock.

Everyone was still single, so why was it that Xia Zhe was already married and now his wife was sending things over? It was really enviable!

Xia Zhe was stunned on the spot for a moment.

It was not that he did not remember that he had a wife, but he really did not expect her to send anything to him.

Her family was poor and she was so fat. There must not be enough food at home, right?

Bring it in!

Xia Zhe waved his hand and let the soldier in.

The soldier placed the package on the table and stood beside it, looking at Xia Zhe eagerly.

None of the other three men had left either.

Just like before, we'll share half of the food!

The tall and dark Zhao Wu said.

Next to him was Zhuang Hua, who looked more refined, and he also nodded and smiled in agreement.

Zhang Yong walked over and looked at the opened package on the table. He frowned when he saw the crooked words

To Xia Zhe

on the package. Was his wife's handwriting so ugly?

Xia Zhe's eyes lit up when he saw the words on it. He did not expect Qiao Mei to know how to write. Although the handwriting was crooked and did not look nice, at least she knew how to write and that was already very good.

Initially, he thought that Qiao Mei was illiterate. Her being able to read and write had already exceeded his expectations.

Quick, take a look at what it is. It smells so good!

Zhao Wu stretched out his head and fanned the air with his hand, looking like he was enjoying himself.

When the four jars had been delivered earlier, they had been checked by a specific department in charge. Now that they had been opened, they could not be re-sealed and the fragrance wafted out.

Everyone could not help but gulp. This smell was simply too fragrant.

Xia Zhe also could not help taking a step forward to reach out and open the lid of the jar. In an instant, the rich fragrance from the jar filled the entire room, making everyone take a deep breath involuntarily..

---

Chapter 66

I'm taking this!

When Zhao Wu heard this, he took one of the jars and rushed out of the room nimbly, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Even Zhuang Hua, who looked so decorous, had already taken a jar and rushed out the door. Only the soldier, Zhang Yong and Xia Zhe were left in the room.

Xia Zhe wrapped his arms around the jars, glared at the two of them and said loudly,

I have already given half of what I have. If the two of you want any, don't even think about taking it from me.

The soldier and Zhang Yong exchanged a look and saw the same intention in each other's eyes. The two of them instantly turned around and went after Zhao Wu and Zhuang Hua.

It was easier to take something from those two than to snatch it from Xia Zhe.

After everyone around him had left, Xia Zhe carefully opened one of the jars that he was holding. In an instant, there was a rich chili fragrance in the air, making his stomach growl.

Xia Zhe stood where he was and smiled.

This gift… he loved it!

He stood still for a moment to take a long sniff, then covered the jars and locked it in the cupboard behind him.

Then he picked up a letter from the package.

The words in the letter were not particularly well written but were surprisingly neat. There were no circles nor ink smears. It looked particularly comforting and made one want to read it.

The words were all very neat and of the same size.

They say words resemble the people who write them.

These words were just like her. Xia Zhe suddenly recalled that night. Although Qiao Mei was not a traditional beauty and also not too good-looking, she was special in her own way…

Especially that night, it was not as if he did not take any initiative.

Thinking of this, Xia Zhe felt so shy that his face turned red. He shook his head and forced himself not to think about it anymore. Whatever happened that night was in the past.

He turned his attention back to the letter.

The letter read:

How are you, Brother Xia?

I don't know if you have received the four jars of chili sauce. I made all four jars myself, does it smell good?

Not knowing what you like, I made both spicy and non-spicy ones, you can try and see which one you like. Or if there's anything else you want to eat, you can write and let me know.

I'll definitely make it for you when I'm free.

Also, I've received everything you asked people to send over. Thank you so much for your kindness, Brother Xia!

Thank you so much.

At the end, the letter was signed: I am your wife, Qiao Xiaomei.

At the bottom of the letter was a drawing of a little smiling person.

The little person looked to be standing in the doorway, waiting for an old friend to return. The drawing was extremely cute.

Xia Zhe finished reading the letter very quickly, but his eyes were wide with disbelief as he stared at the paper.

This letter… Can it be written like that?

In such a cute manner?

He suddenly remembered the touch of her skin that night, the body that was faintly discernible in the moonlight as well as the involuntary delicate gasps and continuous moans…

No, I can't think about it!

Xia Zhe shook his head to clear it of the memories. He did not want to remember that night again, but his mind could not help but whisper the words in the letter in that lovely voice…

He was unaware that his lips had slowly curled into a smile.

Qiao Mei… was actually quite cute.

Although Qiao Qiang had schemed against him and forced him to spend the night with Qiao Mei, Qiao Mei was innocent. In the end, she even changed her mind about the whole thing and did not lie to him.

In the letter, she even thanked him for his kindness.

Qiao Mei was a grateful and lovely girl with a kind heart and good culinary skills.

Finally he thought of the drawing at the bottom of the letter, the little person standing in the doorway.

Is the little person waiting for him?

At the thought of this, Xia Zhe could no longer help but smile. Even the look in his eyes turned warm and gentle, without the usual coldness.

---

Chapter 67

When Xia Zhe passed by the door carrying the beef sauce, Zhang Yong happened to see Xia Zhe's smile. He could not help but walk into the room with a frown.

He asked,

Is it the He family or the Ma family? Which family is the girl from?

Whichever girl had actually captured Xia Zhe's heart and melted him was really amazing.

Neither!

The smile on Xia Zhe's face disappeared as he looked at Zhang Yong and answered.

Neither?

Zhang Yong was very surprised. Which girl from another family could escape the attention of the He and Ma families and successfully capture Xia Zhe's heart?

This was simply unbelievable. His own Zhang family did not manage to succeed.

He had wanted to get his sister to come over and meet Xia Zhe to see if they could get along.

He had not expected this to happen.

Has he been intercepted?

Xia Zhe's eyes were cold as he looked at Zhang Yong.

She's just a girl from an ordinary family. She has nothing to do with those families in the capital.

This cold gaze made Zhang Yong feel a sense of pressure.

Got it.

Wanting to maintain his own dignity, Zhang Yong pretended to turn around as if nothing had happened and walked towards his own room.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Wu came over just as Zhang Yong left.

He walked through the door in a careless manner with a big spoon in his hand. His eyes scanned the room and finally stopped at the cabinet behind Xia Zhe.

Big brother, can you introduce us to our sister-in-law?

In the next second, he rushed into the house and towards the cabinet. Unexpectedly, there was a gust of wind from the side and a kick almost sent him flying.

It was Zhuang Hua.

He retracted his foot and stood there with his arms crossed. Then he glanced sideways at Zhao Wu with his lips curled and said disdainfully,

Zhao Wu, you're really shameless. You're two years older than brother Xia Zhe, yet you still call him big brother? How embarrassing!

Zhao Wu chuckled and put his spoon away.

I lost to big brother yesterday, so of course I have to call him big brother. It's more embarrassing to be like you and pretend you didn't lose, isn't it?

However, he knew very well in his heart that what made him shameless was this delicious chili sauce that he had never tasted before. Otherwise, he had never thought of calling Xia Zhe big brother.

In the end, Zhao Wu's eyes flashed with mischief. He looked at Xia Zhe and said loudly,

Big brother, he didn't address you properly. He didn't keep his word. If we have anything delicious in the future, don't share it with him.

This statement made Zhuang Hua drop his defenses!

That chili sauce was really more delicious than anything that he had ever tasted. It would be a pity if he could only smell it in the future and not be able to taste it again.

He immediately stammered and whispered,

Big… big brother!

Hahahaha!

The way he looked made Zhao Wu grinned and laughed loudly.

What are you laughing at? Let's listen to big brother tell us about sister-in-law.

Zhuang Hua gave Zhao Wu a firm kick.

The smile in Xia Zhe's eyes disappeared as he stood there without speaking.

I can't talk about us.

…

On the other side, Qiao Mei received a piece of bad news.

Her bean sprout business would have to shrink now.

Given that the half a month of militia training was over and the big bosses were moving away, it meant that the bean sprout business in the armed forces department was no longer required. They did not need the big supply of bean sprouts anymore.

On its own, the armed forces department definitely could not consume so much bean sprouts.

Hence, Qiao Mei only needed to supply a small amount of bean sprouts to the supply and marketing cooperative. They would need only about 200 catties as they would not be able to deal with any more than that.

Xiao Liu handed the last sum of money to Qiao Mei. There was a total of 1,587 dollars in his hand.

Our Section Head Chen said that the supply and marketing cooperative can still take in your bean sprouts now, but we can only take 200 catties this first round. We dare not take more than that as we need to test the level of demand first.

These 200 catties were just meant for the consumption of the staff at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Don't worry, there's a big lumberyard on the east side of our county. If there's no issue from their side, we can still take in a few hundred catties of bean sprouts in the future. It's just that their factory director hasn't returned yet.

Xiao Liu wanted to comfort her.

---

Chapter 68

There were not many enterprises in this small county city, so there were very few places that needed bean sprouts. Those city departments did not like to have regular deliveries of vegetables and preferred to buy them personally at the store, so there was also no need for a large stockpile of bean sprouts.

These realistic situations made Qiao Mei realize that her plans were a little idealistic.

In reality, things would not always happen as she had planned.

However, Qiao Mei did not feel disheartened.

This was because her daily income from selling bean sprouts was now more than 1,000 dollars. This amount of money was really way too much for this time period. If others found out and became jealous, she would not be able to bear the consequences.

Now it was time to take a break.

It was also time to announce that she was pregnant.

…

Qiao Mei found some time to go out and have a chat with the older women, but then she suddenly started retching.

The women all looked at one another.

Everyone asked Qiao Mei when she had her last period and about any recent changes in her body. In the end, everyone concluded something:

Qiao Mei was pregnant!

You're pregnant! You're with child!

Auntie Dong clapped her hands happily, her eyes filled with excitement.

You're pregnant in one shot!

As soon as she said this, the people standing around looked away awkwardly.

Qiao Mei's pregnancy was too much of a coincidence. She got pregnant after one night? If it was really so easy to get pregnant, Second Sister-in-law Wang living near the entrance of the village would not have needed to go to all the old traditional Chinese doctors in the vicinity in the past three years.

Qiao Mei had no choice but to smooth things over with regard to their suspicious looks.

She looked at the younger married women seriously and said,

For that night, if I calculate based on how you ladies taught me, it would be no less than four or five times. My legs were so sore that night…

Oh my goodness!

all the women exclaimed.

They looked at Qiao Mei in disbelief and blushed.

Heavens!

What kind of man was this?

Why did he fall for Qiao Mei and insist on marrying her?

Qiao Mei was really extraordinarily lucky. Although it was an arranged marriage between children, it was rare to have such a 'powerful' partner.

How did you feel that night?

Big Sister-in-law Liu asked curiously.

Qiao Mei thought for a moment and replied seriously,

Just one word, tired!

Everyone again laughed so hard until they were breathless.

However, as Big Sister-in-law Liu looked at Qiao Mei, she suddenly pointed at Qiao Mei in surprise and asked a spontaneous question.

Look, did any of you notice, I feel that Qiao Mei has lost a lot of weight!

Everyone turned to look at Qiao Mei and realized that she had indeed lost weight. Her originally tight-fitting clothes now looked loose on her. Her usually big plump face now looked much more pleasing to the eye.

Her thighs, which were as thick as buckets, now showed some curves.

This change was not considered a small one.

Qiao Mei looked at her own figure and nodded with a smile. Her current body size had already met her initial expectations. After more than a month of hard work, she had successfully lost more than 50 pounds.

From the back, she looked like an average person.

Look, Qiao Mei seems to have become fairer.

Big Auntie Dong looked at Qiao Mei's face and said in surprise.

In the past, Qiao Mei's entire face was squashed like a pancake due to her obesity. Her facial features were squeezed together by her fleshy face that they were almost invisible.

Now that her weight loss showed on her face, her facial features could be seen clearly.

Her skin color had also turned a shade fairer.

Look at Mei Mei. Isn't this a standard oval face?

These eyes are also quite big!

The nose bridge is not bad either. It's very high.

This little mouth is red and looks very lustrous. It's really cute.

There was a flurry of astonished praises as everyone looked over Qiao Mei. They had never observed her carefully before. Perhaps she was too fat for her features to be seen clearly.

In short, they seemed to have only found out about Qiao Mei's good looks now.

The general consensus was that Qiao Mei was much prettier than before. Her facial features looked exceptionally pleasing to the eyes and she had a tranquil temperament. If she lost a bit more weight, she might look even more beautiful.

---

Chapter 69

Mei Mei, you have to control your mouth and don't return to your previous size. See how good you look now that you've lost weight. If you get fat again, it will also be difficult to give birth!

Big Auntie Dong held Qiao Mei's hand and said earnestly.

Qiao Mei nodded.

Yes I know. Thank you, Auntie Dong.

Her voice was clear and sweet.

Everyone smiled and nodded. This voice matched her current look very well. In the past, when she was dark and fat and spoke with this voice, they had found it simply cringey.

And do less work at home. You just got pregnant, so you have to be careful.

Yes, that's right. Fortunately, you don't have to grow bean sprouts now and it's not so busy anymore. You have to be more careful,

the auntie beside her advised.

Qiao Mei smiled and said,

Yes, I don't have to be busy growing bean sprouts now. I just need to stay home and wait to raise the children.

She had originally received an order of 200 catties of bean sprouts from the supply and marketing cooperative, but she did not take the order now that she did not want to work anymore. She wanted to focus on being at home.

Although the supply and marketing cooperative still wanted another batch of bean sprouts, Qiao Mei was determined not to grow bean sprouts anymore. She would not do it even if the price increased.

That was because the supply and marketing cooperative had already increased its order to 1,000 catties. In the future, the order size would likely continue to increase. If these orders kept coming, the income would no longer be able to be kept hidden.

A thousand catties a day can make her a few hundred dollars!

This amount of money could definitely not be kept a secret in her small village. If someone reported her, she would be finished.

This was not an era of economic freedom.

Besides, she was pregnant.

Mei Mei, which day did your man come over?

Auntie Dong asked.

April 21st.

Qiao Mei gave a clear-cut answer.

She had transmigrated at that moment and naturally knew the date very well. It had already been more than a month since then.

At this point, a few of the older women stood together, immersed in calculating the due date for Qiao Mei's delivery. They discussed it noisily and finally came up with the date.

The due date would be at the beginning of January next year.

Qiao Mei nodded. The date she calculated was also around that time, but since she was pregnant with twins, she might deliver prematurely. The date was only a tentative one.

In her past life, she gave birth to a pair of pitiful twins who were so small and skinny.

This time, she would also take good care of her body and strive to provide the children with a healthy body to nurture them so that the children could be born healthy.

Qiao Mei chatted with the women for a while more before she went home happily. The first thing she did when she got home was to write another letter to Xia Zhe.

She quickly finished writing and was about to go and send the letter when she heard the sound of a bicycle outside the house. She was the only person in the entire village with a bicycle, so who was the person outside the house?

Qiao Mei turned around and saw the postman in dark green clothes stop at the door of her house. He said,

This is Qiao Mei's house, right? There's a letter for you here.

The postman parked the bicycle and walked over quickly, handing the letter to Qiao Mei.

Qiao Mei was so happy her eyes disappeared with her smile.

Xia Zhe had written back to her?

It was just that she had never thought that he would reply to her. It was great that he would do that now.

She opened the letter in her hand and saw the beautiful handwriting on it.

A trace of joy flashed across Qiao Mei's eyes. She suddenly recalled that night, thinking of his strong arms and bold eyebrows. He had flipped her over with one move and was very strong…

Qiao Mei covered her mouth and laughed. The postman was used to things like that and was about to leave when Qiao Mei stopped him.

I have something to send too. Wait a minute.

Very quickly, Qiao Mei brought out four jars. The four jars were filled with the pickled vegetables she had made. They were tender, crunchy and very refreshing and made a very good side dish for rice.

After all, she still had to give Xia Zhe some surprises.

---

Chapter 70

She could not send the same thing every time. She wanted to come up with different things to send over in order to express her feelings for Xia Zhe through the contents of the jars. In this way, he would also not get tired of her gestures.

Also, she could not always send meat products as it may attract unnecessary attention.

After she sent off her parcel, she took out the letter. The handwriting on it was very nice.

Hello, comrade Qiao Mei.

I have received all four jars of sauce. It is very delicious and I prefer the spicy one.

I hope you won't send me such expensive things in the future. Save the money to buy nice food for Grandpa. Everything is fine here.

In the future, I will send all my salary to you. Make sure to collect it every month.

Xia Zhe.

…

There was nothing extraordinary about the letter and it was very concise, but she smiled happily like a kitten that had stolen a fish.

She was glad that he had replied.

Moreover, he even said that he would send his salary to her and did not stop her from spending the money. How nice of him!

…

A few days later, in the training camp.

Commander Xia, your parcel is here,

the soldier shouted from the door.

In an instant, three black figures appeared at Xia Zhe's door, waiting for the parcel to be opened.

Xia Zhe opened the door and took the parcel with a glance at them.

The three of them stopped their actions and looked on eagerly.

Big brother, we'll share half of what we see!

Zhuang Hua said.

Zhao Wu, on the other hand, was unhappy and tried suggesting,

Big brother, this parcel looks similar to the previous one. There will probably be four jars. Why don't we just take one each instead of splitting in half? It's so troublesome to fight over it.

They had been eating the sauce for a few days. It was so delicious that the three men had fallen completely under its spell.

Do you think I want to share with you?

Xia Zhe glared at them sideways.

He also did not expect the sauce made by Qiao Mei to be so delicious. If he had a meal without the sauce, it felt as if something was missing.

Big brother, don't be petty. We'll only be sharing the sauce with you for a short while. But you'll be spending the rest of your life with sister-in-law and eating it for the rest of your life. You can't draw that kind of line with us!

Zhuang Hua said.

Xia Zhe was taken aback by what he said. It did make sense.

He continued to share two jars with the three of them.

After the three of them took the two jars, they went into the room together to split the loot. However, they felt a little disappointed when they opened the jars and realized that it was not the same sauce from the last time.

But when they leaned over to take a sniff, they realized that it was still something very fragrant.

The three of them picked up their chopsticks for a taste and found out that it was indeed very delicious. They started fighting for food again, this time over the pickled vegetables.

…

Xia Zhe returned to his room and placed the jars in the cabinet as usual.

Then, he carefully took out the letter from the parcel. The words were as neat as before, but the handwriting looked much better than before.

There's improvement!

Xia Zhe curled his lips in a smile of relief and turned his attention back to the contents of the letter. Then, he read something that caused him to freeze on the spot.

Brother Xia Zhe, I'm having our baby.

These words caused Xia Zhe to be rooted to the ground. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the letter in disbelief.

Hello, brother Xia Zhe.

Recently, I've had a poor appetite. Sometimes, I feel like throwing up when I smell certain dishes and I also lost a lot of weight. The aunties in the village all say that I am pregnant.

I am not sure if you will be as glad as me, but I am very happy that I am going to have a baby. I do not know if the baby will turn out to be more like me or more like you.

A cuddly little child must be very cute.

If we have a boy, he would definitely be as handsome as you. If we have a girl, she would definitely be her mother's little sweetheart. I am so looking forward to it.

I do not mind having either a boy or a girl, but I am not sure if you would mind having a girl. Do you prefer boys over girls?

I'm a little worried about that. Boohoo.

I do not know anything about giving birth and taking care of a child. The aunties in the village have worked out for me that the due date is likely to be sometime in January next year. By then, the weather will be so cold and I do not know how our baby will be able to take it. I am so scared!

---

Chapter 71

I am only 18 years old and I do not know anything. I do not know what to prepare or pay attention to. The aunties in the village are giving me all kinds of advice and I am not sure what to do!

What do you think we should do about our child? And what should we name our child?

Sigh, I have written so much nonsense. I hope it will not affect your mission over there.

Lastly, I will definitely protect our baby well and I will do my best to make sure that our baby can grow up smoothly. No matter what happens, I will wait for you to come back.

Your wife, Qiao Mei.

The letter ended here.

At the bottom of the letter, it was not a little smiling person this time, but a little worried person squatting at the door.

It felt pitiful and helpless.

…

Qiao Mei had spent a lot of effort on this letter. After all, a father's concern for his child had to be nurtured from when the child was young.

If he was already indifferent when the child was young, then what would happen in the future? It could not be that Qiao Mei had to take on both roles of being a father and a mother, right?

In the letter, she wanted to portray herself as being pitiful and helpless so as to fire up a man's innate sense of responsibility and protectiveness.

As long as a man felt a sense of responsibility, he would naturally start to pay attention to his children and would take their emotions to heart.

If he did not care at all, then how different would he be from a stranger?

In that case, he would naturally have no feelings for his children.

…

After Xia Zhe read the letter, he stood in a daze for a long time.

Qiao Mei was pregnant!

He was the father of the child. He had a child now!

Thinking of this, he felt excited. He would soon have a cuddly child lying on his lap, calling him daddy and trusting him wholeheartedly, and he would even have a warm home as well…

Thinking of this, his entire face turned red from excitement.

He would have another relative in this world.

A blood-related relative!

This also meant that he had a heavier burden now. There would be the child to take care of at home, as well as the child's mother.

He was now the head of the family.

Xia Zhe stood there and stroked the little person at the bottom of the letter. The frightened expression on the little person's face moved him and he felt tender and protective towards her.

Don't worry, you have me!

At this point, Xia Zhe picked up the phone on the table and made a call.

Uncle, I need some good soft fabric, and also fur mattresses and cotton. I need all of these!

The other end of the phone heard Xia Zhe's excited voice.

When Qin Dong heard this, he was puzzled.

If you really need these things, you can put up a request to the higher-ups. If you want me to send them to you from here, it will take quite a few days for them to arrive!

And these things… What are you going to do with them?

Qin Dong asked curiously.

Then, he heard something that surprised him so much that he was completely speechless.

It's for my wife. She's pregnant!

Qin Dong was stunned and did not speak as the other party continued on.

These things are all for my wife. It's cold over at her side and I'm afraid that the child will freeze in the middle of winter!

Xia Zhe continued speaking down the line.

This… Ah!

Qin Dong paused for a moment before continuing,

That's right, that's right. We must make sure my niece-in-law and the child she's carrying don't freeze in the cold. You're really not bad, kid. You got her pregnant after one night? Impressive!

Xia Zhe fell silent. Even if he was not accurate the first time, after several times in one night, he would be able to hit the target at least once, right?

However, this was not something he could tell his uncle.

He continued saying,

Those maternity clothes and other stuff need to be made in a bigger size, and there's also the baby clothes and mattresses and stuff. Send them over to her when they're ready. I'm not sure if she knows how to make them.

---

Chapter 72

The baby is due in January next year and it's probably going to be quite cold then. Make everything thicker so the baby doesn't freeze from the cold.

Also, she doesn't have any female elders around her. Do get my aunt to write down all the things she needs to take note of when giving birth, as well as the things to note when taking care of the child too.

And also… she likes to eat. Now that she's pregnant, she needs to eat more good food. Send more meat and fruits to her so that she will have enough to eat.

Well… I think that's all. If I think of anything else, I'll make up for it later.

Okay, okay, okay. I get it, Young Master Xia,

Qin Dong teased with a smile. He had never seen Xia Zhe being so long-winded and giving instructions with such minute details..

He did not expect that a usually aloof person would behave so drastically differently when it came to his wife and children. What a rare sight.

He thought that the Xia family was a bunch of frigid people!

I'm still being held up here and can't go back for the time being. I'll have to trouble you to help me take care of my wife. After I'm done here, I'll go back and take care of her.

No problem!

Qin Dong agreed readily.

We'll definitely pay more attention to your wife. So then you have to perform well in your competition!

A sharp glint flashed across Xia Zhe's eyes. He must get first place in this competition. This way, he would get promoted to a higher rank and he would be able to have Qiao Mei living with him as a military spouse.

Once she joined him as a military spouse, he would be able to see his children every day.

When he was young, he used to stand at the door miserably every day to wait for his parents. He wanted his children to stay by his side all the time, unlike what he had to go through.

Thank you, uncle. Please convey my thanks to my aunt too. Thank you for the efforts!

Xia Zhe said sincerely.

His aunt was an obstetrician. He would only be at ease if she wrote down the list of items to note.

Now, he had to work harder and win first place so that Qiao Mei could go to the capital to give birth. Only then would he feel more at ease. After all, the standard of medical care in the capital was much better than in the village or county.

After the call, Xia Zhe took out the letter and read it again.

Then he began to compose a reply.

When he saw the words 'A cuddly little child must be very cute', it struck a chord with him and he could not help but laugh.

…

There was a strange atmosphere in the village during the past few days. No matter what everyone talked about, the conversation always veered towards Qiao Mei.

There was a strange and excited look in people's eyes.

It was not Qiao Mei's pregnancy that made them excited, but Qiao Mei's bean sprouts. The 200 catties worth of bean sprouts sold by the supply and marketing cooperative.

After the 200 catties of bean sprouts were sold, those previous buyers were all full of praise and there had been people coming to ask about the bean sprouts over the past few days. When they heard that there were no more bean sprouts for sale, they blamed the supply and marketing cooperative for not doing its job.

The bean sprouts really attracted a lot of attention.

The queries not only came from the ordinary buyers, but even from a few operational departments. The supply and marketing cooperative could not withstand the pressure anymore and went to beg Chen Hu for help.

Chen Hu was not quite sure what to do about it, so he went to the village to ask Qiao Mei.

I can't do heavy work now. I'm pregnant and can't do this business anymore.

Qiao Mei sat on the bed, sewing children's clothes.

She had already prepared many pieces of clothing, but there were going to be two children, so she still felt that she had not made enough.

Ah! This is really a good thing, it's really great.

Chen Hu clapped his hands happily and looked at Qiao Qiang.

At the side, Qiao Qiang could not stop smiling. He was really very happy.

He was a man who already had one foot in the grave and he did not expect to be able to see his great-grandchild one day. It was such a great thing to happen and he felt wonderful every day.

Alright, alright, alright. Let's not do it if we don't want to. The child is most important,

Chen Hu said with a big wide smile.

Growing bean sprouts was a tiring job.

It was not right to make her work hard for the benefit of the supply and marketing cooperative. Qiao Mei was still a child herself and had a lot of things to do. She must not tire herself out.

Look at how much weight Qiao Mei had lost in the past month.

---

Chapter 73

When Qiao Mei heard what he said, she suddenly thought of something that Auntie Dong had said to her. She pondered for a moment before saying,

If the supply and marketing cooperative really needs fresh bean sprouts, that can be done. There's another way!

What?

Chen Hu exclaimed in surprise.

It did not matter to him. Without the bean sprouts, there were other types of food to replace it. It was not as if he must always have dishes cooked with these bean sprouts. However, his wife really liked these crispy bean sprouts very much and always urged him to get some.

Qiao Mei stopped sewing and looked up at Qiao Qiang.

Grandfather, please go and get Uncle Zhao. We need to discuss something with him.

When Qiao Qiang heard this, he did not speak again.

He just stood up and walked out to look for the village officer, Zhao Liang.

Soon, Zhao Liang came in with Qiao Qiang.

Qiao Mei introduced the two men to each other.

However, Zhao Liang was still very puzzled. He was just a small team leader in charge of a small village and he did not know why he was being asked to meet a section head from the city. The difference in rank between them was not a small one.

Qiao Mei looked at Chen Hu.

I've already taught the villagers how to grow bean sprouts. You can buy bean sprouts from them directly.

Are they able to grow the same bean sprouts as yours?

Chen Hu asked doubtfully.

Growing bean sprouts was not a simple task. Without any skills, the bean sprouts would turn out to be bitter and astringent and would not taste good at all.

Such bean sprouts would not pass the test.

Most of the bean sprouts should turn out the same. We can set a standard for the bean sprouts, so that we can monitor the quality.

Qiao Mei turned to Qiao Qiang again and said,

Grandfather, go and ask Auntie Dong and Auntie Wang to bring their bean sprouts over.

Okay!

Qiao Qiang went off again.

Soon, the two women came over with the bean sprouts.

Chen Hu picked one up and chewed on it. Then, he nodded and praised,

It's indeed not bad and tastes like your bean sprouts.

Seeing that he was satisfied, Qiao Mei continued talking,

Uncle Zhao, looking at the current situation, why don't we apply to set up a bean sprout factory in the village? This will be good for everyone and we can all earn some money in our free time.

I have no problem, it just depends on… the supply and marketing cooperative in the city.

Zhao Liang looked at Chen Hu and did not say anything else.

Chen Hu nodded affirmatively.

No problem!

It had always been possible to set up a factory in the village, it was just that they had no reason to do so. Now that there was a reason, setting it up would definitely not be an issue.

Everyone agreed, but Auntie Dong and Auntie Wang did not look too good.

A few days ago, the older women in the village had asked her about the situation with the bean sprouts and whether it was easy to sell them. They also had the intention to find a place in the city to sell bean sprouts so that they could help out with the family expenses.

Although people were not allowed to sell things in the city, it was still possible to do it secretly.

They just needed to make sure that they did not get caught.

Now that the women had a way to sell it without sneaking into the city, what were they dissatisfied with?

Qiao Mei did not quite understand.

However, Qiao Qiang knew what they were thinking at a glance. He directly asked Chen Hu and Zhao Liang,

How do we split the earnings from the bean sprouts grown in this village? Do we split them according to the work point system? Or do we do it in another way?

Currently, any factory set up in the village would be collectively-owned and the earnings were distributed in accordance with the work point system. All the villagers had a share in it.

People were paid according to the number of work points they earned.

This had always been how it was done under the current policy, but Auntie Dong and Auntie Wang were unwilling to agree.

After all, these bean sprouts were grown by them through their hard work from dawn till dusk. Now, if it went into the collective pool and they were paid in accordance to the evenly distributed work points, they would only get a small amount of money,

If they secretly went out to sell it, the money would be all theirs.

Why would they want to split the money with those people in the village who did not contribute to the work? Wasn't that stupid?

For a moment, a heavy silence fell upon the room.

---

Chapter 74

Everyone understood that Auntie Dong and Auntie Wang were unhappy, but no one knew how to resolve the issue at the moment. Everyone fell silent.

The practice of distributing earnings according to work points had been in place for many years.

No one knew what could be done about it.

Everyone, please listen to my opinion,

Qiao Mei suddenly said.

They all looked at her. In that moment, she instantly became a very important person among them, or at least a key decision maker.

It's not the slack season in farming now, so naturally there's no one who can be specifically assigned to grow bean sprouts, right? Also, we need a proper work area for bean sprouting. There's no such work area now and there's also no way we can clear a space big enough to grow bean sprouts, right?

Qiao Mei asked.

Everyone nodded upon hearing this.

Zhao Liang glanced around her workshop and frowned without saying anything.

Qiao Mei continued,

Given that I'm pregnant now, it's also not too appropriate for me to let you guys use my storeroom as a workshop. Do we have money to build a place now?

Zhao Liang shook his head and said bitterly,

No.

It was still the peak farming season now and there was no excess funds in the village coffer. It was already good enough that there was money to feed the entire village. Wouldn't it be nonsensical to even think about building a new place?

Seeing that everyone was feeling listless, Qiao Mei continued,

I have a suggestion. Why don't we set up the factory by way of a workshop in every household and growing the bean sprouts by accumulating the effort from everyone? Whoever supplies more will get paid more, whoever supplies less will get paid less.

Sure!

Let's do it this way!

The faces of Auntie Dong and Auntie Wang lit up with happiness as they spoke.

This was how it had been in the past and was the real rule of trading.

Naturally, it was the fairest and most reasonable.

However, the village officer Zhao Liang was a little apprehensive. They were in a planned economy and everyone made a living by relying on the work points. Was there any other village which had set such a precedent?

Besides, the authorities were quick to clamp down on such activities during the past few years.

He did not quite dare to do it for fear that the higher-ups would investigate. If they got unhappy about it, he would not be able to bear the consequences.

What's wrong with this? Isn't this how the pigs raised by farmers are acquired? Let's just treat this as an acquisition of bean sprouts grown by farmers. This is a good way to let the common people eat more vegetables.

Qiao Mei said calmly,

For the sake of the common people's nutrition, our village should bravely take on this job.

Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard that.

The acquisition of pigs from farmers was indeed a practice of paying the common people according to the market price. This was something that the higher-ups had agreed on.

Then… if it was like selling pigs, it would definitely work.

Xiao Mei is so clever!

Chen Hu could not help but give her a thumbs up.

Qiao Mei had a twinkle in her eye.

No, I just happened to think of it.

The few of them then came up with the implementation methodology and rules and regulations of the factory to be set up. Qiao Mei casually said,

It's best if we have a qualitative standard when it comes to the bean sprouts collected. Otherwise, if there are any low quality bean sprouts in the mix, not only will it affect the overall quality but it will also affect the reputation of our factory.

Qiao Mei actually had other thoughts in her mind.

The quality of the bean sprouts from the village was so good now because she was still around here. If she left one day, the quality of the bean sprouts would change.

It also meant that if she wanted to maintain the current quality, she would have to stay in the village all the time. This was not something she wanted to do. The coming future was going to be an exciting era and she had other more important things to do.

Therefore, she would reduce her interference with the bean sprouts in the future.

This way, even if she left one day and there was a drop in the quality and success rate of the bean sprouts, no one would cast any suspicions on her.

Chen Hu left with the bean sprouts brought by Auntie Dong and Auntie Wang and he brought the president of the city's supply and marketing cooperative to the village the next day. After a discussion, the few of them announced that the city's supply and marketing cooperative had formed an acquisition relationship with the village and formalized it by signing an agreement.

---

Chapter 75

Only then did Auntie Dong and Auntie Wang feel relieved.

Now, the supply and marketing cooperative could order bean sprouts from the village as long as the order quantity was not more than 2,000 catties. Every catty was worth 20 cents.

The bill would be settled once a month.

However, the village would have to arrange for the transportation of the bean sprouts to the city.

When the news of the agreement was released, the entire village was very happy. The other villages had all kinds of factories and the villagers had long been envious of others. They did not expect that their village would also have a factory now.

The entire village cheered about the news.

But only one family was immersed in silence.

That was Qiao Zhuang's family. Other families more or less managed to grow bean sprouts, but Qiao Zhuang's family had never successfully grown any. It was really infuriating and they did not know why that happened.

So strange!

Qiao Zhuang glanced at Qiao Yu, then picked up a branch beside him and whipped her.

Did I say you need not put in effort!

It must be because you're a money-losing good-for-nothing that we have no bean sprouts. Otherwise, how can it be that we can't grow bean sprouts? It's all your fault. I'm going to beat you to death today!

…

Now that the entire village was making money from the venture, Qiao Mei was willing to start growing bean sprouts again.

After all, almost every household in the entire village could make money from it now, so no one would be jealous of her or report her to the authorities. Instead, everyone would protect this business.

If someone did something to lose their source of income, the entire village would not be happy.

Qiao Mei felt wonderful. When she had time, she stayed at home and made things like cloth diapers and mattresses for the children. After cutting the cloth and sewing them up, she hung the cloth diapers out to dry in the courtyard.

When the villagers saw the pieces of white cloth from afar, they thought that Qiao Qiang had passed away.

Only after asking around did they find out that these were actually items for children.

This was really too lavish. Even a child's items were made of such good fabric and cut in such big pieces. Could she even finish using them?

Besides, there would be plenty of other things to spend money on in the future.

How could she afford to mess around like that?

Auntie Dong could not stand it anymore. She went to Qiao Mei's courtyard, held her hand and said earnestly,

Mei Mei, don't blame me for being naggy. I'm doing this for your sake.

For these kid's stuff, you don't have to prepare too much. I still have some children's things at home which my children have no use for now. Why don't I get them for you?

How can we not use things sparingly!

Qiao Mei smiled and said softly,

Auntie is right. However, I have enough things here. I really don't want to waste your nice gesture.

Her smiley face was really infuriating.

Auntie Dong was so angry that she gritted her teeth. If she was her biological daughter, she would definitely teach her a lesson. This was really too wasteful. It would be enough to prepare just a few items, she really did not know how to live frugally.

Qiao Mei put down the needle in her hand and touched her stomach with a blissful smile. She was in fact having two babies. No matter how much she prepared, it would not be too much. Otherwise, she would end up being in a spin when the time comes.

Should she tell the father about the two children?

Qiao Mei thought for a moment and shook her head.

Forget it. Let's not talk about this for now. Just treat it as a gift for the children's father.

…

One day, Qiao Mei was sitting in the courtyard when she heard a car coming down the road outside and stopping at the door.

As soon as she went out, she heard the person at the door explain his presence.

There were three packages in the car that had been sent to her by others and he asked her where to place the packages. She asked him to put them in the courtyard and then send the person off.

However, these three large sacks still made Qiao Mei bewildered.

All these should be from Xia Zhe, right?

She wondered what Xia Zhe had sent her. He was in the army, so how could he send anything?

Although Qiao Mei was puzzled, she quickly went to work and started clearing the sacks. There were really a lot of things in these three big sacks.

---

Chapter 76

She was now feeling quite excited about opening the packages.

Was Xia Zhe as excited as her when he received the parcel she sent him?

I must send him more things in the future.

There were three cloth bags in the three big sacks. The cloth bags were in good condition and there were no signs of any dirt or damage to them. It was obvious that they were carefully protected during the delivery process.

Qiao Mei smiled and opened one of the cloth bags.

Inside the bag, she found things like clothing and household items made of cotton, kids clothing, as well as bedding for adults. It was a complete set of useful items.

Qiao Mei was pleasantly surprised and beamed with joy.

She had only asked a question to try and sound out how he felt, but she did not expect Xia Zhe to really prepare all the necessities for her. Furthermore, there was nothing cursory about his efforts, he had gone all out to prepare all the items.

Her original intention was to check if Xia Zhe would, in the face of all her complaints, console her verbally or ignore her. However, she did not expect him to just directly send her everything she needed.

That's nice. It means that he's reliable.

He is not the kind of person who would only give a perfunctory response, but a responsible man who would find a way to deal with any issues.

She opened the second bag and found clothes that fitted her. There were two large cotton jackets and a black coat made of fur which looked very comfortable and warm.

She tried it on and it felt as if she was lying under warm sunlight.

It was indeed nice and warm.

What kind of fur is this?

Qiao Mei happily reached out to touch it and found it to be silk smooth and such a pleasing feeling.

In her other life, even though she was a top lawyer, she had neither the interest nor the money to obtain such a luxurious coat. Although it was very nice and warm, the price was too astronomical.

Besides, the future generations advocated environmental and animal protection.

With the availability of warm down jackets, who would still want to wear a fur coat? How inconvenient was that?

Furthermore, it was not easy to maintain.

It must be mink.

Qiao Qiang walked forward to take a look and laughed out loudly, feeling much more satisfied.

This fur coat was indeed made of good material.

In the past, he also owned a few of these in the capital, but he did not bring them with him when he returned to the village.

Qiao Mei was also very happy and touched the fur coat in her hand in delight. If sending that bag of bedding was Xia Zhe's way of fulfilling his role as a father, then this fur coat was Xia Zhe's way of expressing his feelings for her.

It was really good that he knew how to care for her.

Hehe…

Qiao Mei giggled for a while and made a few turns wearing the fur coat before walking towards the last bag of things in the courtyard.

Now there was only one bag left.

She did not know what she would find in the last bag. Although she had money now and did not lack anything, she would definitely feel more at ease if she could be more well-prepared.

The moment she opened it, she saw sealed packets of snacks.

These snacks included crispy fried fish, packets of melon seeds and dried sweet potatoes, as well as a few bags of fruits, a few boxes of sweets, and packaged specialty snacks from Beijing.

This current time period was not like the future when one could easily buy snacks online.

These things were too rare.

Not only would it have been difficult to gather so many different types of snacks within the city, it would probably still require some effort to get it done in the capital. She could appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into the preparation of this bag.

Digging into the bag, there was also a tightly wrapped leather bag about the size of a small watermelon and bulging with things inside.

Qiao Mei was dumbfounded when she opened it.

She did not expect to find a large stack of coupons inside. In this era, if one did not have all kinds of coupons, it would be impossible to buy what one wanted.

For example, if one wanted to eat pork, one had to have meat coupons.

If one wanted to buy oil, one had to have oil coupons.

Therefore, when Qiao Mei needed supplies now, what she lacked the most was not money but different kinds of coupons.

---

77

She did not expect him to have taken this into consideration. These coupons really solved the urgent problem at hand.

That's so great!

Qiao Qiang laughed and tapped his walking stick. He was really happy to get these coupons as it meant that he could now buy more supplies, although Chen Hu also gave him a few coupons from time to time.

The fact was he was unwilling to trouble others. It was never good to owe someone a favor.

Now, with all these food stamps, he could finally feel at ease. He would not have to worry about food in the future.

Qiao Mei put away the bag of food stamps and then took out a notebook from the bag. The notebook was not thick, just an ordinary notebook with about 20 to 30 pages.

She opened it to see pages of clear handwriting.

There were notes on precautions to be taken by pregnant women throughout the entire pregnancy, and even some clear pointers on the dos and don'ts after giving birth.

These things were basically similar to what she knew in her other life.

At the end of the notebook, there was a message to let her know who the author was.

I am Xia Zhe's aunt. You rest well and take good care during the pregnancy. If you need anything else, you can send a telegram to this address.

This sentence at the end made her aware that this was also Xia Zhe's gift to her.

There were no other frivolous words, but from the handwritten and detailed list of items, she could tell that Xia Zhe's aunt was someone worth knowing.

Qiao Mei gave a relieved smile. Now, she just did not know what her future in-laws were like and whether they were easy to get along with.

She had already sent two letters to bond with him. The next time, she could talk more about the Xia family so that she could feel more confident about her future life.

At this moment, she was very satisfied with Xia Zhe's response. The father of her children was really quite a nice person and was someone who could be entrusted.

She had to think carefully…

Next time, what gift should I send?

…

A distance away, Xia Zhe was sitting at the desk in his room, writing a letter with a fountain pen.

His handwriting was bold and powerful and very nice to look at.

Now that Qiao Mei was pregnant, this matter could not be kept a secret anymore. He had to inform his family as Qiao Mei would have to go back with him in the future.

He put pen to paper and wrote a letter to his grandfather.

The letter explained the entire matter and he asked his grandfather to inform his parents about it.

He just did not tell the entire truth about what happened that night.

He did not mention the part about how he was tricked that night. He only wrote that Qiao Qiang was in poor health and was worried about his granddaughter since he did not have much time left in this world. He also wrote that he felt Qiao Mei was quite a nice person.

That was why Xia Zhe took the initiative to propose that he and Qiao Mei get married to fulfill Qiao Qiang's wish.

The two of them had already held a wedding banquet and registered their marriage. He was now writing a letter to inform his elders as Qiao Mei had gotten pregnant.

…

When Xia Jun received the letter, he almost spat out the tea in his mouth and he then slammed the teacup on the table.

He shouted towards the door,

Xiao Zhang! Xiao Zhang, come in quickly.

Xiao Zhang was Xia Jun's guard. When he heard the voice of his old chief, he walked over frantically, thinking that something urgent had happened.

Xiao Zhang, quickly take a look at what's written in this letter. I can't read it clearly.

Yes! I'm coming!

Xiao Zhang stood behind Xia Jun and craned his neck to read it word by word. When he finished reading it, he was stunned and could not speak for a long time.

How bizarre!

What an unexpected thing to have happened.

Then those few people you asked to come over for dinner, do you still want them to come?

Xiao Zhang hesitated and asked softly.

Xia Jun slammed the letter on the table and shouted,

I'm not hosting them anymore. Go call them and say that I'm not feeling well. Tell them I can't invite them to dinner today, so don't come over.

Oh… okay!

Xiao Zhang nodded repeatedly and hurriedly ran out.

They had already started making preparations in the kitchen. Xia Zhe's parents and a girl were actually invited to dinner tonight.

---

Chapter 78

Apparently Xia Zhe's mother liked this girl very much. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the wedding between the two young people.

If Xia Jun was agreeable to the idea, then the wedding plans would be settled. The marriage could be registered without the need for Xia Zhe to come back. As for the actual relationship, the couple could nurture it slowly in the future.

As Xiao Zhang reached the door, Xia Jun added,

When you call, just tell the truth. Don't lie. Tell them that Xia Zhe is already married and when the time comes, they will be invited to the baby's one-month celebrations.

If he did not make it clear from the start, this matter would be difficult to handle.

If Xu Lan still had other ideas and forcefully tried to set things up for two unavailable people, then her good intentions could only bring about bad results.

It would not be good for Xia Zhe's wife either.

Yes. I understand, Chief.

Xiao Zhang nodded and walked to another room to make a call to convey the message.

…

Right at the same moment, Xu Lan was holding Yao Li's hand and warmly reminding her not to be afraid when she saw Grandpa Xia Jun later. The old man may look fierce, but he was actually a very nice man and he liked youngsters like her very much.

However, when Xu Lan said this, she was actually feeling a little apprehensive inside.

She had been married to Xia Zhe's father for 30 years and had never seen Old Master Xia treat any of his daughters-in-law with kindness. It was not easy to see a smile on his face, even for his grandchildren.

He only had a smiling face for Xia Zhe.

Yao Li happily held Xu Lan's hand and said understandingly,

Thank you for your comfort, Auntie Xu. The old patriarch in my house is the same. I know that they may look very cold, but they actually have very warm personalities.

Yes, yes, yes, that's it. Everyone in the family is nice, so you don't have to be afraid.

Xu Lan was overjoyed.

She especially liked this Yao Li at the moment. Not only was she good-looking, but she also had a good personality. One look and she could tell that she was a virtuous girl. Her son should like this type too, right?

He would definitely like her!

After all, she was the one who had recommended the girl.

Let's go. It's time to go over there now.

Xia Mao slowly walked down the stairs with a long face.

Xu Lan acknowledged his comment and took Yao Li's hand. She smiled and said,

Let's go. All the men in our family are like this.

When she said that, Yao Li winked at her in response.

The two of them had a very good relationship, like good friends. They held hands and prepared to walk towards the door together.

Ring!

However, the phone on the coffee table rang. Xu Lan smiled and picked up the phone. After listening to a few words, her expression suddenly darkened. It was obvious that something had happened.

What happened?

Xia Mao took the phone from her hand and asked,

What happened to my father? Is there something wrong with his health?

Xia Jun had a history of high blood pressure and had been going to the hospital for regular checkups in recent years, so Xia Mao got nervous when he heard the voice over the phone.

On the other side, Xia Jun also went to stand next to Xiao Zhang.

He laughed heartily and said,

I'm fine. I'm in good health. It's just that something's up with your son, Xia Zhe.

Xia Jun was not really a stern person. He just liked to keep a straight face in front of his daughters-in-law and did not smile often.

Xiao Zhang added on with a hint of helplessness in his voice,

It's like this. Comrade Xia Zhe just sent a letter. He's already married and has gotten his marriage certificate. Now that his wife is pregnant, he wants to tell everyone about this joyous news.

What did you say?

Xia Mao was afraid that he had heard wrongly and continued to ask,

Which nephew of mine are you talking about? Is it Xia An or Xia Liang?

His two nephews were of marriageable age and still single, so it would be a reasonable thing for them to be reporting some good news now.

---

Chapter 79

Xiao Zhang gulped and took a deep breath before saying loudly,

It's not Xia An and Xia Liang but Xia Zhe, your son. He's already married and his wife is already pregnant. You're about to hold your grandson soon.

As soon as he said this, the few people near the phone heard it.

Xia Mao was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say. This was all too sudden.

Yao Li stood rooted to the ground, her face pale.

When Xia Mao saw her expression, he could not help but scold loudly,

This idiotic boy, why did he only tell us elders now? He made such a big decision himself and even has a child now. What a scoundrel! When is he bringing his wife back?

He didn't mention that in the letter, but you can send him a telegram or call and ask him. The old chief wants you to come back for dinner to celebrate Xia Zhe's marriage. Goodbye!

After rattling off a string of sentences, Xiao Zhang hung up the phone.

He did not want to get in trouble for nothing when Xia Mao was angry. It was more important to protect himself.

Xia Mao hung up the phone. When he turned around, he realized that both Xu Lan and Yao Li, who were rooted to their spots, did not look good. In particular, Yao Li was very pale and her eyes were red.

He had previously said Xu Lan had acted with undue haste with regard to this matter. Given that they were still uncertain whether his son liked Yao Li or not, it was too risky to raise it for discussion so quickly.

Sigh, things would get difficult now.

Let's go. Old Master is waiting for us to go over for dinner.

Xia Mao walked up to Xu Lan and took a few glances at Yao Li.

Yao Li straightened herself in a panic and said in a trembling voice,

Uncle and Auntie, I have something on at home. I have to go first. You guys go ahead.

With that, she ran towards the door, crying audibly as she went off.

She looked extremely pitiful.

Sigh, look at what happened. You can't be so muddled in the future. You didn't even check properly before you made a decision on your own.

Xia Mao gave an unhappy glare.

Xu Lan got annoyed and glowered at him.

You're blaming me now that something has happened? I had discussed with you earlier and you agreed, but you're blaming me now that something has happened? Isn't it your son who did such a thing?

Listen to what you're saying.

Xia Mao was exasperated and it showed on his face.

What are you talking about? What do you mean by my son? Isn't he also your son? Besides, it's only right for my son to get married and have children. If you hadn't been busy chasing your own tail, how would things end up like this?

In his opinion, his son had done nothing wrong.

That matter's indeed my fault, but he didn't even tell his parents that he was getting married. Is that right? Then are we still his parents?

Xu Lan continued to glare at him.

It was indeed wrong for a son not to inform his parents about his marriage. However, Xia Mao did not want to argue with her anymore so he turned around and prepared to leave, but not before saying the last word.

Our son is also in the wrong, but he is not at home now. If you are angry, call him and teach him a lesson.

Xu Lan was even more furious as she followed him out.

She wanted to go to the old man's house to understand the situation and know more about this daughter-in-law who appeared from nowhere. She wanted to know what magical power this person had over her son to make him suddenly so anxious to get married.

Moreover, he did not even discuss it with his parents.

…

It appeared that the old patriarch, Xia Jun, had already accepted this news. He sat at the table and looked at the letter in his hand with his reading glasses on.

Now that the couple was going to have a child, it meant that he was about to have a great-grandson.

How nice!

Just thinking about it made him excited. His grandson was growing up by the day and he felt blissful.

Xia Mao and Xu Lan arrived very quickly. When they walked in, they saw the old man sitting at the table and laughing to himself.

Old Master, what exactly happened?

Xia Mao could not help but ask.

He also wanted to know how his son got married.

Here, read it!

The old man handed them the letter in his hand.

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Chapter 80

Xia Mao and his wife huddled together and began to read the letter. The more they read, the more surprised they became.

In the end, Xu Lan could not help but yell out,

What? Married a girl from the countryside?

What's wrong with the countryside?

Xia Jun was unhappy to hear her comment.

I'm also a country bumpkin. Back in the past, Xia Mao had also planted rice seedlings in the field before. Which family didn't have ancestors from rural backgrounds?

Xu Lan immediately moved back in fear.

The old man would always get triggered by certain issues. She felt really guilty telling others that the old man had a good temper.

Besides, take a good look at whose granddaughter she is. She's Qiao Qiang's granddaughter.

Xia Jun continued with a long face,

If he hadn't taken the initiative to leave the capital back then, I wouldn't be able to match up to his position. You still want to look down upon his granddaughter?

Xu Lan curled her lips. What was the point of saying all this now? At the end of the day, he had gone back to the countryside and became a country bumpkin. Now, he was just an old farmer who had no status.

However… Qiao Qiang's two children had done quite well for themselves. It was just that the Ye family was having a hard time now and no one knew if they would be able to persevere through their current difficulties.

Xu Lan suddenly thought of Qiao Qiang's family and asked, without rhyme or reason,

This girl is related to Qiao Qiang's first wife, right?

That's for sure,

Xia Jun said with certainty.

If she wasn't from that side, she wouldn't have to suffer in the countryside.

The Ye family was also not the kind-hearted type.

I heard that the Ye family is trying to persuade Qiao Qiang to return,

Xia Mao thought for a while before saying casually.

The old man snorted coldly and curled his lips in disdain.

After being like strangers for so many years, they now want him to go back and tide through the difficulties with them. Do they expect him to suffer with them?

Xu Lan pulled a long face and could not stop herself from asking,

What? The Ye family has also run into big trouble? Then all the more we shouldn't become related to them. What if our family gets implicated?

Xia Jun just glared at this ignorant daughter-in-law who almost rendered him speechless and decided to reprimand her.

We didn't become related to the Ye family. Ye Xian and Qiao Qiang have long been divorced and her two children have also cut ties with Qiao Qiang. Now, Xia Zhe's wife is the daughter of the son Qiao Qiang had with his first wife and has nothing to do with the Ye family!

I understand, I understand.

Xu Lan gulped and nodded repeatedly.

Xiao Zhang had quickly brought out all the dishes and placed them on the big table, then he called out to them,

Old Chief, dinner is ready!

The few of them went over to the table. Xia Jun was very happy and brought out a bottle of vintage liquor. He filled up the glasses and started drinking.

After a few drinks, the old man got a little tipsy.

At the dining table, he said drunkenly,

Xia Zhe's wife must be very beautiful. Otherwise, Xia Zhe wouldn't have done it that night and even got her pregnant so quickly.

Father, father! Stop it.

Xia Mao hurriedly patted his back and tried to stop him from talking.

You're drunk. Be careful with your words!

Fortunately, there were no outsiders around now.

Otherwise, it would have been so embarrassing. How could he even say these things, particularly since the matter concerned the younger members of the family.

However, Xia Jun still continued,

This Qiao Mei is really not bad, she managed to get pregnant immediately after that night. That's really, really good. She should bear more children for the Xia family. The more children, the better the blessing.

At that moment, two people who had just walked through the main door paused in their steps.

Tan Jing felt a sense of bitterness and wondered if she should still continue to make her way in.

She was Xia Zhe's sister-in-law who was married to his eldest brother. They did not have any children despite being married for seven to eight years. When she went for a checkup at the hospital, it was discovered that the problem lay with her. Since then, she had felt ashamed in front of the entire Xia family.

Now, the Xia family was finally going to have another generation of descendants.

Yet… she did not know why, but there was a twinge at her heart and she felt terrible.

…

Meanwhile, back in the village, Qiao Mei was busy tidying up her vegetable field.

It was already early summer now. The vegetables and fruits that she planted earlier were already ripe, like the tomatoes which were now hanging off the branches in their bright red glory.

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