601: Truth
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
She would just ignore her father's request about sending over watermelons. They were not going to give any to them.
After Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan left the mansion, Officer Qiao went back to the study.
Qiao Wei was very angry and could not help but complain about Qiao Xuan for being bold.
She would only feel happy if Qiao Xuan lived a terrible life. But her husband got in touch with the Young Master from the Yuezheng Family. Moreover, he became a director for his fields!
Also, they earned 2 liang a month!
2 liang was her pocket money as the daughter of a County Magistrate!
Hence, in her eyes, Qiao Xuan's life had been greatly improved.
More importantly, they revealed nothing about it to the family!
Even though they might not know what the Yuezheng Family was like, they should reveal the matter to the family, right?
"Mom, Qiao Kou likes talking nonsense, but I believe her in one thing. Qiao Xuan is very honest on the surface but she has all kinds of tricks going on in her mind.'
"l don't think that this thing is as simple as they claimed. They may not be telling the truth!"
Madame Qiao frowned. She did not think that Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan would dare to make up stories.
Qiao Xuan grew up under her watch and she knew exactly what she was like. But Qiao Kou must have stepped into that and made Qiao Xuan a tricky one.
"Your dad has already taught her a lesson and you should leave this issue here.
That man wouldn't lie because he doesn't dare to.'
Madame Qiao tried to console Qiao Wei.
Qiao Wei was not convinced, and kept feeling that something was wrong.
A few days later, Zhao Ming came and visited Qiao Wei, who started cribbing to her.
Zhao Ming was startled.
She was here to visit Qiao Wei because she thought that Qiao Wei would be very glad and thank her for finding some bad things about the sister she hated. But she herself had not even figured things out clearly.
Zhao Ming felt very annoyed.
She could not blame Qiao Wei for this. So, she made up her mind and wanted to get some information about Qiao Xuan and the Shao Family just to prove that she was right.
Zhao Ming came to her Second Brother and had a chat with him. She mentioned Shao Liulang, and tried to get some information about the Shao Family.
Shao Liulang should know a lot of things about the internal matters of the house.
The eyes of that stupid man brightened whenever he saw her. Zhao Ming
could get anything out of Shao Liulangs mouth. If she asked, Shao Liulang would tell her for sure!
She was confident about that.
When Zhao Guanghua heard about the Shao Family, he could not help but think of Yang Xiaoni's beautiful face. He could not even remember what his sister asked.
The two siblings talked with each other happily, since they were talking about the same family.
Zhao Ming knew that the college was closed at the moment for holidays, and would not open until one month later. So, she dropped the idea and decided to wait until Shao Liulang returned, so that she could find an opportunity to talk to him.
The Yan Family's workshop was soon ready, and the opening day was decided upon..
The Yan Family decided to keep yubas and tofu cream skin as the main products, dried tofu next and puffs. They had some tofu because they had no time to travel to sell them. So, they decided to sell just a few.
It was very lively on the opening day.
The Yan Family had been running business for years, and they had many good friends and clients. Everyone was willing to be present on the occasion.
The Yan Family had already released the news that someone from the Yuezheng Family would be present, and the Yuezheng Family was very interested in the bean products and had already booked a large patch of it.
So, even more people were willing to join the ceremony because they wanted to have a relationship with the Yuezheng Family.
The Yuezheng Family was one of the top business families in the province. Even a small portion of their share would feed the minor business people for their life!
Officer Qiao learned about the arrival of the Yuezheng Family.
He could not help but pay attention to the Yan Family.
His strategist found out that the daughter of the Yan Family was married to Shao Yunduan's cousin, so the Yan Family was actually a little related to his own family.
Officer Qiao felt very complicated in his heart…
On the opening day, Officer Qiao asked his strategist to check out the show without exposing himself. He wanted to try and befriend the person from the Yuezheng Family, because he was sure that Yuezheng Xiao would not come to the event personally. Otherwise, the Yan Family would tell the public that it was Yuezheng Xiao who was present.
If it was the Young Master of Yuezheng who came over, Officer Qiao and the strategist would show up and even ask him to join them at the mansion for accommodation and treat them to dinner.
If it was just a manager, Officer Qiao would not demean himself to suck up to him.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan would not have shown up on this day, but since Shao Yunduan revealed that he was related to Yuezheng Xiao in someway, he would have to be present at the workshop of the Yan Family who was also related to Yuezheng Xiao in a way now.
So, the couple decided to let Shao Yunduan be present.
He just needed to show his face there.
Officer Qiao would believe that Shao Yunduan was just showing up for
Yuezheng Xiao's sake. The others who knew Shao Yunduan and were aware that the Shao Family and the Yan Family were relatives, would take him as a relative representative.
The interesting part was that the whole second section of the family was present, including Ms. Niu. In fact, neither Ms. Yan nor the Yan Family wanted to have so many people from the Shao Family to be present. Shao Silang and Ms. Yan were enough, alongwith Second Uncle plus one more, at most.
But Ms. Niu took Nis. Zhangs advice and wanted to take a look at it too. Ms. Zhang said to Shao Erlang that she wanted to go there as well. Ms. Yan did not like it, but had to accept their proposal.
So, the entire second section of the family went there.
Ms. Yan felt so annoyed. She had to agree to the request, and felt sorry for the first section of the family.
It was how it felt when those you did not like stuck to you all the time.
But for her powerful family, and her own idea of living apart in the near future, she would feel depressed living such a life..
On this very day, the second section of the family was present.
They had wanted to borrow the donkey cart from the first section of the family, but Ms. Yan vetoed that down. She said that there should be no one who would take care of it, and the first section of the family would need it too.
Ms. Niu and Second Uncle were in a good mood, and did not disagree with Ms. Yan. They did not want to argue with her at the moment. So, she did not say anything any more.
Ms. Zhang sneered. "You are so nice to the first section of the family!'
Ms. Yan felt disgusted and immediately countered. "They are our Eldest Aunt and Eldest Uncle, and they have helped us so much in the past. Is it so wrong that I am nice to them? Also, I just don't want to bother them again. Is that being nice to them? That sounds so embarrassing!'
Ms. Zhang got so angry that she turned around sullenly.
The Yan Family accepted Qiao Xuan's suggestion and finally built the workshop on the flat, barren field which was spread across 20 mu.
They hired people to dig and fill up the land and it was very smooth, occupying five or six mu of the total land.
When the business picked up, and money was sufficient, they could expand the occupied land.
The ceremony was being held at the workshop and the tools were locked in the room, completely isolated from the others.
For the occasion, sweets such as candy and peanuts were distributed, and gifts from everyone were accepted as congratulations and greetings. The guests were invited to sit at home for a meal.
The Yan Family had a good reputation and many people were present. Eight tables were laid, and the second section of the family took up half of the table. The cook from the village was hired to make the dishes.
Second Uncle and Ms. Niu met Shao Yunduan too. They were both very proud.
They showed off in front of Shao Yunduan as if they were the owner of the workshop.
Shao Yunduan ignored thor behavior and simply agreed to whatever they said.
He did not want to cause any trouble. He had some shares in the workshop as well. What was the point of arguing with them?
So, Ms. Niu and Second Uncle became even prouder, as if the whole family had flown away already.
More importantly, Ms. Niu even asked Shao Yunduan how much money he gave as a gift.
"You are our nephew and a learned scholar. You are rich, so you need to give them a big amount, right?"
Shao Yunduan nodded. "Yeah.'
Ms. Niu looked interested. "How much?"
Shao Yunduan answered. "My mom gave the gift. I have no idea."
Ms. Niu.
How disappointing!
Ms. Fang was stingy and she could not have given much.
In fact, Shao Yunduan gave them 2 liang as a gift, which was very high.
At the lunch, Old Master invited Second Uncle, Shao Yunduan and Shao Silang to the main table and asked his two sons, wife and daughter-in-laws to receive other guests.
Ms. Zhang saw that Shao Erlang was not at the main table, and felt really annoyed. Why was Shao Yunduan at the table, but not her husband?
So, when Mrs. Yan came to greet Ms. Niu, Ms. Zhang said half-jokingly, "Mrs. Yan, why is my husband not on the main table like his brothers? Wulang is from my Eldest Uncle's family, he should not be sitting there, right?"
Only then did Ms. Niu notice this detail..
Nis. Niu felt displeased as well. "Yeah, that seems so strange. People would surely think that my son isn't as good as others!"
Ms. Zhang could not help frowning. She felt that too. But she did not want to speak it out loud.
Mrs. Yan could not help but sneer inwardly. What on earth was wrong with this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Who were they to come to the Yan Family and teach them what to do?
Especially Ms. Zhang… her daughter had complained enough about her. Mrs. Yan was not afraid that this mother and daughter-in-law would set up her daughter after this.
Her daughter was not someone who would bear the misery. If she ran into a problem, the Yan Family would definitely stand up for her.
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang would never end up working in the Yan Family, and they could even get a divorce.
Mrs. Yan smiled brightly. She said softly, "That won't work. Shao Wulang is the Cultivated Talent, and my husband pays attention to scholars. Also, Shao Wulang has to be at the main table. As for Erlang… we are related, so we don't have to care much about this. He takes up an empty place and that is not suitable. Anyone who dares to call it a bad thing, I will drive that person out. You can just tell me if anyone dares to talk about it. That kind of woman should not be kept here. We don't need friends like them." Nis. Zhang opened her mouth slightly and felt embarrassed.
She felt as if Mrs. Yan was talking about her.
Ms. Niu was not as sensitive as Mrs. Yan. She felt a little embarrassed but laughed. "You are right, that sounds reasonable!" "Just be ready to eat. Don't worry, no one will look down at your son!"
Mrs. Yan left with a smile after a few sweet words.
Ms. Zhang did not dare to say anything more.
She knew that Mrs. Yan was not someone to be offended.
In fact, no one from the Yan Family was to be offended.
She felt very jealous.
She could not override her sister-in-law, instead got overwhelmed by her.
After the banquet, the guests left.
The Shao Family could not leave right away and stayed until the end.
Ms. Zhang was very jealous, but seeing this workshop, she tried to tell Ms. Niu to coax the Yan Family so that her husband could come and earn some money here as well.
Ms. Niu agreed with her. When she was saying goodbye to the Yan Family, she mentioned this to them.
Ms. Yan almost wanted to slap hard across Ms. Zhangs face.
Her mother-in-law was really shameless. So was the sister-in-law!
Mrs. Yan sneered in her heart but did not say a thing.
Mr. Yan was silent for a while and smiled after a pause. "Don't worry, we will tell you if we need more people, for my daughter's sake."
He still did not tell her an exact date.
Ms. Niu was about to say something more when Shao Yunduan coughed.
"Second Uncle and Second Aunt-in-law, you want to go home on our donkey cart? I am leaving now.."
Ms. Yan smiled. "That's good. Thanks, Cousin! What are you worried about, Mother-in-law, now that my dad has promised you. You trust him, don't you?"
Ms. Niu, of course, had to say yes. She smiled. "Of course yes, of course!"
Mrs. Yan smiled. "Good that you trust us. We take care of our family. Don't worry, and stay away from those who try to turn you against us all the time!"
Ms. Zhang looked straight at Mrs. Yan, and she felt sharpness hitting her head when she saw Mrs. Yan's cold look.
The Yan Family was just way over the top!
Ms. Niu also felt a little guilty, denying it quickly. "No, no, of course not… that won't happen…"
Mrs. Yan laughed loudly. "Yeah. I was just saying that. Don't think much about it. "
"I won't, of course not.'
After this rebuttal, Ms. Niu and Second Uncle had no way to say anything further on the topic. They did not dare to think that the Yan Family was being oppressive. After all, they ran the workshop and the Yan Family was far richer than their own family. Also, their sons were more successful than her own.
The Yan Family was helping them, so they had to be thankful for it.
They would not dare to make the Yan Family angry, considering that they were very aggressive and hot-tempered.
Therefore, Ms. Niu and Second Uncle only dare to talk loud at home.
Soon the second section of the family went onto the donkey cart, except for Shao Silang who stayed back and helped. Even Ms. Yan followed them home first.
Ms. Yan had intended to stay to keep her mother company, but she was worried that Ms. Zhang would again whisper something to their mother-in-law, so she decided to go back.
She would come back to her mother whenever she felt like it.
The whole gang went on together.
Ms. Niu and Second Uncle were quite happy. They had watched the ceremony and were very proud that they could be part of it.
Ms. Yan let out a sigh of relief seeing them talk happily.
Only Ms. Zhang threw a distressed look at her husband.
Shao Erlang was their elder son and her in-laws did not even care about him. They went to flatter Shao Silang instead!
The Yan Family was even flattering Shao Yunduan, someone from the first section of the family!
So… no one respected her husband!
What position did they have at home?
Ms. Yan was going to bully her to death!
Her husband was useless as well. He did not bother to step forward to help himself. That was why he was always bullied.
Back at the village, when the cart had just been pulled over, Ms. Zhang got so annoyed that she could not help but feel like doing something bad. She reached out and gave Ms. Yan, who was getting off the cart, a push.
Ms. Yan let out a scream and staggered forward, almost tripping herself over.
Her heart throbbed as she turned to Ms. Zhang in anger.
Both Ms. Niu and Second Uncle were startled. "Are you okay?"
Ms. Zhang felt very happy but showed an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Fourth
Sister-in-law, your niece and nephew pushed you accidentally, but you are
fine…
Ms. Yan pursed her lips and slapped right across Ms. Zhangs face.
That loud noise shocked everyone.
"Stop pretending!" Ms. Yan pointed at Ms. Zhang with a sneer. "It was not the kids who pushed me.. It was you! You think I couldn't feel it? I don't accept this stupid excuse!"
"You can confront me openly. What is the point of playing tricks behind someone's back? If you don't like me, we can live separately. I won't stand in your way, okay!"
Angry and irritated, Ms. Zhang felt the pain on her swollen cheek. Covering up her cheek with her palm, she burst into tears. "l didn't! You are accusing me of something I didn't do. Oh god, you hit me! I am your sister-in-law! What rules are you following? 1 know you can bully me because your family has money, and you have never liked me. But… you can't accuse me of wrongdoings!'
"Oh my god, 1 gave birth to children for the Shao Family and 1 work all the time. In return, is this all I can get? Even you dare to hit me!"
"Stop it now!" Ms. Niu got so angry and dragged Ms. Yan into the yard, bellowing at Ms. Zhang to follow in.
They could not just keep talking outside, else they were giving the village a free show.
Ms. Zhang did not want to go in, and she bellowed even more loudly.
Ms. Yan walked into the yard and threw her a cold look. Shao Xiaozhi got frightened and dashed off.
Ms. Niu could not get her in alone. She snapped at Shao Erlang. "Are you dead?
Drag her in! We will talk when we are inside!"
Only then did Shao Erlang recover and walk forward.
The mother and the son dragged Ms. Zhang into the yard and shut the door.
Shao Yunduan was speechless standing outside. He shook his head and went back home.
There was going to be a lively show at the second section of the family!
The second cousin-in-law was a very narrow-minded person, and she liked to dig into small things. She was going to hate the couple soon.
But the Yan Family was more powerful and the fourth cousin-in-law behaved better than she did, enjoying a favorable position in the second section of the family. So, even if the slap never happened, she would not be hanging out with her sister-in-law anyway.
The Yan Family was not something to be bullied. Fourth Sister-in-law might not be brought down by Ms. Zhang.
Ms. Zhang was dragged into the yard by Ms. Niu and Shao Erlang, and she struggled hard because of the pain.
She kept banging against Shao Erlang, crying and hitting him. "You useless thing! You are bullying me together with them. I want to die!"
"Just stop it!" Ms. Niu got angry as she saw how she hit her son. She dragged her away and snapped. "How dare you cry like this! Why did you push Ms. Yan! You dare blame others for your wrong doings?"
"l didn't push her!" Ms. Zhang screamed and retorted. "You believe everything she said? You are so biased!"
Then she started to cry again. "It is my fault, right? My family can't do anything for me, and you all look down at me. Oh my, I have such a terrible
Ms. Niu got even more annoyed. "How unreasonable! You dare to mention your family? You have sneaked out so many things from our home to yours and I should have made my son give you a divorce! How dare you mention your family!'
Ms. Zhang sneered in return. "You wanted to do that ages ago, didn't you? But your grandson can't live without a mother, and hence, you have to keep me because of this reason!"
Ms. Niu was boiling.. "So you go on behaving like this because you have a son? Try me! I can still throw you out! How dare you rebel!"
Shao Erlang thought that his mother was serious about it. He panicked. "Mom, don't…
"Shut up, you useless thing!" Ms. Niu snapped.
Nis. Zhang felt proud and cried loudly, wanting Ms. Yan to kowtow to her and make apologies.
"She accused me of doing something 1 didn't actually do! And she even hit me! She should kowtow to me. If not, I can go to the Yan Family to ask them how they taught their daughter!"
Ms. Yan watched her performance coldly and replied. "l accused you of the Wrong thing? Kowtow to you? Ha, don't you feel guilty saying that? I can swear on my life and my parents' lives that I am not lying. It was you who pushed me from behind! Dare you swear on your brother's life? Do you dare do that? If you dare, you can go to my parents and face them!"
Ms. Zhang screamed. "l didn't do that. Why should 1 lie about it? And leave aside my brother's life? That is useless!"
"You don't dare to, do you?"
"You are being unreasonable! "
"Okay, okay, just drop it! We are a family and we see each other every day.
What are you arguing with each other for, we can't just live on like this, can
Second Uncle snapped as he looked at Ms. Yan and Ms. Zhang. "You are arguing over small things! Ms. Yan, you should not have hit her, and Ms. Zhang, you should not have pushed her. Ms. Yan, apologize to Ms. Zhang and we are done. No more discussion on this topic."
Ms. Niu snorted. "Yeah!"
Ms. Yan and Ms. Zhang glared at each other and felt unconvinced. Neither of them was satisfied.
But Ms. Zhang was the one who did it, so she felt very guilty and was worried that Ms. Yan would continue to push forward the whole thing, so she might have to bear the anger of being slapped.
She could not just make Ms. Yan retreat by crying.
She had the chance to set her up in the future.
Ms. Yan was not going to apologize.
"Dad, I never did anything wrong, why should I make an apology. Second Sister-in-law pushed me so hard that 1 almost tripped! She should apologize to me first. She started it!"
"l didn't do that on purpose!'
"But you did it anyway!'
"Shut it!" Second Uncle felt humiliated and furious. "Ms. Yan, I am ordering you as a parent. How can you not accept it?"
Ms. Yan felt very sad. She cried. "l am not accepting it because we need to be reasonable. I am not apologizing if I am not wrong!'
She glanced at Ms. Zhang. "l am not going to apologize, and I have a few words to share with my Second Sister-in-law. Never ever play any tricks in front of me, or try to set me up. Do you think that only you know how to play tricks?"
"You know pretty well what you did in the past. I have been ignoring that till now. But henceforth, I will not forgive you!'
Ms. Yan said so and turned around, heading back to her room, leaving the rest of the family staring at each other.
Ms. Zhang got so annoyed that her face turned green. "She accused me of wrongdoing and then left because she was feeling guilty!'
Second Uncle could not run after his daughter-in-law to order her again. But
Ms. Yan did humiliate him and he felt annoyed. So, he left as well with a
scowling face..
Ms. Niu was very confused. But she said nothing as she glanced at Ms. Zhang.
She knew pretty well what Ms. Zhang was like.
Ms. Yan might be telling the truth.
But Ms. Niu did not want to comment on that without proof. Also, most sisters-in-law never got along well. It was very normal that they did not like each other.
She was the mother-in-law and her job was to keep them under control.
She did not care what they were doing privately as long as that did not affect the whole family.
"Also, don't mess up with your sister-in-law! You should be careful. Why did you push Ms. Yan? Ms. Yan can get annoyed too. Be careful in the future." Ms. Zhang was shocked.
"l am warning you. If you still want your husband to find work in the Yan Family, you should behave better!"
"I am telling you the truth, the Yan Family has offered Silang a good salary, and if you mess up or ruin my son's job, I will teach you a good lesson!"
Ms. Zhang.
She rushed back to her room, with hands covering her face.
She had such a terrible fate!
But she really could not blame her mother-in-law for preferring the other daughter-in-law.
700 wen for a month and lunch included in the package was a good deal. The work wasn't heavy either. Also, whether her husband would be employed would depend on the Yan Family. She had nothing to compete with her.
She pushed Ms. Yan and in return, she was slapped. In fact, even if Ms. Yan slapped her for no reason, what could she do?
Could she really go to interrogate the Yan Family?
For the first time in life, Ms. Zhang started to get a little annoyed by her own family.
She hated them for not being able to stand up for her.
Shao Yunduan did not like gossip. So, he didn't mention anything when he returned home.
As the days grew warmer, Qiao Xuan led the team and cultivated the watermelons. When the trees grew to two inches tall, they could do the transplantation.
They could also harvest another batch of mushrooms, wooden ears and snow fungus. The team fixed everything in half a day.
The roses in the flower fields were blooming as well. They were growing very well and after the spring plow, the season for the biggest blooming would come.
They had already finished the first batch of lipsticks, including the ten sets of spring limited versions, each of which included three lipsticks. The colors included that of peach, apricot and rose, beautiful and tender. When put in the luxurious tubes, they looked really classy and high-profile.
Everyone would definitely love them.
Though not everyone would be able to afford these lipsticks.
Yuezheng Xiao soon sent his men to fetch the first batch.
The money was sent along as well.
800 ordinary lipsticks, and 30 of the limited version.
Qiao Xuan sold them at 2.5 liang for one, so they had 2,000 liang in total. Yuezheng Xiao was going to sell the limited version at 3,000 liang for one. But the cost for the tubes and workmanship was already 1,200 liang.
Hence, Qiao Xuan received 800 liang for one, which made it 24,000 liang for
30 pieces.
Qiao Xuan had no objections to that.
After all, luxurious goods need to look good and attractive, and they should be sold in a special way.
Yuezheng Xiao was running the business, and all she needed was to collect the cash peacefully.
She would receive 26,000 liang in total after selling out this batch of goods, which was more than what she had in her hands all together.
She had made a huge fortune this time around!
She could even share hundreds of liang with the other family members. Even then, she would still have enough savings.
Yuezheng Xiao did not mix the personal relationship with profit sharing. That was what a businessman should do. In this way would the cooperation continue in a smooth way over a long period of time.
Qiao Xuan was very satisfied.
Yuezheng Xiao's men also told her that Yuezheng Xiao had already found seven medium-size places suitable for being the dessert stores in the province. He even had the decorations and furniture ready based on her requirements. By the time it was summer, they could open two stores for trial.
Qiao Xuan and Yuezheng Xiao had 40 percent each whilst Xie Jingrong had 20 percent share in the dessert stores. If the business went well, they would bring in a lot of money.
Desserts were small in portion and the cost was low. When made in an exquisite way, they could become very popular.
Once the cassavas were ready, they could harvest them if the jelly's attraction ran out.
Seedling process started soon after Yuezheng Xiao's men fetched the lipsticks.
Yubas, dried tofu, tofu cream skin and puffs were all available in the market after the opening at the Yan Family.
The business was very lively due to the uniqueness.
The workshop was very busy from day to night.
They managed to earn hundreds of liang within one month as profit.
The Yan Family used to earn only 40 or 50 liang of profit after selling tofu for one year in the past.
The Yan Family was highly motivated, and decided to buy a few more laborers to expand the production scale after the spring plow.
Those bean products could be easily duplicated, so they needed to keep the secret well enough. Also, the Yan Family would only hire those people who went through some simple procedures, in case they learned and opened stores themselves.
They had to act carefully.
Ms. Yan was very happy to hear that on her trip back to her mother's home.
She had already earned back the cost she paid and starting from the next month, she was going to earn profits.
If she could get seven to ten liang a month, then she should earn hundreds of liang a year.
That would ensure her a very wealthy life in the future.
While she thought about this, she did not even bother to speak with Ms. Zhang.
What was the point of arguing with people like her? Ms. Yan told Qiao Xuan about this.
Qiao Xuan was glad too. It was a great start.
The Yan Family needed to ensure that the quality remained the same whilst the quantity arose. In this way, they could take up the market share so that the Yan Family could stay firm on the ground even if there were a few competitors in the future.
The first section of the family hired people to do the spring plow, since it was heavy labor work. They had money and they could save some effort.
Qiao Xuan was thinking about updating the space so that she could find some instructions for building farming tools. They might not be modernized or mechanized, yet they could save some labor force because of that.
The farming tools which they had were too heavy and people worked really slowly with them.
After the seedling, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan went across the properties at the Zhang Village and Qiao Xuan visited the mountains a few more times, bringing some goods from there. The days became hotter than before. It was time for them to get ready for the busiest season of lipstick making.
Students from Minghua College all went back to their classes..
On this very day, Yuezheng Xiao sent his men to deliver seeds from the south again.
The Yuezheng Family had many contacts across the land. But due to the slow transportation, they traveled very slowly all over the place.
Seeds were always welcomed whenever they were delivered.
This time, Qiao Xuan obtained seeds of all kinds of fruits, including papaya, longan, lychee, mango, carambola, dragon fruit, jackfruit, guava, jujube, grapefruit, and oranges.
Each seed was wrapped in a yellow paper with the fruit's name written on it. Some were divided into different categories, such as lychees which were divided into four categories whilst mangoes into nine.
Even bananas, sugarcane, and pineapples, which were not propagated by seeds, had been brought in large quantities. But due to the long distance and improper care, they had become listless and lifeless, and several of them had died.
Yet as long as there was even one sample left, Qiao Xuan was happy to receive it.
She was delighted beyond words. When the men from the Yuezheng Family were gone, she asked Qi, Taotao and Chunyu as well as other maids to help with the planting of bananas and sugarcane.
They would put the seeds close to the sweet potato field for later transplantation.
Taotao and the others didn't know bananas and sugarcane, but they believed in Qiao Xuan. Since she said that these were all fruits, they believed that these would be fruit trees. If they were planted, they would reap a lot of delicious fruits, so they all got excited.
They were all amused by the strange-looking plants. They looked so weird.
Everyone could not help but feel excited. What would those trees grow into?
They really looked forward to seeing the results.
After planting the fruits, they brought a basket and picked a lot of loquats, red bay berries and plums to take them back to eat.
The fruits were very large in quantity and sweet. They believed that it was because of the spring which cultivated the land, plus the daily care, of course, It was because of these reasons that the fruits grew so well.
They were going to have many fresh fruits available starting from now all the way to the winter.
When Qiao Xuan was alone, she could not wait but to exert her superpower.
She wanted to revive the dead plants which had been sent by Yuezheng Xiao.
They instantly became lively and full of energy.
Some even had a few tender leaves growing out of them.
Qiao Xuan was really pleased. She touched the leaves and said carefully, "You have to grow and flourish! Be sure to bloom and bear fruits!"
She was not worried about sugarcanes, which would grow properly due to her superpower. If they were not cared for, their texture, sweetness, size and quality could be affected.
They would grow to be weak and small, not very sweet and also stiff.
But she had her superpower, which could improve the fruits in every single way so all the fruits would turn into the best-quality ones ever seen..
She was not sure about the bananas and pineapples.
Maybe they only grew well without fruits, or the other way around, despite the superpower.
Same with lychees and longans.
But she was going to have a try anyway.
She would see what happened to sugarcanes, bananas and pineapples.
The other with seeds could not survive this year. But some hanging fruits could grow out this year.
In one word, Qiao Xuan watched the seedlings and trees with a look of expectation and love.
Probably after a couple of years, she was going to have delicious longans, lychees, mangoes and dragon fruits to eat.
When the fruits adjusted themselves to the local environment, she could expand their growth, so that people in the central land and north could be fed well.
Well, in the process, she could earn some big fortune as well.
On the way back home, the Land Officer told Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan that they were supposed to meet Officer Qiao the next day.
Qiao Xuan thanked the messenger.
Qiao Xuan smiled bitterly, seeing how Land Officer looked at them enviously. What was the point of being envious? You never knew what the actual situation was.
She did not want to get involved with the Qiao Family, if she had a choice. The following day, Qiao Xuan asked Taotao, Yang Xiaoni and the others to work on the lipsticks and transplant the watermelons, whilst she and Shao Yunduan headed to the town.
"Darling, what do you think they are up to this time?"
Shao Yunduan was confused. He thought for a while and said, "They are not interested in us. But, they are definitely interested in the Yuezheng Family." Qiao Xuan groaned annoyedly. "They can go to the Yuezheng Family if they want to!"
Shao Yunduan chuckled. Officer Qiao would very much like to meet the Yuezheng Family, but the other side would not want to meet him. "Don't worry, just leave everything to me. You can remain the silent, and honest concubine's daughter."
Qiao Xuan burst into laughter, nodding. "Okay!'
She could definitely play this role well.
Shao Yunduan sighed inwardly. It was good that Qiao Xuan did not take First Madame as the godmother, otherwise the Qiao Family would get themselves attached to the Yuezheng Family by touting 'family relation'.
Madame Qiao could always take Qiao Wei to pay a visit and First Madame would not be able to turn them down.
The couple arrived at the mansion early in the morning.
They had to behave as if they were very active having been summoned, which should fit their 'personalities'.
Officer Qiao was very pleased seeing Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan promptly at his doorstep whenever he summoned them.
He was proud that he had seen through Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan, who would obey him without hesitation.
They were summoned for the Yuezheng Family's affairs, for sure.
"Yunduan, you are studying and soon you will be taking the examination, right? You aren't a talented person, and you need to study hard rather than get distracted. Or you will have no hope at all."
"You don't have to be in charge of the fields and tea. From today on, I will handle that task. I will arrange my men to take it over, so you don't have to do a thing. You are not experienced anyway, right?"
"It is settled, then. You can write a letter to Young Master Yuezheng and the strategist will tell you what to write. I will deliver that to Young Master Yuezheng directly and you can leave the rest to me.."
"Alright, just do as the strategist says."
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan. '
Officer Qiao truly did not think that he was an outsider! Now he was putting on the air as an imposing father.
He never liked Qiao Xuan. Nor did he think Shao Yunduan would be talented or have a promising future.
That was why he made the decision directly, without caring about what Qiao
Xuan and Shao Yunduan thought.
At this moment, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan were indeed in a disadvantageous position.
Ding Erzhu was in charge of what was happening in the Zhang Village, but he was not a very talented manager. He could deal with the villagers, but not with Officer Qiao's men.
If they did have an excellent manager, Shao Yunduan could say straightforwardly that Yuezheng Xiao already had a manager, whilst he himself was just working sporadically with Young Master Yuezheng, only to inspect the tea and the fields.
In this way, he could have turned down Officer Qiao's offer.
But there was no qualified manager working in the Zhang Village, so Shao Yunduan could not use that excuse.
If Officer Qiao sent someone to check it, things would be overturned and would make him skeptical.
Shao Yunduan was silent.
Officer Qiao looked annoyed as he frowned in displeasure. "You don't want to? You have no time or talent for any kind of management. I am just helping
Did this man not want to accept his offer?
Officer Qiao sounded as if he was granting a great favor.
In fact, he needed money desperately.
He had been trying his best to get back to the capitol, and had invested all of his savings. But they were not enough.
The Qiao Family from the capitol said that they were in a very crucial situation, and they needed to pay at least 30,000 liang to get through the contract to realize his goal.
Otherwise… the deal would be off.
Officer Qiao had turned almost mental during this period.
He invested so much money in the primary stage, and if the deal was off, all of the previous investment would be gone. He could not stand that.
So, he was going to gather 30,000 liang.
He and Madame Qiao sold some stuff and collected nearly 10,000 liang.
But he had no way to get the remaining 20,000 liang.
The couple was really bothered by this.
But Madame Qiao came up with the idea that 20,000 liang was nothing for the Yuezheng Family. If they could get in touch with the Yuezheng Family, they could borrow that amount from them!
Officer Qiao was an officer, after all.
That was why he decided to make this situation happen.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan knew nothing about this.
Qiao Xuan would have laughed had she heard that.
30,000 liang? She had 37,000 liang cash in her savings.
"No, Officer Father-in-law." Shao Yunduan pretended to be dumb. "I can't make this decision. Young Master Yuezheng has to take this call."
"l can ask Young Master Yuezhengs opinion before you send someone to take over."
Shao Yunduan was thinking about signing a 15 -year contract with Yuezheng Xiao so that they could hire a capable manager..
In this way, he was going to hire some manager for the tea fields as well.
Uncle Erzhu could just be the minor manager. They would not be able to remain in charge of the overall situation.
Yuezheng Xiao could make the introduction and hire some reliable manager whilst they would foot the bill.
Officer Qiao snorted and said, "Why the trouble? You can go with the strategist and he is going to tell you how to write the letter."
Officer Qiao was panicking inside. He just could not waste any more time.
He did not think that if Shao Yunduan made the recommendation to Yuezheng Xiao, Yuezheng Xiao would turn him down. His men were definitely better at managing things.
Shao Yunduan could not argue back. So, he forced himself to nod, but issued a warning as well. "Okay then. But I can't make the decision for Young Master Yuezheng. If he doesn't want to approve of it, 1 won't change a thing. He liked me so he made me the manager. Maybe because I had found some watermelons for him.'
There was no free lunch in the world.
Yuezheng Xiao hired him for some reason. Not everyone was eligible.
Otherwise he would have sent someone from his family. Why bother to get some people from Officer Qiao, even if they were suitable or reliable?The Yuezheng Family never lacked such talent.
Qiao Xuan almost wanted to burst into laughter, but she tried to hide her expressions.
Officer Qiao understood what Shao Yunduan meant. He snorted in displeasure. "Write the letter, leave the rest to others.'
Officer Qiao seemed quite resolute. They might have an argument soon. So, he decided to drop it here.
He would write the letter according to the instructions but no matter how emotional Officer Qiao might be, Yuezheng Xiao would not approve of it.
Yuezheng Xiao was not a stupid man.
"Okay!" Officer Qiao seemed satisfied.
He looked at Qiao Xuan as if he had suddenly developed some good feelings towards her. He said quietly, "You can have lunch here on your rare trip, I will let the kitchen…
He had meant to say will let the kitchen do what you like to eat' But he had no idea what Qiao Xuan liked to eat.
He coughed and changed the words. "I will let the kitchen prepare some more dishes.'
Qiao Xuan did not want to stay for lunch. But she realized that Officer Qiao asked them to stay for lunch just to get close to them.
Hence, she had to accept the offer in case he was suspicious about her refusal.
"Thanks, Father.'
"You should stay here and wait."
Officer Qiao nodded and ignored Qiao Xuan after that moment. Soon, he got up and left.
He was bothered by how to raise money for his career. So, he ignored Qiao Xuan totally once the matter was finished.
Qiao Xuan could sense that he was troubled by something. So, she asked nothing more but chuckled inwardly in her heart.
He should be bothered heavily.
Qiao Xuan asked the maid to pass on her greetings to Madame Qiao.
Since she was here, she needed to keep her manners rather than cause trouble.
The maid returned fast. "Madame Qiao is busy now. She said, "You don't have to go over to greet her, Second Miss."
That was exactly what Qiao Xuan honed for. She showed a look of regret.
"Okay… then."
The maid threw a disdainful look at her but stayed silent.
Second Miss wished to suck up to Madame Qiao? She did not deserve to meet her.
During lunchtime, Officer Qiao and Madame Qiao did not show up. Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan were alone..
The meal included four dishes with one soup. It included bean roast pork, yuba pork belly, green pepper chicken slices, scallion fried egg, and cabbage vermicelli soup.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan were not special guests, so the dishes were not well made.
But the ingredients were fresh and ecological, so the food was not that bad when cooked in a big pot.
The couple left after lunch.
They were going to buy some stuff in town for the rooster and muntjac that Qi had hunted. They decided to buy some fresh meat to take home.
Originally, Qiao Xuan planned to kill two fat hens that day to make salt-baked chicken and crispy chicken, but she could leave that for later.
The two of them bought two knuckles, a piece of pork belly, two tube bones, a pair of pork belly, and a pig heart in the market. They saw fresh mutton for sale and bought a portion of lamb chops.
For dinner, half of the lamb chops would be made into sauce, and half would be stewed with fresh mushrooms. A portion of twice-cooked pork would be fried. Pork belly and pig heart would be marinated with spices, and could be eaten anytime during the next two days.
The knuckles would be put next to the spring water at night to keep it cold, and stewed with yam the next day. Half of it would be used to make a sweet and sour dish.
The bone would be used to make porridge at noon, with various mushrooms diced, fresh small river prawns, sprinkled with a handful of shallots. It would be delicious and fragrant.
When they finished buying the meat, they were about to fetch the donkey cart when they suddenly saw Shao Liulang heading towards the tea house. Before he went in, he even adjusted his clothes, and stood up straight. Then, he walked forward in confidence.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan exchanged a look at each other, very surprised.
"Who is he going to meet? So neat and happy? Want to take a look?"
Qiao Xuan was very curious.
Shao Liulang was always arrogant. She had never seen him looking so excited and proud.
Shao Yunduan thought for a while. "We should go and take a look."
"As for this stuff…
They left the meat at the pastry store where they often bought stuff from. Then, they went into the tea house.
Shao Yunduan soon got to know from the waiter which room Shao Liulang went into by giving him some money.
They went into the room next to it, and held their breath, eavesdropping blatantly.
The soundproofing was really bad.
Anyways, in this town, there were no private talks. They were here to drink tea in a silent place, not here to pry on others' secrets. So, they did not care if others heard them.
Hearing that it was a young woman's laughter, Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan were both very surprised.
What was going on?
Soon, the woman was trying to ask Shao Liulang about Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan, as well as about the first section of the family. Their hearts sank and they started to concentrate on the conversation.
Qiao Xuan's eyes brightened after she listened for a while. She approached
Shao Yunduan. "l got it. That is Zhao Ming, the lady from the Zhao Family, who is in a good relationship with Qiao Wei!"
As Qiao Xuan's warm breath floated over his ears and cheeks, Shao Yunduan could not help but blush.
He felt a little distracted.
He understood that he should not have this kind of reaction, so he pressed down the urge and leaned a bit backward.. "Are you sure?"
Qiao Xuan did not notice what a flirtatious position they were in. She nodded and said, "l am sure. I remember this voice!"
Zhao Ming and Qiao Wei were good friends. So, Qiao Xuan did pay attention to her at the banquet. She was not wrong about it.
Shao Yunduan nodded with a small 'okay' sound.
They were separated by a screen. They were not talking loudly, but they caught a few words, not completely clear ones though.
But that was already enough for them to understand what was going on.
In summary, Shao Liulang was stupid and had no idea why he thought Zhao Ming would like him. So, Zhao Ming got on a date with him, and he tried to put on a very nice show as a gentleman, trying to win Zhao Mings heart.
But, in fact, Zhao Ming was not interested in him, and instead, kept talking about Shao Yunduan, Qiao Xuan and the Zhang Village.
Shao Liulang was too stupid to realize that something was wrong.
He felt really excited and thought that Zhao Ming was falling for him slowly. He became increasingly happy.
In order to answer her queries, he made some remarks about his relatives.
He did not have much knowledge about the real situation anyways. So, when Zhao Ming could not get anything more out of him, she obviously lost interest.
Soon, Zhao Ming found an excuse and left.
But he kept trying to offer to escort her back.
Obviously, Zhao Ming did not need his help. She teased him and went away.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan heard the sound of footsteps that left the place.
Soon, Shao Liulang left as well.
He must be in a very good mood as he was humming all this while.
"What a man!"
Qiao Xuan did not know how to complain about Shao Liulang.
He was so stupid!
What was more disheartening was that he kept making up bad stories about his relatives in front of outsiders.
The first section of the family helped them so much during all these years.
The reason why he was able to go to school was because half of the tuition fees were paid by the first section of the family. This was interrupted after Qiao Xuan came to the family.
Despite so much, Shao Liulang felt no gratitude, and kept making up bad stories about the first section of the family.
What a ruthless family!
Shao Yunduan was silent for a while, but said eventually, "If the Zhao Family wants to know about the Zhang Village and our fields, it should have been Old Master Zhao's men who are doing the prying, not his daughter. It should be Zhao Mings own ideas. But…"
But why?
Old Master Zhao did not dare to irritate Yuezheng Xiao, and he would not have insisted upon it after knowing the 'truth'.
Then, why was Zhao Ming asking about the first section of the family again?
Zhao Ming and his family were not enemies…
Qiao Xuan sneered. "Maybe Qiao Wei told her to do so…"
She was Qiao Wei's follower, but there should not be any reason for Qiao Wei to do so.
Shao Yunduan was confused. What was Qiao Wei up to? Officer Qiao's business should not be hers, right?
Qiao Xuan was not worried. She was already half-exposed right now, except that Officer Qiao had no idea how much they had in total.
"We should be cautious these days. I will tell Mom and Sisters-in-law that they should be careful about people coming to the door. Those who never hang out with us and suddenly get very passionate should definitely be ignored.."
Shao Yunduan nodded with a smile. "Okay!'
They could not keep any check on the Zhao Family and Shao Liulang at the college. They could only work on their family in case they got disturbed.
When they were sure that both Shao Liulang and Zhao Ming had left, Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan decided to go home together.
On the way home, Shao Yunduan said, "Darling, 1 have a hunch that Officer Qiao really wants to befriend the Yuezheng Family, and anxiously. Did you notice that?"
Qiao Xuan was surprised.
She thought for a while and replied. "Yeah, now that you mention it, it does seem like that. He had known about this for a while but did nothing. Yet today… things were different. He must need money and quickly so."
That was an easy guess. The Yuezheng Family was rich and Officer Qiao needed to get to know them for money, of course.
Shao Yunduan said contemplatively, "He is working as an officer in this small county. If he needs a small amount of money, he could borrow some from the local business people. But if that is not the case… what does he need so much money for?"
A few hundreds and thousands of liang should not be difficult to gather, as long as they had a thick skin. He could just ask his strategist to visit some business people who will 'lend' it to him.
Any amount more than that would be difficult to obtain though.
The county was very small and the businessmen were not very ambitious. They would not just give him so much money, since making money was never an easy thing.
A few hundred liang might be really hurtful too but then they could not get away by offering nothing.
He should not have problems regarding money, if he lived normally. But if he suddenly needed a large amount of money and fell into trouble because of that…
The whole thing seemed really strange.
Qiao Xuan was confused. She blinked her eyes. "There is something weird…"
Shao Yunduan thought for a while and said, "Maybe he needs money to buy an official position?"
"Buying an official position?"
Shao Yunduan felt that made sense. "Yeah, he would need a big amount to buy an official position because of his lack of talent and achievements. It seems that he needs a lot of money, and the position isn't low." Qiao Xuan believed that Shao Yunduan was right.
But her heart sank instantly.
"What if… he does get the position? We will be crushed!"
Qiao Xuan suddenly felt really scared.
If Officer Qiao was just a County Magistrate, then Shao Yunduan would be powerful enough after becoming the Advanced Scholar.
Officer Qiao would have to pay attention to Shao Yunduan and try to get him
to his side because he was his son-in-law, after all.
By that time, Madame Qiao and Qiao Wei would not be able to do anything, with their Old Master turning to the other side.
But if Officer Qiao was promoted…. then he may pay attention to Shao Yunduan, yet Madame Qiao and Qiao Wei would definitely try to override them as well.
As long as Madame Qiao was given some benefits, people would suck up to her by turning her against her concubine daughter and son-in-law.
Once Shao Yunduan became the Advanced Scholar, Madame Qiao would definitely try to bring them down.
Shao Yunduan smiled and consoled his wife. "Don't worry, it is not that serious. This is only our speculation. Also, even if we are right about it, things are not that easy to happen."
"Moreover, even if he makes it, it would still take a long while before he finds his feet on the ground. By that time, it might be time for the spring examination.."
"Also, we can ask the Yuezheng Family and the Xie Family for help. We can return that favor later.'
The Yuezheng Family were connected with them, and their relationship was very close to each other.
Moreover, the Xie Family should be willing to help the Advanced Scholar who had a promising future, right?
As long as he could stand out and let the Xie Family appreciate his value, he would not fall into despair.
The Xie Family was far more promising than the Qiao Family, no matter which position Officer Qiao found for himself.
It would not be easy to return the favor, so they would rather not use it.
But Shao Yunduan was not a pretentious man. If he needed to use the contact, he would. He would return the favor double fold in the future.
Hearing his analysis, Qiao Xuan suddenly felt better. She smiled. "l feel much more assured hearing your words!"
Shao Yunduan smiled. "Don't need to overthink about this. You can be the honest and quiet concubine's daughter, and leave the rest to me."
Qiao Xuan chuckled and nodded.
Shao Yunduan smiled and felt warmth in heart.
He was going to become stronger so that he could protect his wife.
His earlier dream had been to brighten up his family, but it became bigger now.
They returned home and Nis. Fang asked. "Everything alright?"
Ms. Fang had witnessed too many cold and warm things in interpersonal relationships, for example the behavior of the second and the third section of the family. When she knew that Officer Qiao never liked Qiao Xuan, but asked them to come over suddenly, Ms. Fang knew that something bad was going to happen.
She had been so worried.
Qiao Xuan answered with a smile. "Don't worry, they just wanted to ask my husband about the autumn examination. Father needs some help in the government office."
"Oh okay…" Ms. Fang didn't know any better and simply believed in what Qiao Xuan said.
Shao Yunduan did not deny it and smiled.
That was the end of the matter.
Qiao Xuan took a nap and asked Yang Xiaoni and Taotao to get ready for dinner. Soon it was bustling in the kitchen, and delicious dishes were getting cooked, fragrant.
That was what a family should be like.
The next day, Qiao Xuan had all the seedlings transplanted.
Everyone turned to look at the strange-looking banana seedlings, sugarcane seedlings and pineapple seedlings. They were all growing so well. "Our spring really breeds plants well. Look at how good those trees are!"
"Yeah, the fruits should be tasty too!"
Qiao Xuan smiled. Hopefully, they will turn out to be delicious.
She turned to look at lychees and longans that normally grew in the south. All had budded and the tallest one was already 3 inches tall.
That was really fast.
People in the south would get startled by the pace at which it grew.
Normally, the buds would not have sprouted until a week later, let alone growing to this height.
Qiao Xuan let it happen faster because no one else in the family knew about it..
These seedlings were tender and young, very cute and full of vitality. Even though they were still small, they looked quite different from the common fruit tree seedlings in the north.
Everyone else, including Taotao, found them to be rare and fresh.
Qiao Xuan decided to visit them once a day and infuse some superpower in them to help them grow. The seedlings would grow to be what they should have been like in three or four years within one year's time.
In this way, they should bloom and bear fruit the next year most probably.
Qiao Xuan could wait at most one year to see if such plants worked.
If not, she would give up the idea.
But if this experiment worked, she would buy more fields and plant a large fruit garden so she could offer special tropical fruits to the market, earning a lot of money out of it.
That would be nice.
If that did not work, she could find a chance to head down south with Shao Yunduan. She would place a lot of tropical fruits into her space, like longans, lychees, and mangoes, all for her to eat anytime.
She was really greedy for them.
She could wait until the magical water in her space reached a certain thickness, then the space would accept ordinary plants as well. After that, she could start to grow those ordinary plants in her space as well.
Well, the space would not be unlimited but hundreds of mu should be enough, right?
Or even thousands of mu?
One small farmland for herself… that would feel so nice!
Qiao Xuan had planned out everything.
After this day, they continued to make lipsticks with new colors and went to the river to get shrimps, or hunt animals in the mountains. Everyday seemed leisurely and peaceful.
Shao Dalangs legs recovered finally. He had recovered to be able to do some heavy work, but not continuously for the first half a year.
The whole family was so happy that this worry was finally gone.
Ms. Xu unexpectedly gave Qiao Xuan five liang and asked her to make a table full of dishes as a celebration.
Qiao Xuan tried to turn away the money. But Ms. Xu insisted that it was their kindness, and that Qiao Xuan needed to accept it.
Qiao Xuan only kept two liang and said with a smile, "Five liang is too much, we would not be able to finish the food! One chicken costs 50 or 60 wen and half a kilo of pork belly would cost just 15 or 16 wen. We won't be able to finish anything more than that!"
"Two liang would be more than enough!'
She insisted on giving back three liang, which Ms. Xu accepted in the end. She added. "Two liang is all yours, Fifth Sister-in-law. You have to cook for us, and I would feel really embarrassed if you don't take it."
She was pregnant, and could not do any work. Her husband's illness was treated with the shared money and no one countered that. So, Ms. Xu felt really moved.
Qiao Xuan accepted the money eventually with a smile.
The remaining money would be used to buy some small snacks for everyone to eat.
Qiao Xuan made nine dishes and one soup with two liang, including salt-baked chicken, crispy chicken, as well as stewed duck with taro, stewed lion head, fish and sheep pot, ginkgo pork belly soup, and salted egg yolk tofu soup..
Qiao Xuan used fresh and tender, soaked pea shoots, and stir-fried them on a plate. The fresh green color, fresh and tender taste made people never want to stop eating them.
Ms. Fang was gratified and happy seeing the table full of dishes.
Ms. Fang actually suspected that she had misheard the news when Ms. Xu decided to offer money from her own pocket.
After all, she was Ms. Xu's mother-in-law and she had seen through her long ago.
Ms. Fang was feeling very emotional about the days that became better and better. Those bad and small tricks were all gone.
Not everyone was as annoying and ungrateful as the second and third section of the family.
Ms. Fang would agree if she knew the basic principle of the modern world money could solve 80% of the troubles in life.
But she knew that she needed to support her son and daughter-in-law to keep making money so that life could get better and better. Also, it was all Qiao Xuan's luck that helped.
At the Qiao Mansion.
On the day when Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan left, Officer Qiao could not wait but hired someone to deliver the letter written by Shao Yunduan directly to the province.
He ordered that the letter had to arrive in Yuezheng Xiao's hands on the following day.
According to Officer Qiao's plan, Yuezheng Xiao should agree to his proposal.
After all, it was always better to have some professionals to manage the land and fields for him!
As long as Yuezheng Xiao agreed to it, Officer Qiao would wait for a few days and then go over to meet Yuezheng Xiao, so that he could coax Yuezheng Xiao and borrow 30,000 liang from him.
Officer Qiao would give the money for the position he needed, and when he was back in the capital, he would start to earn enough money.
It was not going to be easy to make 30,000 liang within a short while, but he did not think that the Yuezheng Family would need this amount anyways.
So, he never planned to pay back the money.
By that time, the Yuezheng Family would not really bother to go to the capital to get the money back.
Besides, if he got promoted and soon won a high-ranked position, he would return the Yuezheng Family a favor in the end. Officer Qiao had everything 'arranged' in his head.
He was very confident.
Yuezheng Xiao had just received the regular lipsticks and limited versions of lipsticks from Qiao Xuan. He was selling them out slowly. Five sets of limited versions had been sold out, and five more families had already reserved the three minor sets, which made him feel really happy.
The remaining five sets would arrive very soon.
But Yuezheng Xiao got very confused seeing the letter sent by Shao Yunduan.
He was sure that it was written by Shao Yunduan, which made him feel even more confused.
He ordered someone to bring over the messenger and after a few questions, he understood what was going on.
Wearing no expression on his face, Yuezheng Xiao ordered the messenger to take a break. And then, he smiled sinisterly.
He saw through the situation quickly. Officer Qiao needed money desperately!
He was trying to suck up to him urgently because he needed nothing else but money, maybe lots of it!
But he would not give out money so easily.
Instead of answering the letter, he thought for a while and called over a trusted servant. He appointed him to be the manager for the land at the Zhang Village.
Shao Yunduan could not do anything to his father-in-law. Then, he would deal away with him for his friend's sake.
He did not need Shao Yunduan to 'be in charge of' the tea fields. He had a suitable manager who could do that for him and he was going to send that man there.
That manager would not travel with the messenger. He ordered Qu Shan to send the messenger home first..
The messenger did not want to leave. He smiled and asked about a reply. Qu Shan smirked and replied. "Our Young Master has his own plan. He never writes replies. Young Master never wants to leave any trace of his writing outside, in case some trouble comes to his doorstep. Our Young Master has never written anything to your Second Miss's husband either! He only passes on messages. So, you can just pass on this message to your master."
Speechless, the messenger had to leave with the oral reply.
He could not make the decision for Young Master Yuezheng.
Also, Qu Shan was right. The Yuezheng Family was so rich and the old masters and young masters of the family would not leave any trace of their writing outside the family so easily.
Without any delay, the messenger returned to the town before lunch the next day.
Officer Qiao, who had been so anxious, summoned him directly.
"Where is the reply? Give it to me!"
The messenger stiffened and staggered slightly. "Sorry, Officer, but Young Master Yuezheng has sent no reply."
"What!
"Young Master Yuezheng says that he already knows about this matter and he has already got his own plan, which he is going to conduct in a few days. Since you urged him, he will start to implement that now. Young Master Yuezhengs men should be coming over in a few days, and they will tell you clearly what is going on…"
Officer Qiao's head turned blank. He had no reaction for a long while.
He sensed that something was wrong. So, he interrogated him and asked for more details.
The messenger did not know anything more. He had just met Young Master Yuezheng once and did not even exchange many words with him.
Without getting any valuable information, Officer Qiao got even more annoyed, snapping at the messenger. "You useless thing, you can't even do one mission well!" Then, he ordered him to leave.
The messenger felt relieved.
"How could that be possible?"
Officer Qiao felt so distressed and he went to Madame Qiao to complain.
Madame Qiao frowned and asked firstly. "Old Master, are you sure that Shao Yunduan wrote what you told him to? Did he write anything that should not have been written in there? Did he turn them against us?"
Officer Qiao was startled, but soon shook his head.
"That is impossible. The strategist already wrote the draft and Shao Yunduan copied it. Also, he examined the final draft, and I had the letter delivered on the same day. If Shao Yunduan wanted to do something bad in the middle, he would not have managed to reach there before us."
"Also, 1 don't think he would dare to! Moreover, Young Master Yuezheng might not believe his words."
Madame Qiao agreed.
Young Master Yuezheng and Shao Yunduan were totally different people.
With a huge gap in their rank!
Shao Yunduan was never going to be able to turn the two parties against each other. That would be so ridiculous!
"Old Master, your proposal was beneficial for Young Master Yuezheng and he should not have not turned that down. Well, now that he already has a plan…"
"Then, there is no way out…"
Madame Qiao sighed and felt distressed too.
They still needed more than 20,000 liang, and they had almost used up every treasure they had.
She had not even made any new clothes this spring like before, when she would get new clothes every season.
She lived frugally and only had two sets for her daughter, who had been vehemently objecting to it.
They could not even afford any ornaments and even had to save on new cosmetics..