My Husband Comes from the Future

by Usui Takumii

not mine, shangai fantasy. After chapter 94 is MTL. Also at ao3.

7. 61 to 70

Chapter 61: Teahouse

Li Qingzhi came to Sister Wang's residence and saw that it was filled with various newly made items.

Gloves, sleeves, shoes… Various small items made of good fabric were piled on the floor, and Jin Xiaoye was packing and organizing them.

Seeing Li Qingzhi, Jin Xiaoye said, "Ah Qing, wait for me for a moment."

"Okay," Li Qingzhi replied.

At this moment, Sister Wang asked Li Qingzhi, "Xiao Li, did you go to the county yamen today?"

"I did," Li Qingzhi replied.

"Did you see the county magistrate handling cases?" Sister Wang looked at Li Qingzhi expectantly, and the attention of others was also drawn over.

Li Qingzhi said, "I was squeezed outside and didn't see, but I have a rough idea… Xiao Ye, the person who beat the small tree was punished with fifty strokes."

Although Jin Xiaoshu was beaten that day, he was not injured, so he didn't file a complaint.

It was just that Jin Xiaoshu didn't file a complaint, but others did… The person who beat Jin Xiaoshu helped Zhang Chuqian collect debts and, together with others, beat an old man to death.

In fact, yesterday, Magistrate Gou had already reviewed all the written complaints and decided how to judge today. Li Qingzhi had consulted with him at that time.

Ordinary people wouldn't complain even if they were beaten a few times. Those who came to complain had encountered great injustice, and therefore, the contents of those complaints were horrifying to read.

Li Qingzhi has a good memory. He can recite the names of every criminal, along with their crimes, and what their final sentences were… Sister Wang and the others listened with great satisfaction.

After Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye left, Sister Wang couldn't help but say, "Xiao Li knows so much!"

"Yes, Xiao Li knows everything!" an old lady said. Li Qingzhi had mentioned some people she knew, so she asked a few more questions. Now she knew quite a bit and planned to chat with others about it when she got back.

Mrs. Xu, who was nearby, smiled and suddenly said, "Xiao Li must know a lot; he knows the county magistrate."

"Xiao Li knows the county magistrate?" Sister Wang was extremely surprised. "I know he went to court after his arm was broken by that young master from the Hong family, but how could he know the county magistrate?"

Mrs. Xu said, "Recently, all the teahouses and taverns have been talking about the county magistrate solving cases. You all know about that, right?"

"We know. I even went to a teahouse this morning specifically to listen," Sister Wang said.

There were several teahouses in Chongcheng County. These teahouses were usually open before dawn, and they sold tea for a penny a pot. After buying a pot of tea, you could refill it with hot water indefinitely.

These were the favorite places for the elderly.

They spent a penny on a pot of tea at the teahouse and then chatted. They could chat from before dawn until mid-morning, chatting for two hours.

Some elderly people who had extra money would also buy some snacks, such as tea eggs, melon seeds, boiled broad beans, and so on.

The teahouses didn't offer much food, but there were often breakfast shops nearby. The waiters from these shops could bring noodles, steamed buns, and other breakfast items to the teahouse to eat. After eating, they could return the bowls or wait for someone to collect them.

Sitting in the teahouse, drinking a pot of tea, eating a bowl of steaming noodles, and talking about how filial their children were in the envious eyes of others was the life countless elderly people dreamed of.

These teahouses also sold hot water. The nearby neighbors would give the teahouse some money every month, and when they needed hot water, they could go to the teahouse to fetch it. This was more cost-effective than boiling water themselves, after all, firewood had to be bought.

Teahouses were not teahouses, they operated small businesses, so naturally, they didn't have storytellers, but the stories of Magistrate Gou had become too popular recently, and many people had bought paper and pen to copy down those stories.

These past few days, there was an elderly literate man near Sister Wang's home who copied down one of the stories and read it aloud to others in the teahouse… His recitation was far inferior to that of a professional storyteller, but everyone liked it. Other elderly people in the teahouse would even give him various snacks.

Mrs. Xu smiled gently. "Those stories were written by Xiao Li."

"He wrote them?" Sister Wang was extremely shocked.

"This was spoken by my son Qifei," Mrs. Xu said. "Qifei also helped to transcribe them. These stories were first circulated in their study hall."

Mrs. Xu had learned some things about Li Qingzhi from her son Xu Qifei, such as his good knowledge, his ability to write books, and his acquaintance with the county magistrate.

But Xu Qifei didn't know much more.

"Xiao Li is really amazing!"

"I always knew Xiao Li was extraordinary!"

"The first time I saw Xiao Li, I felt like he descended from the God of Literature."

"Before, they said that the young master of the Hong family was knowledgeable, but we didn't see him write anything. Xiao Li is different. How many people are reading his books now!"

"Xiao Li's knowledge is probably even better than the young master of the Hong family!"

…

None of the people present had read books, and they didn't know much about reading. In their view, Li Qingzhi being able to write a book that everyone liked was already remarkable!

Jin Xiaoye's husband is really amazing!

Of course, Jin Xiaoye was also amazing. She was just a rural girl, but now she has opened her own embroidery workshop!

On the other side, Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye had already boarded Jin Xiaoshu's boat.

When Jin Xiaoshu saw Li Qingzhi, he also asked about the matter of Magistrate Gou handling the case.

Jin Xiaoshu didn't go to the county yamen to watch the excitement, not because he didn't want to, but because he was busy making money.

Jin Xiaoshu was only sixteen years old, and originally, making money wasn't so urgent for him. But now, didn't he have someone he liked? He wanted to marry Fang Jinniang, so naturally, he had to find ways to make more money.

Since Jin Xiaoshu asked, Li Qingzhi explained them one by one.

"The county magistrate is really a good official." Jin Xiaoshu was especially happy to learn that the villains were all punished, so he exerted more effort while rowing the boat.

When the three returned to Miaoqian Village, they were surrounded again, still asking about Magistrate Gou handling the case. Li Qingzhi could only say, "Let's go to my house, and after I've had my meal, I'll tell you all about it."

Hearing this, everyone followed Li Qingzhi to his house.

Li Qingzhi had eaten not long ago, but he ate a little more before he began to tell the villagers about Magistrate Gou handling the case.

He hadn't been at the scene, but he roughly knew what was happening outside, and he also knew the situation of everyone interrogated by Magistrate Gou, so he had a lot to say.

The villagers listened with relish. Mr. Yao's couple even specially brought two chairs from their own home and sat down to listen to Li Qingzhi.

Yao Zhenfu didn't go, he stood at the Yao family looking towards Li's house, and seeing that Li's hall was crowded with people, he couldn't help but say, "That Li Qingzhi just knows how to cater to the public opinion!"

Jin Moli didn't go either. Hearing Yao Zhenfu's words, she glanced at him and then looked in the direction of Li's house.

During this period, Jin Moli's heart had been uneasy. As long as she thought that in her previous life, it was Jin Xiaoye rather than Yao Zhenfu who made the Yao family richer through business, she felt stifled and didn't want to deal with Yao Zhenfu.

Yao Zhenfu felt uncomfortable when Jin Moli didn't speak.

In the past, Jin Moli had been so good to him, obedient, but now she was getting colder and colder towards him…

"Li Qingzhi's knowledge is so poor, and he even broke his arm. I don't know what he will be like in the future…" Yao Zhenfu continued to belittle Li Qingzhi.

Jin Moli suddenly asked, "Can you really pass the imperial examination?"

"Of course I can! I couldn't pass before because I was lazy and didn't study, but now I read diligently every day!" Yao Zhenfu said.

Yao Zhenfu did have a bit of cleverness, and there was a time when Li Xiucai thought highly of him.

But whenever he had the chance, he would slack off, unwilling to memorize books. When Li Xiucai asked him to write essays, he procrastinated and didn't want to write. Over time, he became insignificant to everyone.

Jin Moli looked at Yao Zhenfu and suddenly smiled, "Husband, I believe you will definitely pass the imperial examination!" She had been married to Yao Zhenfu for several years, and they already had two children. The possibility of remarrying was almost nonexistent.

Even if she remarried, she couldn't find a better family than the Yao family.

Although Yao Zhenfu was not successful in business, his knowledge was still acceptable. Perhaps he could pass the imperial examination?

Even if Jin Xiaoye could do business and make money, so what? Li Qingzhi became a useless person after breaking his arm!

If Yao Zhenfu could pass the imperial examination, she would become the wife of a scholar, which would be comparable to Jin Xiaoye.

In the previous life, Yao Zhenfu had never passed the imperial examination, but he had passed the county-level examination and had even gone to the capital city to take the examination. At least he was a talented scholar.

In this life, if Yao Zhenfu made an effort, he should be able to pass the imperial examination?

Jin Moli could only console herself like this.

The couple reconciled completely. After Li Qingzhi had finished speaking about everything he could say, the villagers still seemed unsatisfied.

Mr. Yao suddenly said, "I heard that the storytellers in the county have been telling stories about Magistrate Gou solving cases these days. Even people in teahouses are talking about it. I want to go to the teahouse in the county tomorrow to have tea and listen to the story. Does anyone want to come with me?"

A few days ago, Mr. Yao had been accompanying Jin Sangshu on his boat every day, guiding Jin Sangshu while introducing his own acquaintances to him.

Now he had almost taught Jin Sangshu everything he could. It would depend on Jin Sangshu himself in the future.

Because of this, he had some free time.

Mr. Yao rented his boat to Jin Sangshu for forty-five wen a day. He had some money, so he wanted to go to the teahouse in the county.

He had always admired the old people who drank tea in the teahouses in the county. He even thought that when Yao Zhenfu passed the imperial examination, he would have leisure time and could go to drink tea every day.

By then, he would be the father of a scholar, and many people would envy him.

Unfortunately, now… he didn't know if his son could pass the imperial examination.

Most families in Miaoqian Village were not wealthy, but they still had the money to go to the county and have tea. After all, it wasn't something they did every day.

On the spot, three people about Mr. Yao's age said they wanted to go to the county with him to have tea.

Seeing this, Li Laogen looked at Li Qingzhi eagerly and said, "Ah Qing…"

"Dad, you should go too," Li Qingzhi smiled.

Li Laogen was ecstatic and turned to Mr. Yao, "I'll go too!"

After some discussion, a total of five people planned to go to the county with Mr. Yao to have tea tomorrow. They would take Mr. Yao's boat to the county.

After discussing this matter, the people gathered at Li's house dispersed. Li Laogen and the others left, and Li Qingzhi said to Li Laogen, "Dad, going to have tea costs money…"

Li Qingzhi took out ten cents from his pocket and gave it to Li Laogen, "Dad, take this money to have tea."

Ten cents was enough for an old man to have tea in the county. At that time, Li Laogen could also eat a bowl of noodles—noodles in the county were cheap, ranging from two or three cents to seven or eight cents for the expensive ones.

Jin Xiaoye occasionally gave Li Laogen a few cents, but she had never given him as much as ten cents.

Li Laogen couldn't hold the money steady and always lost it as soon as he got it, so naturally, he was reluctant to give it to him.

Suddenly getting ten wen, Li Laogen was a bit at a loss, "So much money… It's really a lot…"

Li Qingzhi instructed him, "Dad, if you encounter any trouble in the county, you can go to the Zhu family and say you're my father…"

Li Qingzhi explained many things to Li Laogen, and Li Laogen

As Li Laogen listened, he smiled, revealing his few remaining yellow teeth, feeling inexplicably satisfied.

He had a son! He could still go to the teahouse!

Back when there were landlords in their village, the landlords would go to the teahouse by boat every day to have tea. How many people in the village envied them at that time?

He never thought he could go too!

The next day, when Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye got up, Li Laogen had already left.

He didn't have breakfast at home. He planned to go to the teahouse to have tea and eat noodles on the way.

Before, Li Qingzhi had taken him to eat shredded pork noodles, which were particularly delicious. A bowl costs four cents. This time, he planned to have them again.

Li Laogen put the ten cents into the purse Jin Xiaoye had given him and then put the purse in his pocket. He followed behind Mr. Yao and took the boat to the county.

On the way to the county, Li Laogen talked about his previous experiences in the county.

Unfortunately,Mr. Yao knew more about the county than he did, and no one wanted to listen to him.

Even so, Li Laogen was very excited and listened carefully to Mr. Yao's description of what the teahouses in the county were like.

Mr. Yao used to be very wealthy, but he was very thrifty. He rarely ate out in the county.

However, as he paddled his boat in the county every day, he knew all the teahouses in the county.

Mr. Yao took Li Laogen and the others to an old teahouse in the west of the city, where poor people gathered.

The teahouse was very dim, and the tables and chairs inside were dirty. The alley outside the door was filled with the belongings of nearby residents…

But it was precisely such a place that made Li Laogen inexplicably at ease.

He used to be very afraid when he came to the county, but here, he wasn't afraid anymore.

In this teahouse, there were also people telling Magistrate Gou's stories today, which attracted more and more people to the teahouse… Fortunately, they arrived early and managed to get a seat!

Li Laogen listened to the story attentively. After the reader stopped reading for a while, he bravely ordered a bowl of shredded pork noodles and finished it, not leaving a drop of soup.

Including Mr. Yao, everyone else also ordered shredded pork noodles. Like Li Laogen, they ate them all up.

After finishing the noodles, they drank tea while listening to the conversations of the people around them.

"Before, we had a blind man in our area. He said there would be a great figure coming from our county, and I think it's Magistrate Gou."

"Our magistrate is truly amazing!"

"Yesterday, during the magistrate's trial, I went to watch the excitement. My shoe got squeezed off."

…

As Li Laogen listened to Li Qingzhi talking about some things in the county office, he was able to join in the conversation. At that moment, he managed to attract many people to listen to him, making him increasingly proud, subconsciously puffing out his chest.

He loved it here too much!

Li Laogen and the others stayed until they had drunk the tea until it was as clear as boiled water, without a trace of tea flavor left, before rubbing their stomachs and leaving the county contentedly.

They came by boat, but they walked back.

Li Laogen felt inexplicably happy this morning, and he asked Mr. Yao, "Old Yao, when shall we go to the county for tea again?"

Mr. Yao also felt particularly happy to go for tea. "I want to listen to more stories. Shall we go again tomorrow? We can bring some food from home this time…"

Not having noodles, just having tea, would only cost a cent.

Li Laogen nodded without hesitation. "I'll go with you tomorrow!"

Because Li Laogen wanted to go for tea, Li Qingzhi took the three children with him when he went to the county. Although Li Laogen was away for the morning, it was a time when Zhao Xiaodou could take care of Li Damao and Li Ermao.

However, Li Qingzhi was still not very reassured. Also, he hadn't spent much time with Li Damao and Li Ermao recently, so he decided to take all three children with him.

He planned to take the three children for breakfast when they arrived in the county, then let them stay with Jin Xiaoye while he went to the county office to find Magistrate Gou.

After discussing the matter of corvée labor with Magistrate Gou, he would come back to find the three children and take them for a stroll in the county.

On the way to the county, Li Qingzhi reviewed the knowledge the three children had learned before.

Although he had been coming and going early and late these days, he still gave them homework and taught them something in the morning. The three children knew more characters now.

But Li Damao and Li Ermao were still young, and they often made mistakes when writing words, or even looked more like they were drawing words… Of course, Li Qingzhi didn't think it was a big deal and always praised them enthusiastically.

There was no breakfast at home this morning, and everyone was still hungry. So Li Qingzhi asked Jin Xiaoshu to dock the boat next to a bun shop, and then ordered some buns and five bowls of soy milk.

One bowl of soy milk for each of the three adults and Zhao Xiaodou, Li Damao, and Li Ermao shared one bowl. They were still young, and if each of them had a bowl of soy milk, they wouldn't be able to eat anything else.

In Daqi, sugar was not cheap, and ordinary people found it difficult to drink even a sip of brown sugar water on weekdays. Therefore, the bun shop didn't have any sweet soy milk at all, only salty soy milk.

The shopkeeper put a spoonful of soy sauce at the bottom of the bowl, then added chopped green onions and pickled vegetables, and finally poured in the boiling hot soy milk… The hot and steaming salty soy milk was ready to eat.

Zhao Xiaodou used to be very reserved and didn't dare to eat the food Li Qingzhi gave him, but now he was much better. At this moment, he held a bun in one hand and scooped soy milk with the other, eating very happily.

This was his first time drinking soy milk, and he found it especially delicious. As for the buns… He had eaten buns before, but this was the first time he had eaten them in a shop.

Li Qingzhi specifically bought some extra buns for Jin Xiaoshu to take for lunch and then sent Jin Xiaoye and the three children to Sister Wang's place.

After doing all this, Li Qingzhi went to the county office.

It was at this time that Jin Xiaoshu seized the opportunity to throw a bun into Fang Jinniang's basket. "The bun is still hot. Eat it quickly."

Yesterday, Li Qingzhi didn't bring any food home, so he didn't get anything… Jin Xiaoshu had originally wanted to buy a tea egg for Fang Jinniang in the morning, but Li Qingzhi bought him a few more buns.

A meat bun was definitely better than a tea egg!

In the morning, Fang Jinniang hadn't eaten much at home. When she felt the hot bun, she stood still for a moment, then finally took it out and took a bite.

Although many people had given her food, she didn't even know who the person was, only that he should be a young man.

Fang Jinniang wasn't a child; she knew that the person giving her food was doing so because he liked her.

She couldn't help but admit that it stirred something in her heart.

Since her father passed away, no one has been so kind to her.

There were people who liked her before, but at that time, she was busy with needlework and had little contact with those people. They didn't give her anything directly; they mostly just went to her mother to propose marriage…

The person who brought her food shouldn't be married, right? She didn't know when he would come to propose marriage.

The bun was quite delicious, and Fang Jinniang couldn't help but smile.

Jin Xiaoshu ran out for a while, couldn't help but look back, and happened to see this scene, feeling extremely excited.

Fang Jinniang ate it!

Fang Jinniang ate the bun he brought!

So Fang Jinniang doesn't dislike him, right?

Definitely not! Fang Jinniang even smiled!

Jin Xiaoshu felt even more energetic at work.

On the other side, Magistrate Gou, who had been eagerly waiting, finally saw Li Qingzhi arrive.

After Li Qingzhi left yesterday, Magistrate Gou carefully read what Li Qingzhi had written.

The original owner of Li Qingzhi's body had been studying with his father's teacher all along, so he was very knowledgeable about corvée labor-related matters, and what Li Qingzhi wrote was substantial.

The more Magistrate Gou thought about it, the more he felt that what Li Qingzhi said was feasible.

Although he was only a Jinshi, his career path might not be particularly smooth, but even so, he still had the opportunity to rise.

As long as he performed outstandingly… who could stop him?

Even if he didn't consider promotion… if the people of Chongcheng County appreciated his kindness, he might be remembered for generations.

That night, Magistrate Gou tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Eventually, even his wife couldn't stand it and kicked him out.

Then he stayed up excitedly in the study until the early hours of the morning before finally falling asleep, only to wake up early in the morning.

After waking up, Magistrate Gou had been waiting for Li Qingzhi, but unfortunately, Li Qingzhi didn't arrive until later than expected…

When he finally saw Li Qingzhi, Magistrate Gou almost rushed up to give him a big hug.

Of course, he didn't do that, but instead, he asked with a hint of reproach, "Nephew, why did you come so late?"

"Sir, I'm sorry, I was delayed by something," Li Qingzhi quickly replied.

"It's alright, Nephew, come with me to the study, we need to talk in detail!" Magistrate Gou grabbed Li Qingzhi's arm and led him away.

In fact, Li Qingzhi had pondered over some details last night and followed Magistrate Gou to the study to discuss them with him.

In truth, to handle this matter well, there were many complicated issues to deal with.

Apart from other things, just finding a suitable place to build the dock… there were many suitable places near Chongcheng County, but all of them were owned by someone!

The two of them discussed this matter for the whole morning.

Magistrate Gou instructed the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous meal. During the meal, he said to Li Qingzhi, "Nephew, the construction of the dock will require a lot of your help."

Magistrate Gou wanted Li Qingzhi to be his right-hand man and help him with the construction of the dock, but Li Qingzhi wasn't prepared to agree.

He brought up this matter purely because he wanted the people of Chongcheng County to live better, without any other intentions.

As such, he didn't feel the need to take on this responsibility himself.

For him, studying and passing the imperial examination were more important at this stage. If he had free time, he wanted to spend it with Li Damao and Li Ermao.

He had been running around the county for Zhang Yunquan's matter in the past few days, and he was quite tired. He hadn't had the chance to read or spend time with his children.

If he took on the task of building the dock… he wouldn't have time to do anything else.

That's what Li Qingzhi thought in his heart, but he didn't say it out loud. He claimed he lacked experience and suggested that Magistrate Gou could use this opportunity to build his own team. He recommended hiring two trustworthy assistants and argued that his excessive involvement might undermine Magistrate Gou's authority.

Magistrate Gou was touched again.

Li Qingzhi truly didn't seek any credit for himself and was genuinely considering his welfare!

Magistrate Gou was full of gratitude towards Li Qingzhi and was determined to give him something in return. If it weren't for the fact that he didn't have a daughter of the right age and Li Qingzhi was already married, he would have considered marrying his daughter to Li Qingzhi!

Li Qingzhi spent the whole day discussing the construction of the dock with Magistrate Gou. However, in the afternoon, he took his leave early and left the county office.

He was going to find Jin Xiaoye and the two children.

Before leaving, Li Qingzhi also told Magistrate Gou that he would be focusing on studying at home for a while and might not be able to come to the county office. Magistrate Gou agreed without hesitation. Li Qingzhi had come up with such a good idea, yet he didn't ask for any benefits, truly displaying noble character.

Thinking about how he had initially thought Li Qingzhi was trying to curry favor, Magistrate Gou felt a bit guilty.

Because of this, after Li Qingzhi left, Magistrate Gou immediately wrote a letter and had it sent to his home.

He instructed his family to find two suitable assistants for him and also to pack up some books he had read during his previous attempts at the imperial examinations and send them to Chongcheng County.

He had brought some books with him when he entered officialdom, but not many. Some of the more precious books were kept at home. Now he planned to have someone bring those books over to let Li Qingzhi read them.

Li Qingzhi was talented, but due to his poor family background, he hadn't read many books, which was truly a pity.

While Magistrate Gou was thinking about Li Qingzhi, Li Qingzhi arrived at Sister Wang's house.

As soon as he entered, the first thing he saw wasn't Jin Xiaoye but Li Damao and Li Ermao wearing big red cotton-padded jackets.

These two children were so eye-catching!

With the decrease in mosquitoes as summer passed, the two children didn't have any scratches on their faces from mosquito bites.

Their faces were now free of wounds, and the slightly chubby Li Damao and Li Ermao, wearing red cotton-padded jackets, looked incredibly adorable!

"Damao, Ermao, you two look so good!" Li Qingzhi hugged the two children and kissed their little cheeks.

Li Damao and Li Ermao proudly puffed out their chests.

Jin Xiaoye said, "Damao, Ermao, your father has already seen your new clothes. Take them off quickly."

Li Damao and Li Ermao clutched their jackets, reluctant to take them off.

"Why do they have to take them off? Let them wear them," Li Qingzhi asked.

Jin Xiaoye said, "These cotton-padded jackets were made to be worn on New Year's Day. How can they wear them now?"

There was a custom in Chongcheng County where new clothes and shoes had to be worn on New Year's Day.

Of course, if the family was poor, they couldn't afford new clothes, so there was nothing they could do.

Jin Xiaoye remembered that when she was young, she mostly didn't have new clothes on New Year's Day, but Jin Moli did.

She was extremely envious when she saw Jin Moli wearing new clothes and shoes on New Year's Day.

"How about making two more sets and letting them wear them on New Year's Day?" Li Qingzhi suggested. After earning money from writing, Jin Xiaoye made new clothes for her family members one after another.

However, she was worried about being too conspicuous, so she used ordinary fabrics, and each person only had one or two sets of new clothes.

The old clothes that Li Damao and Li Ermao used to wear were torn and too small to wear now. They now rotated between the two new sets of clothes every day, but the cotton-padded jackets they wore inside were still old.

Jin Xiaoye said, "We can't spend money like this. They already have two new sets of clothes."

After speaking, Jin Xiaoye took out a new cotton-padded jacket for Li Qingzhi. "Ah Qing, the cotton-padded jacket I made for you earlier was a bit thin. This one is thicker. Try it on and see if it fits. Oh, I also arranged for someone to make new clothes and shoes for you to wear on New Year's Day, but they haven't been finished yet."

Li Qingzhi had supernatural abilities, so he wasn't afraid of the cold. However, Jin Xiaoye was worried about him being cold, so she made a cotton-padded jacket for him a few days ago.

The cotton inside the jacket wasn't cotton but soft and fluffy silkworm silk. Wearing it was incredibly comfortable!

And now, Jin Xiaoye has prepared an even thicker cotton-padded jacket for him.

Li Qingzhi directly put it on over his clothes. This jacket was truly thick and warm. After putting it on, he didn't look skinny anymore.

Moreover… his treatment here with Jin Xiaoye was better than the two children, making him inexplicably happy.

On the day they returned home, Jin Xiaoye and Li Qingzhi brought back a lot of things.

Inside were new clothes for the two children, as well as new padded jackets for Li Qingzhi and Li Laogen.

Li Laogen now wore an old padded jacket just like Li Damao and Li Ermao. However, his old padded jacket was too worn out; the silk inside was no longer fluffy, so it wasn't very warm.

As the days grew colder, Jin Xiaoye made him a new padded jacket.

When they arrived home, Li Laogen had already coked. As soon as he saw them, he exclaimed, "Xiaoye, Ah Qing, you don't know, the teahouse is really lively! There are so many people there, and some are telling stories about the county magistrate…"

Li Laogen kept talking, and then he helped Li Qingzhi and them serve the meal, then asked cautiously, "Xiaoye, Ah Qing, can I go tomorrow?"

As he spoke, Li Laogen kept looking at Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye said, "Dad, you can go if you want, but you can't gamble."

Li Laogen quickly said, "I won't gamble, I won't gamble!"

Actually, gambling wasn't that interesting. It was more stylish to go to the county teahouse for tea.

Li Qingzhi added, "Dad, if you don't gamble, I'll give you one hundred and fifty cents as pocket money every month."

Li Laogen looked at Li Qingzhi in surprise and said, "One hundred and fifty cents? So much? Ah Qing, are you really giving me so much money? Wait, no, I can't."

"What's wrong?" Li Qingzhi was puzzled. Did Li Laogen think it was too little?

Li Laogen said, "If you give me so much money at once, I won't know how to spend it. Ah Qing, just give it to me day by day. How much is one hundred and fifty cents for a day?"

Li Laogen could barely count to one hundred, but asking him to divide one hundred and fifty cents by thirty days, he wouldn't be able to do it.

Li Qingzhi said, "Five cents per day."

Li Laogen's excitement peaked, "Five cents per day? Then I can eat noodles every day!"

"Yes, Dad, you can eat noodles if you want." Li Qingzhi said.

Li Laogen was ecstatic, "I can eat noodles every day! Hehe! I can eat noodles every day!"

Jin Xiaoye glanced at Li Qingzhi and didn't object.

If her business succeeded, she could earn a lot of money. By then, a daily pocket money of five cents wouldn't be a big deal.

Thinking like this, Jin Xiaoye took out the padded jacket she had made for Li Laogen. "Dad, I had someone make you a padded jacket. Take it and wear it."

Li Laogen took the new padded jacket from Jin Xiaoye's hand and squeezed it.

The padded jacket made of silk was especially soft. As Li Laogen squeezed it, he suddenly cried, wiping his tears and saying, "Xiaoye, I've never worn a new padded jacket before. They've always been worn by others before giving them to me. Xiaoye, Xiaoye, why are you so good to me… I've never thought I could live such a good life, it's like I'm dreaming…"

While crying, Li Laogen kept talking, repeatedly saying he never expected to have such a good life.

After crying, Li Laogen wiped his tears, blew his nose, then wiped his hands on his pants…

Realizing it wasn't right, Li Laogen went out to wash his hands, wiped them dry on his clothes, then put on the new padded jacket and went to show off to the neighbors next door.

Today, he went to drink tea with Mr. Yao, he already considered Yao a friend!

Mr. Yao: "…" He didn't want such a friend.

Mr. Yao didn't like hearing Li Laogen boast, but he had a good temper and didn't drive him away. So Li Laogen kept talking, "My son and daughter-in-law are really filial. I haven't given them anything, but they made me new clothes and padded jackets. Aqing knows I like going to the county to drink tea, and he said he'd give me five cents a day so I can go to the county to drink tea and eat noodles every day…"

Mr. Yao didn't really want to go to the county teahouse every day, let alone eat noodles.

But if Li Laogen, who used to be inferior to him in every way, could go to the county to eat noodles every day now, why wouldn't he?

Mr. Yao said, "That's great, I'll go with you to drink tea and eat noodles from now on."

Although their family had sold four acres of land, they didn't have any external debts, and renting out the boat brought in income… spending five cents a day was not a problem for him.

In this way, after a month, it would only cost him a silver coin, and he wouldn't need to spend two taels of silver in a year.

Previously, what his son spent on other women was much more than this!

Mr. Yao made plans with Li Laogen to go to the county town together tomorrow. When Li Laogen left, Yao's mother became unhappy, "You want to go to the county town every day to eat noodles? Are you spending money like this?"

Back when Mr. Yao earned more money, he always brought his own lunch when he went out to row the boat!

Mr. Yao said, "We used to save money every day, but in the end, didn't we lose all our money? Wait till tomorrow, I'll buy some buns for you to eat."

If he could also eat buns himself… Yao's mother balanced in her heart, "Buy two, give some to the two children to eat."

Yao Zhenfu: "…" So he won't have any?

In the past, when he was in the county town, he often ate buns. The current treatment was indeed a far cry from before.

As for Jin Moli, her mood was also very bad.

In the previous life, by this time, Li Laogen had already died.

After Li Qingzhi sold his two acres of land for fifty taels of silver, she and Li Laogen parted ways, and Li Laogen quickly squandered the silver, only to return to live with his younger brother.

When he was young and able to help with work, his younger brother treated him well, but by then he was very old, and he had already spent all the money from selling the land…

Li Laogen's younger brother mistreated him everywhere, and Li Laogen starved to death. It was said that when he died, he was as thin as a skeleton.

But now, not only was Li Laogen getting younger and younger, he even planned to go to the county town every day to eat noodles.

For the next ten days, Li Qingzhi did not go to the county town, but stayed at home every day to read and practice calligraphy.

He meticulously transcribed and modified Zhu Qian's autobiography, copying three thousand words every day. As a result, his right-hand writing improved with practice, and now, in addition to having neat handwriting, he had developed his own style.

In addition to this, Li Qingzhi also wrote two thousand words every day with his left hand in Ding Xi's book, as Ding Xi had paid him, so he had to finish writing the book.

Li Qingzhi also wrote two thousand words every day on the story of Magistrate Gou, where this time he wrote about Magistrate Gou's judgment of Zhang Yunquan's case.

The story began with Zhang Yunquan's rampant behavior in Chongcheng County. After Magistrate Gou discovered Zhang Yunquan's misdeeds, he conducted a secret investigation and ultimately rounded up Zhang Yunquan and his associates…

Li Qingzhi thought this story could be written in fifty thousand words.

When writing with a brush, after getting used to it, the speed was actually similar to writing with a hard pen. However, even so, the task of writing seven thousand words a day still took Li Qingzhi a whole afternoon.

In the morning, he had to read books and teach children, and his time was fully occupied. If it weren't for Li Qingzhi's ability, which allowed him to erase fatigue from his body when he was tired, he would definitely not be able to do this.

Also, having experienced the apocalypse, what he once found extremely difficult to learn now seemed trivial. For these ten days, Li Qingzhi did not go to the county town, but Jin Xiaoye would tell him various things happening in the county town.

The construction of the wharf wasn't progressing as quickly as expected. Magistrate Gou had to spend a lot of time just buying land and hiring people.

Li Qingzhi found out when talking to Magistrate Gou that, like the previous owner's father, Magistrate Gou was very good at reading books, but he was not good at handling various matters or arithmetic.

The previous owner's father initially hired a private teacher because he couldn't handle the many miscellaneous matters in the county government office by himself.

The size of the county town in Daqi, if estimated in modern terms, was probably equivalent to that of a town. In modern towns, there is a mayor and deputy mayor, with specialized people in charge of the economy and sanitation, with clear division of labor, not to mention different departments like tax offices and police stations.

In Daqi? Magistrate Gou had to handle everything!

This was indeed a bit difficult for Magistrate Gou, so usually, magistrates would hire private teachers or advisers to help.

So, nothing much happened in these ten days, but Magistrate Gou's reputation in the county town was undoubtedly getting better and better.

Li Qingzhi was quite satisfied with this situation.

However, Jin Xiaoye was a bit uneasy these two days. "Ah Qing, are you sure there's no problem with Shopkeeper Wu? I've done so much work on my end, and he hasn't come to check on anything…"

When Wu Baichuan first placed an order with Jin Xiaoye, she felt she shouldn't miss the opportunity and immediately accepted it on the spot.

But afterwards, she had Li Qingzhi help find out about Wu Baichuan's situation.

Li Qingzhi did go to inquire as instructed. According to Zhu Qian's words, Wu Baichuan was a good person, and he did indeed plan to purchase a batch of goods to sell in the capital.

Speaking of which, Zhu Qian also knew about Jin Xiaoye's business. At first, he didn't pay much attention, thinking Jin Xiaoye was just doing some handicraft work to supplement her household income. But later, Jin Xiaoye's business became more and more successful.

After noticing this, Zhu Qian specifically sought out Li Qingzhi and said he could give Jin Xiaoye some pointers, but Li Qingzhi refused.

Zhu Qian could certainly help Jin Xiaoye, but if he did, Jin Xiaoye's business would go exceptionally smoothly and wouldn't withstand any setbacks.

Li Qingzhi thought it was better for Jin Xiaoye to explore on her own.

Seeing Jin Xiaoye worried, Li Qingzhi said, "Boss Wu should be fine… How about this, when the Chamber of Commerce selects a new chairman in a few days, I'll help you ask him." In this era, helping fellow villagers was particularly common, and merchants from the same place often cooperated in business.

The businessmen in Chongcheng County had established a Chamber of Commerce together.

This association is relatively loose, with minimal constraints on the merchants, and the position of chairman is usually held by a merchant with influence in Chongcheng County.

The current chairman of the association is a good friend of Sun Juren and has a close relationship with Zhang Yunquan.

So not only is there collusion between officials and businessmen, but also involvement with the underworld!

Due to his close relationship with Zhang Yunquan, he was significantly affected after Zhang Yunquan got into trouble, and other businessmen in the association didn't want him to continue as chairman.

Zhu Qian is currently rallying local businessmen to strive for the position of the new chairman. If he succeeds, he stands to gain immense benefits!

And County Magistrate Gou will spare no effort to support Zhu Qian. If Zhu Qian becomes chairman of the association, it will be much easier for the county magistrate to solicit donations from these businessmen.

Therefore, the County Magistrate will participate in the election for the new chairman of the association.

The County Magistrate also plans to bring up the issue of building the dock at the meeting… He specifically sent someone to invite Li Qingzhi to go together.

"Alright," Jin Xiaoye agreed, somewhat eager, "The association… I wonder if I have a chance to join."

"You definitely have a chance," Li Qingzhi smiled. Jin Xiaoye was intelligent, capable, and proactive. When she set her mind to something, she would surely succeed.

"Why do you have so much confidence in me?" Jin Xiaoye asked puzzled.

Li Qingzhi replied earnestly, "You're so capable, how could I not have confidence in you?"

Li Qingzhi's sincere expression while speaking made Jin Xiaoye lean in and kiss him lightly, "You speak so nicely!"

Li Qingzhi hugged Jin Xiaoye and kissed her neck softly, "Xiaoye…" His voice was hoarse, and at that moment, he truly wanted to do something.

However, Jin Xiaoye took control and hugged him back, restraining his actions, "Don't overthink it. It takes a hundred days to recover from tendon and bone injuries, and it's only been two months since you injured your arm!"

Li Qingzhi said, "…My arm really has healed."

"Let's take it slow… how about this, after Mr. Wu's goods are all taken away, you can do whatever you want." Jin Xiaoye suggested.

While sleeping with Li Qingzhi every day, Jin Xiaoye also had her own thoughts.

Actually, if it weren't for Li Qingzhi's injured arm, Jin Xiaoye felt that they would have done something together long ago.

But… even a child under ten years old could break Li Qingzhi's arm, and Jin Xiaoye really didn't dare to let him overexert himself.

During this time, Jin Xiaoye increasingly realized that while Li Qingzhi's mind was very sharp, his body… why couldn't Li Qingzhi gain weight?

"Xiaoye, you said it yourself!" Li Qingzhi's eyes lit up.

The agreed time for Shopkeeper Wu to pick up the goods was the end of this month, which was still over ten days away. Jin Xiaoye had already prepared the goods.

In three days, there would be the election for the chairman of the association. Since Wu Baichuan hadn't left Chongcheng County, he would definitely attend. Li Qingzhi wanted to talk to him and urge him to pick up the goods quickly.

He had never had a partner in his past life, and now that he finally had a wife, he couldn't make a move. It was quite difficult!

As for Jin Xiaoye worrying about his health… his body was really fine. The reason he hadn't gained weight was mainly due to the consumption of energy from his abilities and mental labor.

Jin Xiaoye was uneasy because Wu Baichuan hadn't come to inspect the goods. In fact, Wu Baichuan didn't come because he felt embarrassed.

The rules of the Chongcheng County Association were not many, but they required businessmen to be trustworthy, especially not to deceive fellow villagers. Anyone who did such things would be scorned by other businessmen in Chongcheng County.

Wu Baichuan was able to expand his business because of his good reputation.

But now, he was going to deceive a young woman…

Another point was… Wu Baichuan had traveled extensively and had sharp eyes. He felt that what Hong Hui intended to do wasn't just breaking a contract.

If he only broke the contract, it would indeed affect Jin Xiaoye, but not significantly. However, if something happened to the goods after Jin Xiaoye had prepared everything, like a fire, that would be a major blow to her.

As for why Hong Hui didn't use this method directly and instead came to him first… Hong Hui had been quite polite when they first met. It seemed he didn't want him to pursue this matter.

If Hong Hui didn't say anything and something happened to the goods Jin Xiaoye had, he would definitely think it was directed at him and would send people to investigate.

Jin Xiaoye was really unlucky to have caught Hong Hui's attention, but there was nothing he could do about it.

A lot had happened in Chongcheng County recently, and he was quite afraid, afraid that he would be implicated.

The former chairman of the association was very bad, and even condoned Zhang Yunquan's extortion… Wu Baichuan had already decided to stand by Zhu Qian's side and establish a good relationship with County Magistrate Gou.

With these thoughts in mind, Wu Baichuan began to think about what gift to give to County Magistrate Gou. These literati liked calligraphy, paintings, and ancient books, so he needed to figure out how to obtain some.

There were quite a few people like Wu Baichuan who thought this way. If County Magistrate Gou knew about their intentions, he would definitely want to stop them.

He was a vulgar person who didn't particularly like calligraphy and paintings, but preferred real money…

The day before the election for the chairman of the association, Li Qingzhi went to the county seat.

He planned to visit Li Xiucai and ask for his guidance. Although County Magistrate Gou was willing to advise him, he was very busy, so it was better not to disturb him.

Moreover, knowledgeable people might not necessarily be good at teaching others, something Li Qingzhi had realized in his past life.

For example, the girl in their class who wrote exceptionally well in compositions… She could naturally write well without ever researching writing techniques. When others asked her for tips on writing good compositions, she couldn't really explain it.

Although County Magistrate Gou was only a Jinshi, in every imperial examination of Daqi, only two to three hundred people were accepted, and the imperial examination was held every three years!

Compared to him, someone like Li Xiucai, with teaching experience, was better at instructing others.

Because recently, Li Laogen had been going to the county seat to drink tea every day, when Li Qingzhi went out, he took the three children with him.

They hadn't eaten yet and planned to eat noodles together at a noodle shop.

Li Laogen had been saying how delicious noodles were every day at home, making Li Damao and Li Ermao crave them.

Last time Li Qingzhi treated everyone to noodles, they had shredded pork noodles, but this time he splurged a bit and treated them to more expensive noodles.

Jin Xiaoshu ordered pork liver noodles for six cents, Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye ordered grass carp noodles for seven cents, and the three children ordered mixed seafood noodles for seven cents.

The noodles were cooked on the spot, so they had to wait for a while. As they were waiting, they saw a middle-aged man coming in from outside and saying to the shopkeeper, "Give me a bowl of eel and kidney noodles."

The so-called eel and kidney noodles had eel and pig kidneys as toppings, both of which were expensive, so a bowl of noodles cost eighteen wen.

The middle-aged man ordered the noodles and was looking for a place to sit when he saw Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye smiled at him, "Shopkeeper Wu, are you here for noodles too?"

Wu Baichuan: "…"

Wu Baichuan felt a little uneasy seeing Jin Xiaoye.

If Jin Xiaoye was a cunning merchant, it would be fine; he wouldn't feel guilty for breaking the agreement. But she was just a country girl!

And judging from Jin Xiaoye's appearance, she probably didn't have much money…

"Shopkeeper Jin, hello." Wu Baichuan smiled and nodded at Jin Xiaoye.

"Shopkeeper Wu, I've almost prepared the goods you wanted. When are you going to come and take a look?" Jin Xiaoye asked.

Wu Baichuan looked apologetic, "Shopkeeper Jin, I'm sorry, I've been busy with a lot of things related to the association in Chongcheng County recently, so I haven't had time to go to your place."

Since he said so, Jin Xiaoye could only say, "Then come and take a look at my place when you're done with your work."

"Alright, alright!" Wu Baichuan smiled and agreed, then looked at Li Qingzhi. "Shopkeeper Jin, is this your husband?"

"Yes, this is my husband," Jin Xiaoye replied.

"Shopkeeper Jin, your husband is truly talented." Wu Baichuan smiled.

Jin Xiaoye was very pleased to hear that. "My Ah Qing is a scholar, he's very knowledgeable."

Just as she was speaking, Jin Xiaoye's noodles were served.

Today, Li Qingzhi ordered a bowl of noodles for Li Damao, Li Ermao, and Zhao Xiaodou each.

The portions at this noodle shop were generous, and the three children definitely couldn't finish their noodles, so Li Qingzhi took some from their bowls, gave some to Jin Xiaoshu, and ate the rest himself.

One bowl of noodles was simply not enough for him!

In the seafood noodles that Li Damao and Li Ermao were eating, there were meatballs, river prawns, pork stomach, and baby bok choy. After Li Damao ate a meatball, he picked one up for Li Qingzhi and said, "Dad, this is delicious!"

Seeing this, Li Ermao picked up a piece of pork stomach and said to Li Qingzhi, "Dad, this one is delicious too."

"Damao and Ermao are really good kids!" Li Qingzhi praised them, then gave them some fish from his own bowl, making sure to remove the bones first.

The family ate happily together, but Wu Baichuan didn't quite like this person.

According to what Hong Hui said, he had a grudge against Jin Xiaoye's husband, which was why he was targeting Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye's husband was perfectly fine, so why would he offend Hong Hui? He ruined the good business opportunity for her!

And also… the rest of the family was dressed in coarse cloth clothes, but this person's clothes were of particularly good quality. He let his wife make money to support him, which was not good!

Wu Baichuan didn't like such scholars.

After finishing his noodles, Wu Baichuan left.

He was indeed a bit busy recently, but the matters of the association didn't concern him much. He was mainly busy with building relations with Zhu Qian.

He had to prepare the gift he would give to Zhu Qian tomorrow, as well as the gift for County Magistrate Gou, so that he could ask Zhu Qian to give it to County Magistrate Gou.

As Wu Baichuan left, Li Qingzhi frowned at his back.

He could feel that Wu Baichuan was a little uneasy when facing Jin Xiaoye.

Why would Wu Baichuan be uneasy? What did he want to do?

Li Qingzhi didn't show it, but he had made up his mind to ask Wu Baichuan tomorrow.

As for why tomorrow… of course, it was to leverage County Magistrate Gou's authority.

Li Qingzhi didn't let Zhu Qian help Jin Xiaoye because he hoped that Jin Xiaoye's business could thrive on her own efforts, rather than relying on various conveniences given by others.

But if Jin Xiaoye really encountered problems, he would definitely help her solve them.

Today, Li Qingzhi was going to school, so he specifically wore the expensive clothes that Zhu Xunmiao had given him.

When he arrived at the school, he went straight to find Li Xiucai and asked him various questions.

Li Xiucai had a very high opinion of Li Qingzhi and taught him wholeheartedly. Li Qingzhi benefited greatly from his teaching.

He planned to come to Li Xiucai's school for two months after the new year, just to make a last-ditch effort to ensure that he would be successful in the county examination, the imperial examination, and the palace examination.

The day passed like this, and early the next morning, Li Qingzhi put on the expensive clothes again and went to the county seat.

This time, he didn't go to Zhu's house but went straight to the county office to see County Magistrate Gou.

Having not seen Li Qingzhi for more than ten days, County Magistrate Gou was particularly enthusiastic, chatting with Li Qingzhi for quite some time. He also mentioned that he had already identified a good location for building the wharf.

Zhu Qian had a large piece of land to the west of Chongcheng County, and he was willing to donate half of it to County Magistrate Gou to build the wharf.

Li Qingzhi secretly gave Zhu Qian a thumbs-up.

What Zhu Qian did was beneficial to County Magistrate Gou, saving him a large sum of money, and also greatly beneficial to himself.

He only donated half of the land, and the other half was still in his hands!

Once the dock is built, that piece of land will definitely increase greatly in value.

There are hardly any unclaimed lands near Chongcheng County, but not all lands have been cultivated. The large piece of land bought by Zhu Qian is wasteland, originally worthless, but it will be different in the future!

Li Qingzhi was particularly satisfied with the location of the dock chosen by County Magistrate Gou.

This dock will be built to the west of Chongcheng County. When it is built, Chongcheng County is likely to expand westward by about two miles, making Miaoqian Village even closer to the county seat.

Miaoqian Village is right to the west of Chongcheng County!

Li Qingzhi and County Magistrate Gou had been talking for a long time. It wasn't until noon that they set off together to the place where the merchants' association held its meetings.

The county seat of Chongcheng County is indeed a bit crowded, so this time the merchants' association chose to hold the meeting in a garden outside the city.

That garden belongs to a declining family in Chongcheng County, similar to the Hong family, but unlike the Hong family, they don't try hard to maintain their dignity. Not only do they plant fruit trees in the garden and sell the fruits every year, but they also rent out their garden to families who want to hold weddings or banquets, collecting rent to subsidize their living expenses.

The garden is very large and beautifully landscaped, so there are often people renting it out. This family relies on this income to make a living. Some families leave behind decorations like ribbons and artificial flowers after holding banquets, and they can make a small profit from it.

Every year, merchants in Chongcheng County need to pay a sum of money to the merchants' association, which is not short of money, so they rent this garden.

Early in the morning, Zhu Qian arrived at the garden.

He is not yet the president of the merchants' association, but there is a high probability that he will become the new president, so he came early to greet the guests.

The current president of the merchants' association, who has not yet retired, is very unhappy with Zhu Qian's behavior, but now everyone in the city thinks highly of County Magistrate Gou, and County Magistrate Gou has also gained control of real power… Zhu Qian is essentially the spokesman for County Magistrate Gou, so he has to yield.

So, in the garden, Zhu Qian was chatting and laughing with the merchants who had come over.

He still wore various gold ornaments, looking tacky, but no one mocked him, instead they all flattered him.

Wu Baichuan also arrived early. He seized the opportunity to come to Zhu Qian's side and greeted him.

Zhu Qian smiled and talked to Wu Baichuan, praising Wu Baichuan for his good taste, always able to find the most suitable goods.

Wu Baichuan was very happy to hear this. He had long noticed that Zhu Qian treated him well and must value him highly.

As noon approached, all the merchants from the merchants' association arrived, gathering together to drink tea and chat.

According to past practice, they would have a meal together and then start discussing business, but Zhu Qian had not yet invited them to sit down for the meal.

Wu Baichuan curiously asked the person beside him, "Why hasn't it started yet? Could it be that someone hasn't arrived?"

The person Wu Baichuan asked was well-informed and whispered to him, "I heard that the county magistrate is coming."

"County Magistrate is coming!" Wu Baichuan exclaimed in surprise.

"I asked around. Today, besides the re-election of the president, I heard there's another major announcement to be made!"

Another major announcement? Wu Baichuan was curious. Just at that moment, a servant rushed in and whispered something into Zhu Qian's ear.

Zhu Qian said, "The County Magistrate is here. I must go out to greet him, everyone…"

"We'll go too!" Everyone chimed in, following Zhu Qian outside. They saw two sedan chairs approaching from a distance.

These two sedan chairs were carried by two young and strong sedan bearers. When they arrived at the gate of the garden, the bearers carefully set down the sedan chairs, and then the people inside lifted the curtains and stepped out.

Wu Baichuan was squeezed behind the crowd, peeking through the gaps at the sedan chairs, feeling somewhat excited.

This was the first time he was so close to the County Magistrate!

Wu Baichuan's business was doing fine, but even with all his calculations, he only had one boat. When he went to the capital to do business, he had to go himself, so he never had the chance to meet the County Magistrate before.

Under the gaze of the merchants' association members, County Magistrate emerged from the first sedan chair, exchanging greetings with Zhu Qian and others with a smile.

Wu Baichuan had intended to go up and greet him too, but he froze, forgetting to push his way through to Zhu Qian.

He saw the husband of Jin Xiaoye getting down from the second sedan chair!

This was the first time Li Qingzhi had ever ridden in a sedan chair. In fact, riding in a sedan chair didn't feel good at all, it wasn't as stable as being on a boat.

But in Chongcheng County, riding in a sedan chair was a very prestigious thing to do. If it weren't for County Magistrate Gou, he wouldn't even have had the chance to ride in one.

Li Qingzhi followed County Magistrate Gou, greeting Zhu Qian, "Uncle Zhu."

"Nephew Li, long time no see!" Zhu Qian smiled and chatted with Li Qingzhi.

Wu Baichuan's mind was in turmoil.

What's going on? Not only did Jin Xiaoye's husband come over in the sedan chair with County Magistrate Gou, but he also had a good relationship with Zhu Qian?

Wasn't Jin Xiaoye just an ordinary country woman? What on earth was going on?

Wait a minute… Wu Baichuan suddenly remembered, Hong Hui had said that Jin Xiaoye's husband had offended him… It made sense. If Jin Xiaoye's husband were an ordinary person, how could he offend the young master of the Hong family?

But if he was someone close to County Magistrate Gou, then this matter would make sense!

County Magistrate Gou had a feud with Sun Juren, and he even had Zhang Yunquan thrown into prison. Hong Hui must definitely be unhappy with County Magistrate Gou, and he would definitely hate those close to County Magistrate Gou.

So, what did Hong Hui mean by making him break the contract? When Hong Hui first talked to him, he not only wanted him to break the contract but also wanted him to swallow the goods and not give the final payment to Jin Xiaoye…

Was Hong Hui deliberately trying to harm him?

Wu Baichuan hated Hong Hui for a moment. At the same time, he was relieved. He had met Jin Xiaoye's husband yesterday when he was eating noodles, and he had seen him again today.

The heavens were really blessing him!

He hadn't done anything yet. As long as he didn't speak, no one would know about the deal he had made with Hong Hui… This was really great!

Just as he was thinking this, Wu Baichuan met Li Qingzhi's gaze.

Li Qingzhi smiled at Wu Baichuan. He became more convinced that there was something wrong with Wu Baichuan.

Since County Magistrate Gou had arrived, they could start the meal.

Zhu Qian personally invited a chef from the restaurant to cook. The delicious food, prepared with great attention to detail, was already laid out. County Magistrate Gou was immediately seated at the head of the table.

Li Qingzhi, being brought by County Magistrate Gou, also had the honor of sitting beside him.

Li Qingzhi was very interested in the food on the table, but unfortunately, the others present were not focused on eating. Instead, they were raising their glasses and toasting all around.

Fortunately, no one dared to persuade County Magistrate Gou to drink, and consequently, no one approached him for a drink, which made him feel much more relaxed.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, County Magistrate Gou solemnly introduced Li Qingzhi, "This is Li Qingzhi, one of my juniors. He is very knowledgeable and has unlimited prospects."

County Magistrate Gou's words showed his closeness and admiration for Li Qingzhi. Seeing this, the merchants hastened to praise Li Qingzhi as well, showering him with all sorts of flattering words.

However, privately, they were puzzled and couldn't help but whisper to each other, "Who is this person?"

"Why haven't I seen him before?"

"Is he a local?"

…

After all, this was ancient times, and information traveled slowly. Plus, without deliberate promotion, these people didn't know about Li Qingzhi helping County Magistrate Gou write books.

But after hearing Li Qingzhi's name, someone remembered another incident, "This name… wasn't he the one who went to the Hong family banquet with Zhu Qian's son before and got his arm broken?"

It seems so!

Then this person must have had a good relationship with Zhu Qian all along!

As the people discussed, Wu Baichuan naturally heard everything. It was only now that he understood why Hong Hui wanted to deal with Li Qingzhi.

And… when Zhu Qian said he had a good eye for business before, was it because he had his eye on Jin Xiaoye's goods?

Just as he was thinking this, Wu Baichuan suddenly saw Li Qingzhi walking towards him, smiling and greeting him, "Shopkeeper Wu."

"Mr. Li." Wu Baichuan smiled back.

Li Qingzhi said, "I have something to ask Shopkeeper Wu. Could you step aside and talk to me for a moment?"

Wu Baichuan immediately said, "No problem."

It was quite cold outside, but the two of them still went out. Wu Baichuan was wondering what Li Qingzhi wanted to say to him, when he heard Li Qingzhi ask, "Shopkeeper Wu, did Hong Hui ask you to deal with my wife?"

Li Qingzhi had noticed something off about Wu Baichuan as soon as he saw him. Wu Baichuan might be trying to interfere with his business with Jin Xiaoye.

But Wu Baichuan felt a bit guilty… he hadn't initiated this.

After some thought, Li Qingzhi quickly identified the suspect.

He had always been cautious and had never offended anyone. Jin Xiaoye had even fewer enemies. Yao Zuming and Yao Zhenfu didn't like him, but they didn't have the ability to make Wu Baichuan do anything. That left only Hong Hui.

Hong Hui was a hypocrite, so it wasn't surprising that he would resort to underhanded tactics behind people's backs.

Wu Baichuan froze. He hadn't planned to reveal the things he had discussed with Hong Hui, but he hadn't expected Li Qingzhi to come up and expose the matter.

Taking a deep breath, Wu Baichuan looked at Li Qingzhi again and felt that Li Qingzhi was somewhat inscrutable.

Since it had already been exposed, there was no point in hiding anything. Wu Baichuan immediately said, "Mr. Li, I really didn't intend to do anything."

Since everything had been revealed… Wu Baichuan sighed and explained the several times Hong Hui had approached him before.

He knew that making excuses would only make people more dissatisfied, so after explaining, he just apologized, "Mr. Li, I'm really sorry. I'm a timid person who's afraid of trouble, so I agreed to break the contract with Hong Hui…"

Li Qingzhi knew that Wu Baichuan was not lying. From beginning to end, Wu Baichuan had no ill intentions toward him or Jin Xiaoye.

Having experienced too many betrayals and encountered too many people with ill intentions toward him, including some who wanted to kill him, compared to those people, Wu Baichuan's actions were really nothing.

Because of this, Li Qingzhi wasn't angry. His expression remained calm throughout.

Seeing Li Qingzhi's reaction, Wu Baichuan became even more uncertain.

This person not only guessed who was behind the mischief as soon as he approached, but even after hearing the whole story, he didn't show the slightest hint of anger!

A country scholar not only gained Zhu Qian's favor but also became a distinguished guest of County Magistrate Gou. This person's scheming must be deep, and his methods must be extraordinary!

It was quite cold today, but Wu Baichuan was sweating. He wiped his face with his sleeve and said, "Mr. Li, I'm in the wrong in this matter. If you have any requests, please feel free to ask…"

"I see… Then please hurry and take away the goods from Xiaoye's side. Also, regarding Hong Hui… keep an eye on him and don't let him harm Xiaoye." Li Qingzhi looked at Wu Baichuan.

Although he was now highly regarded by County Magistrate Gou, in reality, he was just an ordinary person without any official position. He couldn't do anything for Wu Baichuan.

Moreover, the mastermind of this matter was not Wu Baichuan but Hong Hui.

Li Qingzhi knew that Hong Hui disliked him, but he hadn't taken it seriously before, because in this world, most people, even if they dislike others, wouldn't actually do anything.

But now, Hong Hui was actually playing dirty tricks behind the scenes…

Wu Baichuan was nervous, preparing himself for various unreasonable demands from Li Qingzhi, but he didn't expect Li Qingzhi to only ask him to quickly take away the goods and keep an eye on Hong Hui.

He looked at Li Qingzhi in astonishment.

Li Qingzhi smiled at Wu Baichuan. "Shopkeeper Wu, I don't want Xiaoye to worry. Don't tell her about this matter, okay?"

"Okay, okay." Wu Baichuan hurriedly agreed.

"It's quite cold outside. Let's go back." Li Qingzhi suggested, leading the way back into the house.

Wu Baichuan quickly followed, feeling a bit dazed when he heard the noise inside. He felt uncertain in his heart.

At this moment, a merchant approached Li Qingzhi curiously and asked, "Mr. Li, do you know Old Wu?"

Li Qingzhi smiled and replied, "We have some acquaintances."

The man looked at Wu Baichuan enviously upon hearing this, and Wu Baichuan could only smile bitterly in his heart.

Li Qingzhi knew that if he mentioned that his wife had opened an embroidery workshop at this gathering, there would surely be a continuous stream of orders from Jin Xiaoye in the future. But these businessmen were placing orders with Jin Xiaoye out of respect for him, to please County Magistrate Gou, and they might even ask him for favors… This was not what he wanted.

Without saying much, Li Qingzhi returned to County Magistrate Gou's side.

As soon as he left, someone approached Wu Baichuan and asked how he knew Li Qingzhi.

Wu Baichuan dared not say much and vaguely mentioned that he knew Li Qingzhi's wife.

"Old Wu, you're not being fair!"

"Old Wu, we're all brothers, can't you give us a hint?"

"Old Wu…"

Wu Baichuan had been sweating profusely before, and now he felt a chill down his spine… What could he hint at? He was probably already resented!

After Li Qingzhi returned, he stayed by County Magistrate Gou's side and talked with the businessmen.

County Magistrate Gou couldn't speak the dialect of Chongcheng County, he could only understand it. When there were only a few people, it was fine, but when there were many people, he couldn't understand the intentions of these businessmen immediately. With Li Qingzhi by his side, he could help him deal with these businessmen.

Li Qingzhi had read the information of the businessmen attending the chamber of commerce on the way there, and Zhu Qian introduced them again after they arrived. Now he could call out the names of everyone present and knew what businesses they were in.

As a result, his conversations with people were always appropriate.

"Shopkeeper Li, the quality of your duck egg powder is well-known, and the County Magistrate even bought it for his wife."

"Shopkeeper Wang, I had a meal at your restaurant before, and the taste of the roasted chicken was truly outstanding!"

"Shopkeeper Zhou, the County Magistrate has always said that you are a kind person, and after making money, you don't forget to give back to the village by repairing bridges and roads."

These businessmen were all very moved when they heard these remarks, and they also felt that Li Qingzhi was extraordinary.

This person was really clever and tactful!

Li Qingzhi was unaware of others' evaluations of him. In his eyes, these people were no different from the elders in Miaoqian Village. As long as the conversation was over, it was fine.

He quite liked these people. In a short while, many of them had already invited him to dinner.

Of course, he wouldn't go. Given his current situation, it was better not to get too close to people.

After dinner, it was time for the election of the chamber of commerce chairman.

County Magistrate Gou was present… Zhu Qian wasn't surprised at all when he became the new chairman of the chamber of commerce.

The former chairman of the chamber of commerce was definitely unhappy, but he smiled and kept congratulating Zhu Qian.

After the election of the chamber of commerce chairman, County Magistrate Gou announced, "I came here specifically to share some good news with everyone. The dock in Chongcheng County is too small, so I plan to build a new dock to the west of the county!"

County Magistrate Gou didn't mention asking the businessmen to donate money. He only stated that he would have laborers build a new dock to the west of the county.

Upon hearing his words, the businessmen present were extremely excited, and some couldn't help but whisper to each other.

Li Qingzhi understood their excitement.

Chongcheng County was wealthy, but the county town was so small… Even if these businessmen wanted to expand their businesses, they couldn't do it.

But if another dock was built, there would definitely be many more opportunities.

County Magistrate Gou talked a lot about the benefits of building a dock for Chongcheng County and for these businessmen. After finishing, he left with Li Qingzhi.

The matter of donating money didn't need to be mentioned by County Magistrate Gou. They had already discussed it with Zhu Qian. Zhu Qian would donate land and money, and then County Magistrate Gou would propose to erect a monument on the dock to thank Zhu Qian. At that time, others would surely also want to donate money.

Who wouldn't want a good reputation?

Moreover, if everyone else donated money and had their names engraved on the stone monument, could one afford not to donate? That would be too embarrassing!

In Sister Wang's house in Chongcheng County:

The Chamber of Commerce in Chongcheng County was very distant for Sister Wang and Mrs. Xu. Mrs. Xu had never even heard of the existence of the chamber of commerce before, and Sister Wang only knew a little about it because her husband had mentioned it.

After learning that Li Qingzhi would accompany County Magistrate Gou today, Sister Wang couldn't help but envy, "Xiaoye, your husband is really something!"

"He's just going to see the excitement."

"We don't even have the chance to see the excitement!" Sister Wang smiled and teased Li Damao and Li Ermao, "Damao, Ermao, do you think your dad is amazing?"

Li Damao and Li Ermao nodded without hesitation, "Dad is the most amazing!"

Everyone present laughed.

While they were chatting, Li Qingzhi arrived.

After leaving the garden with County Magistrate Gou, Li Qingzhi didn't go to the county office but came directly to Jin Xiaoye's place.

As soon as he arrived, Sister Wang and the others immediately asked about the chamber of commerce.

Li Qingzhi then told them about the gathering, describing the venue, the food they ate, and who was present. Sister Wang and the others knew some of the well-known businessmen in Chongcheng County, so they asked about them. Li Qingzhi had read their information and could give a general idea.

When Wu Baichuan arrived, Li Qingzhi was talking about the manager of the porcelain shop, "Shopkeeper Zhou does look pretty good, but I'm not sure if his wife married him because of his looks."

Seeing Wu Baichuan, Li Qingzhi didn't continue and greeted him with a smile, "Shopkeeper Wu."

The gathering of businessmen ended after County Magistrate Gou left.

Wu Baichuan, despite being timid, was reliable when it came to getting things done. Realizing his mistake, he immediately began thinking of ways to rectify it and brought silver coins with him.

"Mr. Li," Wu Baichuan smiled at Li Qingzhi. The smile was particularly bright, but upon closer inspection, one could see a hint of stiffness in it.

Then, his eyes showed astonishment, as if he had seen something incomprehensible.

Li Qingzhi sat on the bamboo chair that Jin Xiaoye had specially bought for him, chatting with people while cutting fabric with scissors.

Some of the larger pieces of fabric could still be used for other things after being cut, such as the headbands Jin Xiaoye had sold before, which were made from scrap fabric.

Jin Xiaoye had someone make some "fabric samples" from wood, and Li Qingzhi would place the wood pieces on the fabric and cut along the edges of the wood to cut out the usable fabric.

This task was quite easy, so Li Qingzhi didn't stop Jin Xiaoye from doing it.

Beside Li Qingzhi, Zhao Xiaodou was also cutting fabric, while Li Damao and Li Ermao were helping them select the fabric to be cut.

Wu Baichuan was amazed. He never expected that Li Qingzhi, who was so skilled and deep-thinking, would be gossiping while cutting fabric.

Li Qingzhi's posture while sitting in the chair was particularly reminiscent of the two old ladies beside him.

Jin Xiaoye asked, "Shopkeeper Wu, are you here to inspect the goods after finishing your work?"

"Yes, I'm here to inspect the goods and deliver the final payment," Wu Baichuan replied, regaining his senses and looking at Jin Xiaoye, then couldn't help but glance at Li Qingzhi.

Li Qingzhi stood up and said, "Shopkeeper Wu, let me make you some tea. You can inspect the goods with Xiaoye."

"No need, no need, I'm not thirsty," Wu Baichuan hurriedly declined.

But Li Qingzhi still went to make tea. Wu Baichuan couldn't figure out what Li Qingzhi was thinking and could only follow Jin Xiaoye to inspect the goods.

Jin Xiaoye was very meticulous in her work, and the quality of the goods she prepared was impeccable.

The more Wu Baichuan looked, the more satisfied he became. However, he couldn't help but observe Li Qingzhi while inspecting the goods.

After Li Qingzhi made tea for him, he went back to cutting fabric. This person was truly extraordinary…

"Shopkeeper Jin, the goods you prepared are flawless!"

"You are really meticulous!"

"Shopkeeper Jin, you are an honest person."

Wu Baichuan kept praising Jin Xiaoye and then handed her a silver note, saying, "Shopkeeper Jin, this is the final payment. I'll have the goods moved out tomorrow!"

Jin Xiaoye glanced at the silver note, feeling a bit puzzled.

According to their agreement, Wu Baichuan would take away a batch of goods and then pay for them. But he hadn't taken away the goods yet and had already gave her the money?

However, since the money was already in front of her, she wouldn't refuse it!

After showing Wu Baichuan all the goods, Jin Xiaoye sent him off.

The business with Wu Baichuan was negotiated by Jin Xiaoye, and Sister Wang and the others were not familiar with Wu Baichuan. They usually didn't interact with strangers, especially men… When Wu Baichuan was there, Sister Wang and the others didn't speak, they just focused on their own tasks.

After Wu Baichuan left, they gathered around Jin Xiaoye: "Xiaoye, Mr. Wu seems like a good person!"

"Xiaoye, how much money did Mr. Wu give?"

"Xiaoye, is he coming to pick up the goods tomorrow?"

"Yes, Mr. Wu will come to pick up the goods tomorrow. Once he takes the goods, I'll go to the money exchange to get the money and pay your wages!" Jin Xiaoye replied.

Hearing this, Sister Wang was particularly happy.

She had lent some money to Jin Xiaoye, and now that Jin Xiaoye had received the money, she would definitely repay her debt. Additionally, she had done a lot of work and would receive a substantial amount of pay!

Sister Wang calculated that she would probably earn two taels of silver, and her daughter would also earn two taels. She had also loaned her house to Jin Xiaoye, who promised to pay three taels of silver in rent.

That was a month's worth of money!

Mrs. Xu had done more work than Sister Wang, so she was also happy. This month, she had earned more than three taels in wages alone.

Only Fang Jinniang seemed a little worried. Her mother would definitely find out about Jin Xiaoye paying their wages, and there might be trouble…

It was getting late. After Wu Baichuan left, Jin Xiaoye and Li Qingzhi took the three children home.

On the way back, Jin Xiaoye asked Li Qingzhi, "Ah Qing, did Mr. Wu suddenly change his attitude because he saw you at the Chamber of Commerce?"

"Yes," Li Qingzhi smiled.

"He was unusually polite, and in such a hurry… What's going on?" Jin Xiaoye was puzzled. It was normal for Mr. Wu's attitude to improve upon knowing Li Qingzhi was acquainted with the County Magistrate, but being in such a hurry to pay and pick up the goods seemed odd.

"I talked to him and asked him to hurry up and take the goods," Li Qingzhi explained.

"Why?" Jin Xiaoye asked.

Li Qingzhi coughed lightly. "Xiaoye, haven't you forgotten our agreement from a few days ago?" Jin Xiaoye had said that when the business went well, she would let him do something.

Jin Xiaoye suddenly remembered this and glared at Li Qingzhi with her bright eyes, causing Li Qingzhi's heart to beat faster.

When they returned to Miaoqian Village, Li Laogen had already prepared dinner.

Li Qingzhi now gave Li Laogen five cents of pocket money every day, and he would also give him some extra money to buy meat and tofu to bring home.

Li Laogen's cooking skills were not great, but at least he could cook, and no one complained.

Jin Xiaoye's behavior outside was similar to usual, but when they returned to the room they slept in at night…

Jin Xiaoye suddenly hugged Li Qingzhi around the waist, lifted him off the ground, and spun around.

Li Qingzhi: "!"

Jin Xiaoye didn't have extraordinary strength, but she was used to farm work, so she effortlessly lifted Li Qingzhi.

After spinning a few times, Jin Xiaoye put Li Qingzhi down. "Ah Qing, I'm so happy!"

Li Qingzhi asked, "Did you earn a lot of money?"

Jin Xiaoye nodded happily. "Yes, after paying the wages, I can still earn twenty taels of silver. And I haven't even calculated the money from those scrap cloth pieces!"

Compared to the silver Li Qingzhi brought home, the twenty taels Jin Xiaoye earned didn't seem like much.

Moreover, this was a large order she had taken, and she might not earn as much in the future.

But this was what she earned herself!

Six months ago, she couldn't have imagined earning twenty taels of silver in a month.

Li Qingzhi touched Jin Xiaoye's hair.

In reality, Jin Xiaoye's twenty taels of silver were not easy to earn. She invested a lot of capital, enlisted many people to help with the work, and exerted a lot of mental and physical effort overseeing everything.

But this was a very good start.

However… when he recovered, it would be him carrying Jin Xiaoye, not the other way around!

Li Qingzhi tried to use his abilities to stimulate muscle growth as he slept at night.

Someday, he would have the perfect physique!

Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye slept together affectionately, but in the Wu family, Wu Baichuan couldn't sleep at all.

After visiting Jin Xiaoye earlier that day, he immediately summoned the steward of his household upon returning home and instructed him to find someone well-informed to inquire about news regarding Hong Hui.

Not only that, he also selected three servants from his own household and instructed them to take turns guarding near Sister Wang's house, ensuring the safety of the goods and Jin Xiaoye's group.

Taking someone's life was a serious matter, and while Hong Hui might not dare to kill, he might resort to other sinister methods. Wu Baichuan had to keep an eye on him.

After arranging these matters, Wu Baichuan felt somewhat relieved.

Zhang Yunquan and the people under him had all been arrested, and the public security in Chongcheng County had been particularly good recently, so the probability of incidents occurring was low.

The next day, Jin Xiaoye set off early. On the way to the county town, she boasted to Jin Xiaoshu, "Xiaoshu, after completing this order with Mr. Wu, I can earn ten taels of silver!"

In reality, she could earn over twenty taels, but she intentionally understated it.

She would say the same thing in front of Wang Jie and the others.

"Sis, you're amazing!" Jin Xiaoshu looked at her with admiration. He earned quite a bit himself now, but at the end of the month, he only earned about one or two taels of silver. His sister was truly remarkable.

Thinking about this, Jin Xiaoshu asked, "Sis, how much do the people working for you earn?"

There was nothing to hide. Women who worked for her calculated their earnings based on the pieces they made, so they could roughly estimate how much others earned. Jin Xiaoye replied, "Mrs. Xu earns the most, over three taels, and Wang Jie earns about two."

"What about Fang Jinniang?" Jin Xiaoshu asked.

"She also earns about two taels." Fang Jinniang worked more diligently than Wang Jie, but once she sat down, she could stay still for the whole afternoon.

But Fang Jinniang's eyesight wasn't good, so she didn't do as much work.

After hearing this, Jin Xiaoshu looked somewhat worried. "They… they all earn more than me."

Jin Xiaoye said, "They have a set amount of work they can do in a month, so it's not possible for them to earn significantly more. But you're different. If you work harder to sell more things, you might earn five or ten taels in a month."

Jin Xiaoshu nodded, planning to work even harder to sell things tomorrow.

Jin Xiaoye was particularly busy that day. Early in the morning, Wu Baichuan sent people to load the goods from her place, and it took the whole morning to load them.

By the afternoon, the women who had worked for her came to collect their pay.

Jin Xiaoye used pen and paper, along with an abacus, to calculate and distribute their wages one by one, without any time to rest.

Li Qingzhi didn't go to the county town that day; instead, he stayed at home writing.

He was a person who clearly distinguished between gratitude and grudges. Although he didn't like Hong Hui before, he didn't plan to do anything about it. But this time was different.

He happened to be writing the story of how Guo, the magistrate of Guo County, eradicated Zhang Yunquan. Hong Hui could be given a name for it.

Hong Hui was Sun's student, and Zhang Yunquan even wanted to marry his daughter to him… Tsk tsk!

As Li Qingzhi wrote down the two words "Hong Hui" on the paper, Hong Hui was fuming.

What Wu Baichuan had thought was correct. Hong Hui's plans to deal with Jin Xiaoye went beyond just getting Wu Baichuan to break the agreement.

When he initially contacted Wu Baichuan, he wanted him to destroy the goods and then not pay Jin Xiaoye, causing her to suffer heavy losses.

But Wu Baichuan was unwilling… he only made Wu Baichuan break the agreement.

Initially, Wu Baichuan had discussed with Jin Xiaoye that once she had prepared a portion of the goods, he would take them away and give her a certain amount of money.

If they really did that, Hong Hui wouldn't be able to destroy all the goods.

So he told Wu Baichuan not to pick up the goods, and then… he planned to contact Zhang Yunquan's people after Jin Xiaoye had prepared all the goods and have them destroy the goods.

There was no need for arson or anything like that; just pouring dye onto the goods would ruin them!

However, he had just planned this when Zhang Yunquan got into trouble… Fortunately, he could still get it done with a subordinate from his family.

But he hadn't done anything yet, and Wu Baichuan unexpectedly took away all the goods?

Hearing this news, Hong Hui was furious.

He had already bought the dye and planned to have his subordinates break into Sister Wang's house in two days and destroy the goods.

He even thought about adding some excrement besides the dye.

But now… Jin Xiaoye had already made her money!

Hong Hui knew why Wu Baichuan had done this. This opportunist definitely wanted to please Magistrate Guo, and Magistrate Guo valued Li Qingzhi highly.

It was ridiculous how the people of Chongcheng County thought Magistrate Guo was a good official. They placed so much importance on Li Qingzhi just because he praised him… Magistrate Guo was just a man who pursued personal gain and fame!

The recent days in the Hong family were extremely difficult, and to make matters worse, both Zhu Qian and Li Qingzhi were doing better and better… The more Hong Hui thought about it, the more he hated it.

Li Qingzhi was unaware of Hong Hui's thoughts.

He didn't write much that day, and when he saw that it was almost time, he began to cook.

He had Li Laogen buy two catties of pork belly to make braised pork.

Li Qingzhi's cooking skills weren't that great, and sugar was expensive… He didn't caramelize sugar but instead used soy sauce to make the braised pork, adding a little sugar, of course.

Without MSG at this time, adding some sugar could enhance the flavor.

In addition to the braised pork, Li Qingzhi also planned to make some other dishes. After all… today was his wedding night.

After making braised pork, Li Qingzhi washed the pot with dried loofah, then used it to render pork fat.

He saved some of the rendered pork fat and used the rest to fry a few eggs.

After frying the eggs, he used the leftover pork fat to stir-fry a plate of vegetables and made a seaweed tofu soup.

Since it was quite cold outside, and they used lard in cooking, which easily solidified, after finishing cooking, Li Qingzhi didn't remove the soup from the pot. Instead, he placed a steaming rack on top of the pot and arranged the cooked dishes on it, and covered it with the pot lid to keep it warm.

There were a bit too many dishes, and the steaming rack couldn't hold them all, so he also placed some on the steaming rack of another iron pot used for cooking rice.

"Ah Qing, what's the occasion today? Why did you make so many delicious dishes?" Li Laogen asked, swallowing his saliva.

Li Qingzhi replied, "Xiaoye has closed a big deal, so we're celebrating a bit."

"Oh, I see!" Li Laogen nodded as if he understood, then asked, "Ah Qing, did you know? I heard all the stories about the magistrate of Guo County at the teahouse. Those stories are really interesting. Have you heard them?"

Li Qingzhi smiled, "I wrote them."

Li Laogen didn't believe it at all, "Ah Qing, even if you want to brag, you shouldn't brag like this."

Li Qingzhi sighed inwardly. He wasn't bragging!

While Li Qingzhi was cooking, Li Laogen had been helping with the fire behind the stove. Now he was still squatting there, warming himself by the fire.

Li Qingzhi walked over and said, "Dad, move over a bit."

Their kitchen had two stoves and two fireplaces behind them, so two people could sit behind the stove.

Li Laogen made room for Li Qingzhi and began enthusiastically recounting the things he had encountered while drinking tea. He said with excitement, "Ah Qing, they all envy me for having a capable daughter-in-law…"

Li Qingzhi quite enjoyed hearing Li Laogen praise Jin Xiaoye. She was indeed very capable.

When Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu returned, Li Qingzhi immediately brought out the warm dishes.

"Brother-in-law, why did you make so many dishes?" Jin Xiaoshu was astonished.

"To celebrate your sister closing a big deal," Li Qingzhi replied.

"That's right, my sister made quite a bit of money this time," Jin Xiaoshu nodded.

Only then did Li Laogen remember to ask, "Did Xiaoye make a lot of money this time? How much?"

"She made about seven or eight taels, but I told everyone she made ten taels," Jin Xiaoye said.

Li Laogen looked at Jin Xiaoye in shock for a moment, then immediately turned to Li Qingzhi and said, "Ah Qing, since Xiaoye made so much money, we should celebrate for a few more days! You should cook tomorrow as well!"

Li Qingzhi: "…"

Everyone enjoyed the meal immensely.

Li Laogen exclaimed, "Ah Qing, the dishes you made are even more delicious than those made by the chef at the Zhu family. They're truly delicious!"

Li Qingzhi knew that his culinary skills couldn't compare to those of the chef at the Zhu family, but impoverished people like them had grown up eating everything and often had less refined taste buds, so they couldn't discern subtle differences.

Passing a piece of meat to Jin Xiaoye, Li Qingzhi said, "Xiaoye, have some more."

Jin Xiaoye glared at Li Qingzhi again.

After dinner, Li Qingzhi went to boil water. He used both stoves and boiled two pots of water.

Since it was cold outside, he didn't bathe frequently, but today he definitely needed to wash up.

After boiling the water, Li Qingzhi removed the unburnt firewood from the stove, placed it in a clay basin, and carried it into the bathing area along with two buckets of hot water.

Hmm, it was a bit heavy.

Seeing this, Jin Xiaoye carried both buckets of water into the bathing area.

Li Qingzhi: "…"

Li Laogen, who saw this, chuckled, "Ah Qing, you're too weak, even compared to Xiaoye. Hehe!"

Then he added, "In the dead of winter, you're using so much firewood to heat water for bathing… Even the landlords wouldn't do that, right? I never expected to live such a life…"

"Do you want to bathe, Dad? Tomorrow I'll heat water for you and Damao and Ermao to bathe," Li Qingzhi asked.

Li Laogen didn't hesitate, "I do!" He actually didn't want to bathe, but if he bathed with so much water in the dead of winter, he could boast about it!

"In that case, I'll heat water for you tomorrow… Dad, you should go back to your room now," Li Qingzhi started ushering him away.

Li Laogen didn't mind and happily left.

After Li Laogen left, Li Qingzhi placed some straw in the clay basin, lit a fire, and added the two buckets of hot water, creating a lot of steam…

The narrow bathing area instantly warmed up.

Li Qingzhi looked at Jin Xiaoye and asked, "Shall we bathe together?"

Jin Xiaoye glared at him again but didn't object.

Unfortunately, their bath together wasn't romantic at all. There was no choice; it was too cold that day, so they had to be quick and efficient, washing themselves as fast as they could.

When they returned to the bedroom and crawled under the covers, Jin Xiaoye couldn't help but say, "It's so cold!"

Li Qingzhi hugged her and said, "Xiaoye, let me warm you up…"

Li Qingzhi liked lively human beings. It felt like he was the only one alive in the whole world, which was truly terrible.

But he had experienced the end of the world, so it was hard for him to trust the people around him.

So, what he liked the most were the people who belonged to him.

Like Li Damao and Li Ermao, they were his sons. In this era where filial piety governed the country, they would probably respect and honor him for their entire lives. How wonderful!

Then there was Jin Xiaoye. She was his wife, a girl who clearly distinguished right from wrong. In the current social context, as long as he treated Jin Xiaoye well and didn't betray her, she would treat him well and definitely wouldn't betray him.

That was exactly what he longed for.

Today, Li Qingzhi was acutely aware that Jin Xiaoye belonged to him completely and unequivocally.

He would do everything in his power to treat Jin Xiaoye well and love her. He believed that Jin Xiaoye would never leave him.

The original host's father treated the original host's mother very well. Consequently, after the father got into trouble, the mother prepared to die with him.

Having someone who would be with him forever was absolutely the most beautiful thing in the world.

Li Qingzhi hugged Jin Xiaoye tightly, unwilling to let go.

When he was with Li Damao and Li Ermao before, he always wanted to kiss and hug them. Skin contact brought him great satisfaction.

Now he suffered from severe skin hunger, craving human contact.

However, Li Damao and Li Ermao were his sons. He could kiss and hug them, but he couldn't do more. Jin Xiaoye was different!

Jin Xiaoye was his wife!

They could be intimate and have maximum skin contact!

Li Qingzhi persistently prevented Jin Xiaoye from putting on clothes.

Jin Xiaoye: "…"

Li Qingzhi was being too clingy!

Well, let Li Qingzhi be as he pleased.

After a busy day and another round of antics with Li Qingzhi at night, Jin Xiaoye felt exhausted and quickly fell asleep.

However, she was awakened in the middle of the night.

Was there no end to this? Jin Xiaoye trapped Li Qingzhi in her arms. "Go to sleep!"

If he moved again, she would get angry!

Li Qingzhi: "…"

Well, this was also good. It provided a large area of skin contact.

The next day, Li Qingzhi woke up in a particularly good mood. Seizing the opportunity, he wanted to touch Jin Xiaoye.

She was his wife, after all!

Li Qingzhi looked at Jin Xiaoye. "Xiaoye, I'll go with you to the county town today and help you with the accounts."

"Okay!" Jin Xiaoye readily agreed. She still had a lot of wages to calculate, and having Li Qingzhi's help would be even better.

So, Li Qingzhi took the three children and followed Jin Xiaoye to Sister Wang's place again.

Jin Xiaoye earned over twenty taels of silver by doing business with Wu Baichuan, but that wasn't her only business.

During the previous month, her goods were still being sold in the clothing stores in the county town, and some itinerant merchants would also buy goods from her, although not in large quantities.

These miscellaneous small businesses also brought her some income. On average, she could earn five or six dollars a day.

Wu Baichuan demanded a large quantity of goods at a low price, so if you calculated the profit per item, selling to others would actually yield more profit. Therefore, this month, Jin Xiaoye could probably earn around forty taels of silver altogether.

Of course, only the two of them knew about this. To outsiders, Jin Xiaoye only said that she earned fifteen or sixteen taels of silver a month.

To those around them, Jin Xiaoye's achievements were already remarkable.

Jin Xiaoshu thought Jin Xiaoye was amazing and even contemplated selling more goods to earn more money.

Seeing this, Li Qingzhi said to Jin Xiaoshu, "Xiaoshu, I have a way for you to make money."

"What way, brother-in-law?" Jin Xiaoshu asked curiously.

Li Qingzhi explained, "Xiaoshu, you can take the goods made by Xiaoye to solicit orders. Once you bring in orders, Xiaoye can give you a commission."

Li Qingzhi believed Jin Xiaoshu could be a good salesperson, bringing in orders and earning a commission.

"Can it really work like this?" Jin Xiaoshu couldn't help but ask.

But Jin Xiaoye immediately responded, "This idea is great! I can also tell some well-connected people about this. If they help me bring in orders, I can give them money too!"

With more experience, Jin Xiaoye felt emboldened to be more daring.

She had some other ideas too. Since it was almost New Year's, she could make some red sachets and ornaments to sell. Surely, people would be willing to buy them for the New Year celebrations.

Of course, Jin Xiaoye doesn't have time to implement her new ideas now.

After arriving at Sister Wang's place, she was immediately surrounded by the women who hadn't received their wages yet.

Li Qingzhi stood by Jin Xiaoye's side, holding her hand. "Everyone, let me calculate your wages."

These women were too close to Jin Xiaoye, which he didn't particularly like.

Jin Xiaoye had someone move the Eight Immortals table used for dining to the doorway. Li Qingzhi then sat on the side facing the door and began calculating the wages for those who came to collect.

His body was recovering slowly mainly because he had been using his ability to develop his brain.

Li Qingzhi now utilized his brain far more efficiently than others, and he could calculate at lightning-fast speed. He didn't even need an abacus; he could just glance at the figures and calculate the results.

The women who came to collect their wages were stunned to see this. Many of them had calculated their wages themselves before and had fixed amounts they received each day, so they knew how much they could earn.

Li Qingzhi's calculations were all correct!

Were all scholars this impressive?

The women collecting their wages looked at Jin Xiaoye enviously. "Xiaoye, your husband calculates wages really fast!"

Jin Xiaoye also thought Li Qingzhi's calculations were particularly quick and impressive, looking at him with shining eyes.

Li Qingzhi felt a bit frustrated.

Jin Xiaoye's appearance was too adorable, and he couldn't help but want to hug her and kiss her. Unfortunately, they were at someone else's house, and there were many people around. He couldn't do anything.

After finishing one person's wages, Li Qingzhi stretched his muscles and then reached over to Jin Xiaoye's side, where no one could see, and touched her hand.

After touching her, he continued writing with a contented expression.

Jin Xiaoye: "…"

What was wrong with Li Qingzhi? Why did he like touching her so much?

But of course, she also quite liked it.

She could clearly feel that Li Qingzhi liked her!

Who wouldn't want someone to like them?

After calculating for the morning, most of the women had already received their wages. Li Qingzhi looked at Jin Xiaoye and said, "Xiaoye, let's go eat."

Before they came, they had agreed to eat at a restaurant today. Li Qingzhi had also informed Li Laogen and Jin Xiaoshu, saying that Li Laogen would wait on Jin Xiaoshu's boat after drinking tea in the morning.

Li Qingzhi chose an affordable restaurant and ordered some dishes they normally wouldn't eat.

Mainly fried foods.

For example, the restaurant's signature dish, sweet and sour fish… after cleaning the perch, it was deep-fried and then cooked in sweet and sour sauce. The taste was amazing!

Li Qingzhi didn't order many dishes, and they ate in the restaurant's lobby, which was inconspicuous to the people in the county.

But Jin Liushu, who was working in the county, was shocked when he saw them.

The news of Jin Xiaoye making money from her business had already spread far and wide, but many people in Miaoqian Village didn't believe it.

Li Laogen was a braggart, and his words always needed to be taken with a grain of salt.

They thought Jin Xiaoye could earn some money, but not too much. She was just a country girl, and earning one or two taels of silver a month was already considered good. How could she earn several taels in a month?

But today… Jin Xiaoye and the others were actually eating at a restaurant!

Jin Liushu took a few more glances and quickly left.

Li Qingzhi glanced in the direction Jin Liushu had left.

He sensed someone was watching them, but the person didn't seem malicious. Eating a meal wasn't something to be ashamed of… so Li Qingzhi ignored it.

Putting the last piece of fish into Jin Xiaoye's bowl, Li Qingzhi pretended to accidentally touch Jin Xiaoye's hand.

Jin Xiaoye: "…"

After finishing their meal, they returned to Sister Wang's house. Li Laogen walked back to Miaoqian Village by himself, while Jin Xiaoshu planned to return to the boat to continue punting.

Jin Xiaoshu remembered that when he and his sister rented the boat, they had once dreamed of going to a restaurant together in the future.

He didn't expect that just a few months later, their dream would come true!

He walked forward happily, even couldn't resist bouncing a few times.

But soon he stopped and stiffened, looking ahead.

He saw Fang Jinniang!

Fang Jinniang was still the same, leisurely walking towards him, her misty eyes fixed on him.

The stone path was narrow, only five feet wide, and they would soon pass each other.

Jin Xiaoshu was so nervous that he wanted to turn around and run away, but he felt that it would be too cowardly. Wait, he had just bounced a few times, and Fang Jinniang should have seen it, right? What would she think?

Jin Xiaoshu was extremely anxious, but in the end, he stood frozen in place, not moving at all.

He stared straight at Fang Jinniang, waiting for her judgment.

Then… Fang Jinniang walked past him without even glancing at him, her expression unchanged from start to finish.

Jin Xiaoshu was dumbfounded. After Fang Jinniang had walked a distance, he turned his head to look at her.

His fairy was still so beautiful, but… she didn't plan to acknowledge him.

Did Fang Jinniang not like him? What should he do then? The sixteen-year-old boy felt like he had just experienced heartbreak, and he was overwhelmed with sadness.

In the evening, when they returned home, Li Qingzhi noticed that Jin Xiaoshu seemed a bit gloomy.

"Xiaoshu, is something bothering you?" Li Qingzhi asked.

"I'm fine, brother-in-law." Jin Xiaoshu smiled at Li Qingzhi, but it was obvious that the smile was forced.

Li Qingzhi: "…" Still saying it's nothing?

Although Jin Xiaoshu didn't notice Li Qingzhi's concern, Jin Xiaoye realized that something was wrong. "Xiaoshu, what's really going on?"

But Jin Xiaoshu still refused to say, insisting that he was fine.

Jin Xiaoye couldn't help but speculate, "Did you have a falling out with the girl you like?"

Jin Xiaoshu looked at Jin Xiaoye in shock. "Sis, how did you know I liked a girl?"

"I could tell." Jin Xiaoye said, then glanced at Li Qingzhi. It wasn't her who figured it out; Li Qingzhi had told her.

Jin Xiaoshu felt a bit aggrieved. "Sis, she doesn't like me."

"Why?" Jin Xiaoye asked.

"She comes from a well-off family, and I'm not worthy of her in the first place…" Jin Xiaoshu suspected that Fang Jinniang didn't want to talk to him because she saw him bouncing around in the street.

She probably didn't like kids.

Why couldn't he control himself and bounce around in the street like that?

When Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye asked again, Jin Xiaoshu looked dejected but refused to say anything.

Seeing his expression, Jin Xiaoye didn't press further. Falling in love at sixteen and not being able to make it work… it was such a common occurrence.

Li Qingzhi, however, felt a bit sympathetic towards Jin Xiaoshu. Their relationship with Jin Xiaoye had taken a big step forward, but Jin Xiaoshu had just experienced heartbreak… the poor kid.

As for the three children on the boat with them… they hadn't listened to the adults' conversation at all, whispering and murmuring to themselves, seemingly oblivious to everything.

Li Qingzhi glanced at Jin Xiaoye, then felt like holding her hand again.

Since there were no outsiders around… Li Qingzhi held Jin Xiaoye's hand, feeling unsatisfied after holding it and even gave her a kiss.

Jin Xiaoshu was feeling heartbroken, and when he turned his head, he saw his brother-in-law kissing his sister, which made him even more upset.

He felt like he shouldn't stay here and should leave the boat immediately.

After Li Qingzhi held Jin Xiaoye's hand, he didn't let go again.

After arriving in Daqi, Li Qingzhi discovered that the customs and attitudes varied greatly from place to place in this era.

Compared to the county where the original owner lived, Chongcheng County had a relatively open-minded culture. It was common to see women baring their arms during the summer.

However, within Chongcheng County, there were distinctions between different social groups. People in the county town paid more attention to etiquette, and some young ladies from affluent families hardly ever left their homes.

It was a different story in the countryside. The vulgar language and behavior of some villagers in Miaoqian Village astounded Li Qingzhi.

Moreover, it wasn't just men who spoke in such a manner; even older women had quite a coarse way of speaking.

In Miaoqian Village, there were even married men and women who still had extramarital affairs. For instance, there was one man in the neighboring house, Yao Zhenfu, who had a mistress. Li Qingzhi even witnessed a scene where a man was beaten by his wife's lover, climbed onto the roof, and cried. Yet, life went on as usual afterward, and the man's wife wasn't punished.

However, at the same time, practices such as the "dunking stool" did exist among some prominent families. They had various strict requirements for women.

But these things had nothing to do with ordinary villagers in Miaoqian Village. These people had never received an education and didn't hold onto feudalistic values.

In such a village, it was perfectly normal for a married couple to hold hands. Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye walked hand in hand towards the Li family's house. Along the way, people who saw them even praised their good relationship.

When they arrived at the Li family's house…

Many people were sitting in the main hall, listening to Li Laogen speak. Upon seeing them return, someone immediately asked, "Jin Xiaoye, did you really earn ten taels of silver in a month?"

"Jin Xiaoye, what were you doing in the county town? How did you earn so much?"

"Xiaoye, can I do this business too? Can you teach me?"

…

These people didn't even notice that Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye were holding hands. They were all eager to know how Jin Xiaoye had made her money.

Without a doubt, Li Laogen had spread the news about Jin Xiaoye's earnings.

Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye had been prepared to tell Li Laogen about this, but they hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly.

However, since Jin Xiaoye's business was something that the villagers would eventually find out about, it didn't matter much.

Jin Xiaoye replied, "I haven't done anything special. Some bosses wanted someone to do needlework for them, so I helped find some embroiderers and made a little money. For example, Shopkeeper Wu, wanted to buy some gloves to sell in the capital, so I found someone to make them for him. If you want to do this business, you can, but you need the shopkeeper's trust."

Jin Xiaoye downplayed her business as if she were just helping out with odd jobs.

The villagers believed her when they heard this, and they all asked, "Xiaoye, can we help with the needlework?"

"I can embroider flowers, so I can do it for the Li family."

"Xiaoye, how did you meet these shopkeepers?"

…

Jin Xiaoye said, "The work that these shopkeepers want is very intricate and difficult."

"If you want to do it, I can bring some back for you to try."

"I got to know these shopkeepers by going to different shops in the county town."

…

Jin Xiaoye had never asked the villagers to help with the needlework before because there weren't many skilled needleworkers in the village.

The people in Miaoqian Village lived modestly, and the women didn't have much fabric or thread to practice their needlework skills, so naturally, their skills were not very good.

If she had initially asked the women of the Miaoqian Village to help her with things, the end result might have all been inferior goods.

Take, for example, the person who claimed to be skilled at embroidery… Jin Xiaoye remembered that the other party's needlework couldn't even compare to hers.

But they were still fellow villagers. She could bring back some simple tasks next time and let them do them.

"Xiaoye, you're really amazing."

"You've been clever since you were little. I've known for a long time that you're someone who can accomplish big things!"

"Xiaoye, I'm your aunt. If you have any work on your side, don't forget to give me some."

…

Jin Xiaoye was surrounded by people, and Li Qingzhi, who insisted on not letting go of her hand, was also surrounded.

But today, not many people pay attention to him. Occasionally, when someone's gaze fell on him, it was only envy.

In addition, many people were surrounding Jin Xiaoshu: "Xiaoshu, you're not young anymore, it's time to get married. There's a niece on my mother's side…"

"How ugly is your niece! Xiaoshu, my Ali is so beautiful, and she grew up with you…"

"Xiaoshu, what kind of wife do you want? Your aunt will introduce you to one."

…

Jin Xiaoshu, who had just experienced a breakup: "…"

In Miaoqian Village, Jin Xiaoshu was definitely a high-quality unmarried young man.

The Jin family conditions were good, he was the only son without brothers to divide the family property, his father was skilled in cooking, and his mother was known for her good temper…

Now, his sister Jin Xiaoye could also support him!

And Jin Xiaoshu himself… Mr. Yao had thought before that Jin Xiaoshu was diligent and capable, wanting to take him as an apprentice. Others also had such an impression of Jin Xiaoshu.

Now Jin Xiaoshu even rented a boat for business… Although he said he didn't earn much money, he could still make a few hundred wen a month, right? That's already very good!

Actually, the villagers had long been itching to propose marriage to Jin Xiaoshu. Some people had even mentioned it to Jin Dajiang, but Jin Dajiang thought Jin Xiaoshu was still young and planned to wait a while longer. Jin Xiaoshu was indeed not very old yet, still a young boy, so the villagers were not in a hurry.

But now, with Jin Xiaoye earning so much…

Those with eligible daughters at home all wanted to marry their daughters to Jin Xiaoshu.

Jin Xiaoshu was at a loss, and in the end, Li Qingzhi spoke up, "Everyone, our family is going to have dinner."

Li Qingzhi liked the people in the village very much, but he had his limits.

He couldn't let these people disturb their family's meal!

They went to the restaurant for lunch, and today's dinner was relatively simple, with minced meat and steamed eggs as the main dish.

This dish only required the right amount of salt, which was very suitable for Li Laogen to make, but Li Laogen still made it casually—he didn't even mince the meat properly; it should be called diced meat.

Li Laogen had been in a very good mood all along: "Xiaoye earns so much money, we'll be able to eat meat every day in the future. This is really an unexpected blessing! When I was young, I once saw Mr. Yao eating, there was a big bowl of white rice, and there was a piece of salted meat on top. At that time, I just wished I could have days like that, now I'm living better than him!"

Li Qingzhi said, "I never thought I could have such good days either."

During the apocalypse, he couldn't have imagined that he would be able to eat such delicious food!

He also didn't expect to have his own family and loved ones.

Thinking this way, Li Qingzhi changed to eating with his left hand and used his right hand to hold Jin Xiaoye's left hand.

Jin Xiaoshu, sitting across from him: "…" How did his brother-in-law suddenly become like this?

The atmosphere at home was very warm, but at this moment, someone knocked on the door.

Li Laogen especially liked having visitors, so he got up to open the door and saw Li Lao'er and Li Yaofeng.

Li Laogen used to be very afraid of his younger brothers.

And with his nephew, because if they didn't care for him, he would starve to death.

But now he wasn't afraid.

"It's the second brother; what are you here for?" Li Laogen glanced at Li Qingzhi, then straightened his chest and looked up at Li Lao'er.

Li Lao'er said, "Brother, your house is really big and beautiful."

Li Laogen smiled proudly at his words.

His house was indeed very big and beautiful! He even had his own room, unlike before, when he had to sleep with the family's sheep at his brother's house.

"Come in, my house is newly built, definitely good. Have you seen the dining table we use at our home? It was made by a carpenter from the county…" Li Laogen boasted.

When Jin Xiaoye was in confinement, his brother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit her and ended up taking away ten eggs that Jin Dajiang had brought.

Jin Xiaoye didn't do anything at the time, but after she finished confinement, she went to Li Lao'er's house and spread the word about it, saying that Li Lao'er's family were thieves. Since then, Li Lao'er's family has never visited them again.

Now that this person had finally come, he wanted to show off as much as possible!

Li Lao'er looked at Li Laogen with envy and suddenly said, "Brother, our family also wants to build a house. Could you lend us some money?"

Li Laogen's voice abruptly stopped.

Li Lao'er had a hint of embarrassment on his face at first, but after saying this, he felt relieved. Then, he looked at Jin Xiaoye again and said, "Xiaoye, you know how small our house is, especially now that Yaofeng's wife is pregnant again. We want to borrow some money from you to renovate the house…"

Jin Xiaoye replied, "Second Uncle, if your family wants to build a house, my family will definitely help, but borrowing money is out of the question. I don't have any money on hand."

"Xiaoye, didn't you earn ten taels of silver this month?" Li Lao'er asked.

"Where did you get ten taels? Altogether, it's only seven or eight taels. I used some to buy things for the family, made new clothes and quilts for them, and the money was spent." Jin Xiaoye made up her mind not to lend money to Li Lao'er.

If she had a good relationship with someone or had helped them in the past and they were in urgent need of money, she might lend some. But when she was in dire straits, Li Lao'er never helped her; instead, he wanted her to remarry and even tried to seize the two acres of land left by Li Qingzhi. Li Lao'er even stole her eggs when she was in confinement!

And not long ago, when their family was building the house, Li Yaofeng did indeed come to help, but he was lazy when working and always eager to eat during meal times.

Jin Xiaoye would usually address Li Lao'er as "Second Uncle" when she saw him, but lending money was out of the question.

If Li Lao'er's family wanted to build a house, Jin Xiaoye would at most let Li Laogen help; she never even ate a meal at Li Lao'er's, let alone owed him anything!

Li Qingzhi's family did indeed acquire a lot of things recently, and Li Laogen had been boasting about his new cotton-padded jackets, clothes, and shoes.

Li Lao'er didn't want to break ties with Jin Xiaoye, so he said, "Then… Xiaoye, can I borrow from you next month? I won't borrow much; just two taels of silver will be enough."

Just as Jin Xiaoye was about to refuse, Li Qingzhi interjected, "There won't be any next month; I'm going to study. The money Xiaoye earns is meant for my education."

Li Lao'er was stunned by his words.

Li Qingzhi continued, "I've always loved studying. Now that there's money at home, I'll definitely go to school. Xiaoye is doing business to earn money to support my education."

His education wouldn't cost much money, and he earned much more than Jin Xiaoye.

But to avoid people asking to borrow money… Li Qingzhi planned to find a reason.

Before Li Lao'er could speak, Li Yaofeng said, "You're already so old; why do you still want to study?"

Li Qingzhi replied, "Su Laoquan, at twenty-seven, started to exert himself and read books. Su Xun began to exert himself in studying at the age of twenty-seven, and I'm only twenty-three now, so it's not too late for me to go to school."

Li Lao'er and Li Yaofeng didn't understand, so Li Yaofeng asked, "What are you talking about? Who is Su Xun?"

It was Jin Xiaoye who understood what Li Qingzhi meant after he mentioned teaching the child the "Three Character Classic".

Of course, she also understood that Li Qingzhi was just finding an excuse not to lend money to others.

Li Qingzhi continued, "I just want to say that it's never too late to study, and I'm still young now. I can't wait until I have white hair to regret not studying."

Li Yaofeng didn't want to argue with Li Qingzhi's eloquent speech, so he looked at Jin Xiaoye and said, "Jin Xiaoye, do you really want to send him to school? Think about Yao Zhenfu, sending him to school won't benefit you in any way."

"I'm willing to send him to school, what's wrong with that?" Jin Xiaoye replied.

Li Qingzhi smiled proudly at Li Yaofeng's remark.

Li Yaofeng and Li Lao'er said many more words, but since Jin Xiaoye refused to lend money, they had no choice but to leave grumbling.

After they left, Li Laogen weakly apologized to Jin Xiaoye, "Xiaoye, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Jin Xiaoye replied.

At this moment, Li Laogen looked at Li Qingzhi again and said, "Ah Qing, are you really going to study? It costs a lot of money to study, so you'd better not bother… "

"Dad, I like studying," Li Qingzhi said.

Li Laogen continued to persuade, "Studying costs a lot of money! We don't have much money…"

"Dad, it's okay, Xiaoye will earn money to support me!" Li Qingzhi held Jin Xiaoye's hand. "Right, Xiaoye?"

As he spoke, he even caressed Jin Xiaoye's hand.

Jin Xiaoye blushed and said, "Y-Yes!"

Li Laogen witnessed Li Qingzhi's actions and was dumbfounded.

This situation… Jin Xiaoye seemed to be enchanted by Li Qingzhi!

His cheap son hardly had any flesh on his body, so why did Jin Xiaoye like him so much?

Hmm, according to the aesthetic of Miaoqian Village, men should be strong and sturdy, while women should be plump and fair-skinned.

At this moment, Li Qingzhi asked Li Damao and Li Ermao again, "Damao, Ermao, would you be willing to earn money for Dad to go to school?"

Li Damao and Li Ermao didn't hesitate at all: "Willing!"

Following that, Li Damao added, "Dad, we have eight copper coins, which we can give you for studying!"

When Li Damao and Li Ermao went to Sister Wang's house, they would help with some work, and Jin Xiaoye would give them a few copper coins to buy food.

At that time, Li Ermao wanted to buy something delicious, but Li Damao didn't want to. He even recounted the story Li Qingzhi told him about saving money to buy chickens and eat eggs for a long time. Then, he saved the money.

Li Damao treasured this money so much that he even tied it to a red piece of cloth and put it under his pillow.

But now, he was willing to take out the money to support Li Qingzhi's education.

Li Qingzhi leaned over and kissed the little faces of the two children. His own son was really good!

Li Laogen: "…" His cheap son had a great knack for coaxing his wife and children!

Sitting beside them, Jin Xiaoshu felt even more melancholic, seeing how virtuous his brother-in-law and sister-in-law were.

However, he was well aware that his brother-in-law didn't need money from his sister to study. The capital for his sister's business was all provided by her husband. Her husband earned quite a bit of money by writing books.

After dinner, Jin Xiaoshu walked unhappily towards the Jin family's house.

It was already dark, so he walked slowly. He thought that when he arrived home, it would be pitch black as usual. However, he found that the living room was lit when he entered.

Jin Xiaoshu thought to himself that this was bad.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered, he found everyone in the family there. His grandmother even came up to interrogate him about his income.

Jin Xiaoshu firmly claimed that he didn't earn much: "Second Brother didn't earn much either, did he? He eats at home every day, but the money he pays to the family is the same as mine!"

Jin Sangshu became Yao Zhangfu's apprentice, just like Jin Xiaoshu, and paid ten copper coins to the family every day.

But Jin Xiaoshu didn't eat at home, while Jin Sangshu did. Not only did he eat at home, but he also brought food from home to eat while rowing the boat.

Now, every day when the Jin family cooked the second meal, they would make two extra bowls for him to take the next day.

"Xiaoshu, your grandmother is just asking casually…" Aunt Jin smiled and changed the subject, then asked, "Xiaoshu, what business is your sister doing in the county? Can she take your older brothers with her? Your older brothers are men after all; they can help your sister."

"My sister's business isn't something she does alone; she can't make decisions by herself," Jin Xiaoshu replied.

Jin Xiaoye knew she couldn't hide her business for too long, so she had already instructed Jin Xiaoshu on how to explain things to the Jin family.

She didn't want her business to be swarmed by a bunch of relatives as soon as it started.

Even Zhu Qian's autobiography mentioned that promoting capable relatives was fine, but bringing in all kinds of relatives to help would eventually hollow out the family business.

Jin Xiaoshu remained stubborn, and Aunt Jin and the others had no choice.

However, they had another thing they could do. Aunt Jin said, "Xiaoshu, you're not young anymore. You can get married. I've seen a few girls for you to meet. When will you go see them?"

"I don't want to get married!" Jin Xiaoshu rejected without even thinking. He didn't want to stay any longer and turned to leave.

Aunt Jin noticed and immediately said to Grandma Jin, "Mother, Xiaoshu's temper is just as bad as Xiaoye's."

Grandma Jin frowned, and seeing this, Uncle Jin quickly said, "Mother, Xiaoshu didn't mean it."

"He just doesn't want to listen to me anyway!" Grandma Jin said.

When Jin Dajiang and his wife returned to the house,

Jin Xiaoshu had already covered his head and was pretending to sleep, and they didn't dare disturb him, so they went to bed quietly.

Jin Xiaoshu wasn't actually asleep, but when he heard his parents come back, he didn't want to greet them.

When others asked him questions, his parents didn't say a word!

And about his marriage, his parents didn't care and let Aunt Jin handle it… What was this all about?

The next day, Li Qingzhi didn't accompany Jin Xiaoye to the county.

He had many things to do and couldn't always be with Jin Xiaoye.

Moreover, when he went to the county yesterday, he had already confirmed that Wu Baichuan had arranged for someone to protect Jin Xiaoye.

Plus, as long as Hong Hui wasn't foolish, he wouldn't resort to extreme measures over such trivial matters… Li Qingzhi was reassured about Jin Xiaoye's safety.

With Jin Xiaoye absent, there was no one for him to occasionally hold hands with, at most, he would occasionally kiss Li Damao and Li Ermao.

Li Qingzhi sighed while holding a pen in his left hand, writing the story of County Magistrate Gou.

At the same time, a piece of news spread in Miaoqian Village: "Have you heard? Li Qingzhi is going to study in the school!"

"I heard, he's already so old, why does he still want to go to school?"

"There's already someone like Yao Zhenfu ahead of him, I don't know why Jin Xiaoye still wants to send Li Qingzhi to study."

"Exactly, although Jin Xiaoye is making some money now, their family background is thin. Supporting a student… that's not a simple matter!"

"Even if they want to support a student, they should support their own child. Why support Li Qingzhi?"

…

In fact, if these people were wealthy, they would definitely send their own children to school.

After all, scholars were different, and their children would certainly not be as ignorant as Yao Zhenfu!

But weren't they short of money? They just thought studying wasn't good.

As they were discussing, they saw Li Laogen and Mr. Yao returning from the county with a basket.

These two now went to the teahouse in the county every day, becoming the most envied old men in Miaoqian Village.

Everyone hoped that their later years could be as comfortable as these two.

Immediately, everyone asked Li Laogen about Li Qingzhi's schooling.

Li Laogen said, "Ah Qing is going to study. He has already become a student of Li Xiucai in the city. His knowledge is excellent, and he will definitely pass the imperial examination in the future."

As he said this, Li Laogen felt a bit guilty.

The people in their village all knew that Li Qingzhi wasn't good at studying. According to what Yao Zhenfu had said, Li Qingzhi had even borrowed books from him that he had finished reading before he turned ten.

So… sending Li Qingzhi to study was just throwing money away, right?

Seeing Li Laogen like this, the people in the village felt even more convinced that Li Qingzhi shouldn't go to study.

Wasn't this just wasting money?

Moreover… hadn't Li Qingzhi's severed right hand not healed yet?

Mr. Yao returned home and inevitably mentioned this matter.

Yao Zhenfu: "…" Li Qingzhi was actually going to study under Li Xiucai?

A person who had only recently learned the Three-Character Classic and was already so old, what else did he need to study?

But thinking that he couldn't go to study while Li Qingzhi could, Yao Zhenfu couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

On the other hand, Jin Moli was very happy.

Yesterday, when she found out that Jin Xiaoye had earned so much money in a month, she felt indescribably uncomfortable. But now, Jin Xiaoye was going to support Li Qingzhi's education!

Studying costs a lot of money, and Jin Xiaoye didn't earn that much money every month… She hoped Jin Xiaoye would spend all the money she earned!

And also… when Yao Zhenfu passed the imperial examination, but Li Qingzhi didn't… that would be great!

But Jin Moli also found it strange. Jin Xiaoye didn't let Yao Zhenfu study in her past life, so why was she letting Li Qingzhi study in this life?

What was so good about Li Qingzhi?

With these thoughts in mind, Jin Moli went to look at the Li family.

The gate of the Li family was open, and Li Qingzhi was sitting at the Eight Immortals table with three children. Faintly, the sound of reading could be heard…

Li Qingzhi was teaching the children to read again.

Jin Moli's mood worsened again. She took some rice to the riverbank for washing, and then she overheard people in the village talking about Jin Xiaoye and Li Qingzhi: "Jin Xiaoye is so good to Li Qingzhi, willing to support his education."

"Li Qingzhi is also quite good, he has raised the two children very well."

"Yesterday, I even saw them holding hands. Li Qingzhi must be good at coaxing people."

…

Holding hands? Jin Moli suddenly felt a bit sour.

Most of the people in Miaoqian Village thought that it was a waste of money for Li Qingzhi to go to school.

They also felt sorry for Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye was unaware of all this. She was sitting at Sister Wang's house, cracking melon seeds.

Although Jin Xiaoye had opened an embroidery workshop, she actually didn't like sewing. She found sewing too boring.

So while Sister Wang, Mrs. Xu, and Fang Jinniang were sewing, she sat beside them, roasting melon seeds by the fire.

From time to time, Fang Jinniang glanced at Jin Xiaoye, who asked, "Jinniang, is there something on your mind?"

Fang Jinniang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Shopkeeper Jin, about my wages… I'd like to take five taels of silver."

She had been working for Jin Xiaoye for the past month, and after deducting meal expenses, she had earned a total of two taels of silver.

Her mother had been treating her badly lately, and she actually didn't want to give her mother any money. But the other day, everyone who had worked at Jin Xiaoye's place had received their wages, and her mother had been asking her for money.

After thinking it over, she decided to give her mother five taels of silver.

She had no choice… she had nowhere else to go, and she had to go home every day.

"Sure, I'll get it for you," Jin Xiaoye agreed readily.

She knew Fang Jinniang's predicament.

Fang Jinniang hadn't gotten married yet, and she had nowhere else to go except to endure her mother.

Jin Xiaoye disliked Fang's mother quite a bit, but that had been more than a month ago, right? Now that Jin Xiaoye had earned some money, she didn't care much about Fang's mother anymore.

Fang's mother couldn't earn in a year what Jin Xiaoye earned in a month, so why should she care about what Fang's mother did?

Jin Xiaoye quickly gave Fang Jinniang the money, and after she had put it away, Fang Jinniang asked, "Shopkeeper Jin, I also want to have breakfast here in the morning, and can I deduct the meal expenses from my wages?"

"Of course you can," Jin Xiaoye said, then asked, "Doesn't your mother provide you with meals?"

Fang Jinniang smiled bitterly.

Jin Xiaoye said, "Your mother is really too much. Do you want to think of a way to deal with her?"

"Unless I can get married, but…" If her mother didn't agree, how could she get married?

Thinking of this, Fang Jinniang thought of the man who had been bringing her food every day before, but for some reason, he hadn't shown up today.

Was something wrong? Fang Jinniang had been wanting to chat with this person for a while now.

Jin Xiaoye could guess that Fang Jinniang hadn't finished what she wanted to say.

Having parents like Fang's mother was really unlucky.

This world is really unfair. Some people were born into luxury, while others… might starve to death shortly after birth.

Sometimes she thought, wouldn't it be nice if she had been born into a wealthy family?

At the very least, if she had been born a man, things would have been much easier. She would definitely work hard to earn money, and then marry a wife who could cook well and was affectionate like Li Qingzhi.

If she were a man, her grandmother would treat her much better. She wouldn't have to suffer so much when she was young, and her mother wouldn't spend all day crying and blaming herself for not giving birth to a son…

Of course, thinking about these things was pointless. The most important thing was to live well in the days to come.

And being born into the Jin family was already pretty good. If she had been born into those families without land or property, even if she had been born a man, she wouldn't have been able to change her fate. She might have even starved to death before growing up.

As they were talking, Wu Baichuan arrived.

Jin Xiaoye greeted Mr. Wu with a smile, "Mr. Wu, is there something you need? Are there any issues with the goods?"

"No issues at all, your products are of excellent quality!" Mr. Wu glanced around and, seeing that Li Qingzhi wasn't there, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I came here this time to introduce a business opportunity to you."

Mr. Wu had been wanting to make amends, but since Li Qingzhi didn't want Jin Xiaoye to know about Hong Hui's situation, simply sending money or gifts directly wasn't appropriate.

After much thought, he decided to introduce a business opportunity to Jin Xiaoye instead. He knew people who did business in the capital city, and Jin Xiaoye's products could be sold there!

So, Mr. Wu brought a businessman along, and he had already given this person gifts in advance, making sure that they would offer Jin Xiaoye a fair price.

As a result, Jin Xiaoye easily negotiated a deal that would earn her a considerable amount of money.

Jin Xiaoye immediately realized that Mr. Wu was trying to make amends.

As for why Mr. Wu was doing this… perhaps it was because Li Qingzhi knew Magistrate Gou?

Jin Xiaoye didn't actively seek to expand her business to others. The price she had offered Mr. Wu before was actually very low. The price she negotiated now was the normal price at which she would sell her goods to traveling merchants.

After signing the contract, Jin Xiaoye neatly wrote her name and pressed her thumbprint on it.

Looking at the contract, Jin Xiaoye felt a bit dazed. It had only been half a year, but she had already learned many words. At least, she recognized all the words in this contract.

Although she couldn't write many words from memory, she could already read.

After seeing off Mr. Wu, Jin Xiaoye didn't resume eating melon seeds. Instead, she took out the cheap paper used for bookkeeping and began copying the autobiography of Zhu Qian.

She learned words from this book and liked it very much, so she kept it with her and would occasionally take it out to read.

As for how Li Qingzhi would transcribe and modify the book without a manuscript… Li Qingzhi had already memorized the book.

When Li Qingzhi first started writing Zhu Qian's autobiography, his body had not yet recovered, and his handwriting was not proficient, so his words were very ugly and very large.

However, he had the intention to improving his handwriting, trying to make each character as neat as possible.

So, although the characters at the beginning of this autobiography seemed like those written by a child, they were large, the strokes were clear, and they were very suitable for beginners to follow and learn.

Jin Xiaoye held a brush and carefully traced the words on it, striving to memorize them.

"Xiaoye, are you learning to write?" Sister Wang glanced curiously.

"Yeah!" Jin Xiaoye said, "In business, you have to recognize words. I have to start learning now!"

Sister Wang admired Jin Xiaoye. Learning to write was not an easy task, especially considering Jin Xiaoye's age…

No wonder she could do business while others couldn't!

Sister Wang preferred to chat with others while doing needlework.

People accustomed to needlework like them could chat freely while working with needles unless they needed to concentrate fully on embroidering flowers.

However, Sister Wang didn't chat for long. Jin Xiaoye, who had filled a page with writing, dragged her to buy fabric— they had another new business to do!

Coincidentally, when Jin Xiaoye went to buy fabric, he saw Jin Xiaoshu selling shoes to the men working at the dock.

These shoes were made by two old ladies whom Jin Xiaoye had hired to help glue the soles.

Jin Xiaoye invited them to work at Sister Wang's house, paying them very little; they only earned four wen for making a pair of shoes. But these two old ladies were quite willing to come.

They didn't have much to do on ordinary days, so earning a little money now and then was great!

Sometimes Jin Xiaoye would also share food with them.

Since the shoes were made, they needed to be sold. Because these shoes were ordinary, Jin Xiaoye didn't take them to the clothing store for consignment; instead, he gave them to Jin Xiaoshu to sell.

"These shoes are carefully made by our elders using good materials. They can be worn for a long time…" Jin Xiaoshu introduced the shoes to the laborers at the dock.

Working at the dock was very hard. Those who occasionally came to do odd jobs were one thing, but those who worked here year-round were mostly men who had no family. Most of these people didn't have anyone to make shoes for them, so they usually bought their shoes.

The shoes Jin Xiaoshu brought were indeed good, and they quickly sold out.

"Xiaoshu!" Jin Xiaoye called.

"Sister!" Jin Xiaoshu rowed over. "Sister, where are you going?"

"I'm going to buy fabric. Xiaoshu, help me carry some goods."

"Okay." Jin Xiaoshu agreed without hesitation.

Jin Xiaoshu hadn't slept well last night and was a bit lethargic today, but he was still a young man. Over the past few months, he had been working with Jin Xiaoye and Sister Wang and eating well, so he was much faster at moving fabric than Jin Xiaoye and Sister Wang.

Jin Xiaoye already had experience, so he quickly bought the fabric and headed back, letting Jin Xiaoshu help him carry the fabric to Sister Wang's house.

Jin Xiaoshu froze.

After not receiving a single glance from Fang Jinniang yesterday, he felt uneasy. He didn't even dare to go and give anything to Fang Jinniang this morning, fearing she would reject him.

He didn't even feel like making money anymore. Whatever he did seemed dull, and he especially wanted to go see Fang Jinniang.

Now, if he went to Sister Wang's place, he would definitely see Fang Jinniang, right?

After thinking it over, Jin Xiaoshu decided to go and see her.

Anyway, Fang Jinniang didn't like him, so he might as well give up!

After the boat stopped near Sister Wang's house, Jin Xiaoshu began to help move the fabric.

Sister Wang, holding a piece of fabric, followed behind Jin Xiaoshu. When they arrived at her house, she couldn't help but say, "Xiaoshu, you're really strong." At this moment, Jin Xiaoshu was carrying four pieces of fabric and still moving briskly.

"Yeah." Jin Xiaoshu replied roughly.

Fang Jinniang knew that Jin Xiaoye had a younger brother. When she heard Sister Wang's words and saw someone approaching, she looked up and smiled at the person.

Jin Xiaoshu felt a tingling sensation rising from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

Fang Jinniang smiled at him, and she looked so beautiful when she smiled!

Yesterday she ignored him, but today, why was she smiling at him again?

Was it because he carried four pieces of fabric at once?

Jin Xiaoshu felt a bit floaty. He quickly stepped onto the boat, attempting to carry six pieces of fabric at once.

He could handle the weight, but his hands couldn't grip all six pieces. Jin Xiaoshu could only carry four, but he moved the goods very quickly, almost breaking into a run.

Wait, steady now; no need to rush!

After helping to unload the fabric at Sister Wang's house, Jin Xiaoshu saw Fang Jinniang smiling at him again.

Fang Jinniang had poor eyesight, so she was often accused of being rude… She wouldn't smile at every passerby on the street, but when people came to Sister Wang's house, she would always smile as a form of greeting.

Jin Xiaoshu was thrilled. After finishing unloading the fabric, he noticed some firewood that hadn't been split at Sister Wang's doorstep. He picked up an axe and started chopping wood.

Although he was still young, he had grown taller and stronger over the past few months. In Miaoqian Village, he was considered tall, and he was quite strong too!

He was already a man!

Seeing Jin Xiaoshu chopping wood without stopping him, Sister Wang's two sons were still young and were not used to manual labor because they grew up in the city. In the past, Sister Wang had always chopped the wood herself.

Sister Wang rarely did heavy work, so chopping wood was quite taxing for her.

Previously, when Jin Xiaoye brought things to sell to her in the county town, he would help her chop wood. Lately, she had also been chopping wood herself, but now she lets Jin Xiaoshu do it, saving her some trouble.

Sister Wang felt a bit embarrassed and said to Jin Xiaoye, "Ah, why is Xiaoshu chopping wood again? This is really unnecessary…"

"It's okay," Jin Xiaoye smiled and said to Jin Xiaoshu, "Xiaoshu, later, take a bucket and fetch some water from the end of the alley!" Chongcheng County was surrounded by rivers, and Sister Wang's house was next to a river.

People usually washed clothes and vegetables by the river, but for drinking water, they relied on well water.

However, not every household had a well, so most people went to fetch water from the public wells in the town.

"Yeah!" Jin Xiaoshu replied and went to fetch water with a bucket.

"Sister, your younger brother is really diligent!" Sister Wang liked Jin Xiaoshu more and more as she watched him.

She used to think Jin Xiaoshu was a country bumpkin, and if her daughter married him, she would suffer. But now…

Jin Xiaoshu was so diligent. If her daughter married him, there would be someone to help with many household chores.

Moreover, the Jin family had some land, and Jin Xiaoshu could row boats and sell goods… Well, they were still young, so she'd wait and see.

"He's always been diligent since he was young," Jin Xiaoye smiled.

In Miaoqian Village, lazy people were pampered and indulged by their parents. His parents were quite good to lazy people, but the Jin family wasn't run by his parents, so neither he nor Jin Xiaoshu enjoyed the same privileges as Jinliushu and Jinzaoshu.

Upon hearing this, Fang Jinniang couldn't help but say, "Shopkeeper Jin, your brother is really good." Her brother never did any work at home. Her mother always wanted her brother to study hard and pass the imperial examination, so she never let him do any work.

Returning with water, Jin Xiaoshu exclaimed, "!" Fang Jinniang praised him!

At Sister Wang's house, the only physical labor was chopping wood and fetching water. After Jin Xiaoshu finished his work, there was nothing else for him to do but reluctantly leave.

However, he immediately went to buy a bag of roasted chestnuts, intending to give them to Fang Jinniang tomorrow.

Although he didn't know what had happened yesterday, Fang Jinniang obviously didn't dislike him!

When Jin Xiaoye returned home that day, he saw Jin Xiaoshu rowing the boat and singing, "Floral dresses, long braids, the girls in the water town have such beautiful faces…"

"Stop, stop, what are you singing?" Jin Xiaoye shouted to stop him. This song was meant for a man to sing to a woman he liked!

Suddenly realizing that there were only him and Jin Xiaoye on the boat, Jin Xiaoshu knew he couldn't sing that song. He switched to another song and sang, "In my left hand, a chicken, in my right hand, a duck, on my back, I'm carrying a chubby child…"

Jin Xiaoye: "…" His brother's brain was broken! This was a song sung by a young bride when she returned to her parents' home!

"Have you reconciled with the girl you like?" Jin Xiaoye asked.

Jin Xiaoshu nodded repeatedly.

No wonder… Jin Xiaoye said, "Even if you want to sing, can you sing something normal?"

"Sis, this is the only song I know. Mom used to sing it to lull me to sleep," Jin Xiaoshu said with a hint of grievance. He only knew a few songs.

"Forget it, sing it then," Jin Xiaoye said, then went straight into the cabin.

With Jin Xiaoye no longer present, Jin Xiaoshu continued to sing "Floral dresses, long braids," thinking it was about Fang Jinniang.

On the other side, when Fang Jinniang returned home, she gave five coins to her mother.

Seeing the five coins, Fang's mother's expression softened a bit, but she said, "This is too little! Many people earn more than a tael."

Fang Jinniang explained, "Mother, my eyesight is poor, so I work slowly."

"But don't they have other work to do, not just one task for the whole day?" Fang's mother asked.

"I also need money when I eat there," Fang Jinniang explained.

"Then why do you have to eat there? Skipping one meal won't starve you."

Fang Jinniang felt a chill in her heart.

Indeed, skipping a meal wouldn't starve her, but at home, she could only afford to drink some thin soup or porridge. If she only ate that twice a day, she wouldn't have the energy to work.

But that wasn't the end of it. Fang's mother continued, "Oh right, Jinniang, Mother has arranged a marriage for you. Mr. Wang, who runs the boat rental business, wants to take you as a concubine. He's willing to offer sixty taels of silver…"

"Mother!" Fang Jinniang looked at her mother in disbelief.

Although she didn't go out much, she had heard a lot of things recently while working at Sister Wang's house.

She had heard of Mr. Wang who ran the boat rental business. He lived not far from Sister Wang's house and had some distant relatives with Sister Wang's family. Sister Wang also knew quite a bit about him.

In the county town, there were quite a few wealthy men who took concubines.

Some men who took concubines treated them fairly well, like Li Xiucai. Both of his concubines were rural women from poor families. Although life with Li Xiucai wasn't luxurious, they could at least have three meals a day without going hungry, eat meat, and wear new clothes. Even their children were well-raised. They were actually quite content.

But there were also men who, after marrying a concubine, treated them poorly, treating them like servants.

When the concubine grew older, they might even drive her out.

Mr. Wang belonged to the latter category. He had driven away his concubines who had no children.

His wife's temper wasn't very good either. Afraid that the concubines' children would inherit the family property, if one of Mr. Wang's concubines became pregnant, she would force her to take abortifacients.

A few years ago, one of Mr. Wang's concubines died from excessive bleeding after taking abortifacient drugs.

Like Li Qingzhi, that concubine had escaped to Chongcheng County after her hometown was hit by disaster. After her parents sold her to Mr. Wang, they left Chongcheng County. She had no relatives here, and after her death, no one spoke up for her.

Fang Jinniang felt that if she married Mr. Wang, she might end up with a similar fate!

If she died, her mother would definitely make some noise, but when Mr. Wang offered some money, her mother would probably calm down, right?

Moreover… Mr. Wang was nearly fifty years old, an old man.

Her mother actually wanted to sell her to such a person as a concubine?

Fang Jinniang felt a chill all over her body.

Fang's mother said, "It's your good fortune that Mr. Wang fancies you. He doesn't mind your poor eyesight and is willing to spend a lot of money to marry you…"

If Fang Jinniang could still earn a lot of money, Fang's mother wouldn't bear to marry her off.

But now Fang Jinniang couldn't earn much money, and her eyesight was getting worse!

If Fang Jinniang went completely blind one day, who would be willing to marry her? Then she would be left with nothing!

Fang's mother had long wanted to marry off Fang Jinniang, but she had refused many suitors before. Now, no one comes to propose marriage anymore. Occasionally, there were some who were willing to offer only ten taels of silver as a dowry.

Of course, Fang Jinniang wouldn't agree!

If she were asked to actively find a husband for Fang Jinniang, she wouldn't agree either. She was the wife of a scholar, so how could she actively seek a husband for her daughter?

Coincidentally, recently when Fang Jinniang went to work at Sister Wang's house, Mr. Wang took a fancy to her!

Initially, Mr. Wang was only willing to offer fifty taels of silver to marry Fang Jinniang. It wasn't until she had her matchmaker negotiate several times that he agreed to raise it to sixty taels.

"I won't marry," Fang Jinniang said.

"I've already agreed with Mr. Wang. Whether you want to marry or not, you have to!" Fang's mother said impatiently.

Fang Jinniang gritted her teeth, but her teeth kept chattering. She finally said, "Aren't you concerned about your reputation? Marrying me off as a concubine, aren't you afraid of being criticized for selling your daughter?"

"You're already this old. I've found a good family for you. What else are you dissatisfied with?" Fang's mother said.

That night, Fang Jinniang didn't know how she returned to her room or how she fell asleep.

Fang's mother didn't lock her up; perhaps she thought Fang Jinniang couldn't escape.

Indeed, she couldn't escape. Where else could she go?

The next morning, Fang Jinniang went out as usual.

"Where are you going?" her mother asked.

"I'm going to work," Fang Jinniang replied.

In the crowded city, news spread quickly among neighbors. Considering her son's reputation, Fang's mother didn't want to argue loudly with Fang Jinniang. She softened her tone. "Eat breakfast before you go. I cooked eggs for you. Jinniang, there's nothing wrong with being a concubine for Mr. Wang. You'll have a good life in the future… After your father passed away, our family went through a lot of hardships. Please understand, dear…"

"I'm not hungry, so I won't eat," Fang Jinniang said flatly.

With that, Fang Jinniang left the house.

Fang Jinniang walked towards Sister Wang's house as usual.

Various emotions churned inside her.

She had always known that her mother didn't like her, but she still wanted her mother's affection. So, in the past few years, she had worked hard to embroider and earn money.

Yet her mother still didn't like her, intending to sell her to an old man as a concubine.

What would her life be like after becoming Mr. Wang's concubine?

If she didn't get pregnant, perhaps she could live a decent life for a few years, and then, after Mr. Wang's death or his disinterest in her, she would be either driven out or sold.

If she did get pregnant… if she was forced to take abortifacients, even if she survived, she would likely have many health issues.

Either way, her life would be over.

Fang Jinniang was literate. Her father had taught her to read, and she had read some books. At that time, she had hoped to marry a scholar and have an equal partnership.

Who would have thought that she would end up in this situation?

Fang Jinniang knew that her mother and Mr. Wang had only made private arrangements for now. If she took back all the silver stored at Jin Xiaoye's place, and her mother knew that she could earn two taels of silver a month, she probably wouldn't be willing to marry her off.

But what then? If she became unable to work one day, she might be sold to someone even worse!

And her younger sister…

Last night, not long after she had gone to bed, her younger sister came back too.

She hadn't slept all night, and her younger sister had cried all night.

Would her younger sister end up like her?

Fang Jinniang was gentle by nature, but at this moment, an inevitable resentment rose in her heart.

She knew that her mother cared most about her younger brother.

If she went to her younger brother's school and caused a scene, saying that her brother wanted to sell her for the sake of his education, and then died in front of her brother…

By then, her brother would surely be disgraced, unable to take the imperial examination, becoming a figure of scorn among all the scholars in Chongcheng County!

At that moment, what expression would her mother have?

Would her mother regret it?

Once this thought emerged, it couldn't be stopped.

Fang Jinniang, who was originally heading towards Sister Wang's house out of habit, now thought about turning back to Li Xiucai's place.

However, at that moment, someone called out to her: "Jin, Jinniang."

Fang Jinniang's footsteps halted, and she looked towards the person.

Jin Xiaoshu thought about how Fang Jinniang had praised him yesterday, and couldn't help but blush. He walked up to Fang Jinniang and, as usual, intended to put the roasted chestnuts in Fang Jinniang's basket, but found that Fang Jinniang didn't have one.

As Jin Xiaoshu hesitated, Fang Jinniang grabbed his arm. "Why didn't you come yesterday?" she asked.

"Sorry, it's all my fault…" Jin Xiaoshu must have misunderstood Fang Jinniang's intentions at the time. Fang Jinniang didn't pay attention to him, probably because she was shy!

Thinking like this, Jin Xiaoshu placed the roasted chestnuts in Fang Jinniang's other hand. "These are roasted chestnuts, for you to eat."

As he said this, Jin Xiaoshu felt a bit embarrassed.

How should he put it… If he gave these snacks to the girls from their village, they would definitely be very happy.

But who was Fang Jinniang? She was the daughter of a scholar!

Fang Jinniang did needlework at his sister's place and could earn two taels of silver a month, more than he could!

She probably wouldn't care for the snacks he gave her.

But he still wanted to give them, really wanted to.

Fang Jinniang held a packet of chestnuts in her hand, and when she lifted it up, she saw a wrinkled paper bag filled with chestnuts.

Her father used to buy chestnuts for the family, and although they weren't a large family, they still had five members. She wouldn't get much.

Chestnuts weren't sold early in the morning, so they must have been bought yesterday… Fang Jinniang asked, "Have you tried these chestnuts?"

"No… no, why? Are they not good?" Jin Xiaoshu hadn't tried the chestnuts after buying them yesterday; he had hidden them away and hadn't shared them with anyone, nor had he eaten them himself.

He just wanted Fang Jinniang to try them.

Speaking of which, he hadn't even tried chestnuts before; his brother-in-law had never bought them. He didn't know what roasted chestnuts tasted like, but they smelled so good; they must be delicious, right?

Thinking like this, Jin Xiaoshu swallowed his saliva.

At this moment, Fang Jinniang asked again, "Are you married?"

"No, no, I'm not married yet," Jin Xiaoshu replied.

Fang Jinniang also thought he definitely wasn't married. This person had been giving her things for a month but didn't dare to speak to her; it was clear he had no experience.

Thinking like this, Fang Jinniang leaned towards the person in front of her, wanting to see his face clearly.

Jin Xiaoshu stiffened. Why did Fang Jinniang suddenly get so close to him? Wasn't this too close?!

He felt that he shouldn't get so close to a girl, he should move farther away, but he couldn't move his legs.

This was the girl he liked!

Then Jin Xiaoshu saw Fang Jinniang tiptoeing, leaning towards him as if to kiss him.

Fang Jinniang wanted to kiss him?!

Jin Xiaoshu's heart was about to leap out of his chest!

At such a close distance, he could even see the pores on Fang Jinniang's face clearly. Fang Jinniang's skin was not only fair but also exceptionally smooth, and her hair was jet black…

Just as Jin Xiaoshu was feeling dizzy, Fang Jinniang stepped back.

Fang Jinniang saw Jin Xiaoshu's appearance.

He was tall, and although his face was a bit weather-beaten, he looked fairly young, probably in his twenties. Besides, he was quite good-looking, despite his dark skin, and clearly someone who worked hard under the sun every day. His family probably didn't have much wealth.

The food he brought her was likely bought with the money he had saved through hard work.

Fang Jinniang knew that if she married a poor man, she might face hardships, especially since she didn't know anything about him.

But when facing her, he seemed so awkward and unsure, unlikely to hurt her.

As for their future life… she would still be able to work and support herself to some extent.

Regardless, it was still better than marrying Mr. Wang, living under his authority, and dealing with his wife and son!

"Do you want to marry me?" Fang Jinniang asked.

"I do!" Jin Xiaoshu, overcome with excitement, even choked up a bit. His body couldn't help trembling: "I… I've saved six taels of silver. My parents have saved a bit, and I can borrow some from my sister. I don't have a hundred taels, but I should be able to gather thirty, maybe even borrow some more… Should I go to your house to propose?"

In their village, the groom's family usually provided a ten-tael silver dowry. Jin Xiaoshu knew that his parents had about five or six taels saved. With some borrowed from his sister and her husband… it wouldn't be a problem to gather thirty taels of silver. Maybe he could borrow a bit more from his sister. But Fang Jinniang's mother had demanded a hundred taels before…

When Fang Jinniang was doing embroidery work, she could earn three or four taels a month, so six taels of silver were nothing to her.

But the appearance of the tall man in front of her pleased her.

"You don't need to bring a dowry. If you really want to marry me, just follow me," Fang Jinniang said.

"Huh?" Jin Xiaoshu was a little confused, then nodded vigorously: "Oh, okay!"

His boat was still moored near Sister Wang's house by the riverside. Although it was daytime in the county town, and there should be no one stealing boats, some kids might come aboard and steal small things.

But could Jin Xiaoshu think of that now?

Fang Jinniang took his arm and started walking forward, with him following behind, feeling like flowers were blooming in his heart.

Unable to resist, Jin Xiaoshu reached out and touched Fang Jinniang's hair with his fingertips.

Fang Jinniang was really beautiful. Was he dreaming?

Fang Jinniang used to stay at home all the time, and although she wanted to change her situation, she didn't know where to start.

But after listening to Jin Xiaoye and the others talk a lot recently, she suddenly realized something.

If a person disregarded their reputation and didn't care about what others thought… others would be afraid of them.

Although she knew this, she couldn't bring herself to ignore her reputation before. She didn't want things to get too ugly. But now her mother had pushed her to a dead end.

She had thought about seeking death… if she wasn't afraid of death, what else could she fear?

Fang Jinniang knew nothing about the man behind her, but she pulled him along, striding towards home.

She knew there were probably many people watching her on the road, but since she couldn't see anyway, she didn't care!

Fang Jinniang didn't mind not being able to see, but Jin Xiaoshu at the moment… He felt a bit shy and dizzy from the gazes of the people around him, as if he were about to float away.

Fang Jinniang was actually pulling him forward!

What did it matter if his sister and brother-in-law held hands in the village? Fang Jinniang was in the county town, pulling him along under the gaze of so many people!

Before long, the two of them arrived at Fang Jinniang's doorstep.

And by this time, quite a few people had followed them.

The people living near Fang's house all knew Fang Jinniang and felt quite sympathetic towards her.

Recently, Fang's mother had some dealings with the Wang family, and everyone had some vague knowledge about it.

The two sons of that Mr. Wang were about the same age as Fang Jinniang, but they had already gotten married. If Fang Jinniang really went to the Wang family, she would either become an old man's concubine or a young man's concubine.

Ten years ago, people in their alley thought that Fang Jinniang would marry the best among them. Who could have thought that she might end up being a concubine?

Being a concubine… If she became a concubine for Mr. Wang's son, that would be tolerable, but if it were for Mr. Wang himself… Mr. Wang had had several concubines, none of whom had a good ending.

But what they hadn't expected was that everyone was pitying Fang Jinniang, and Fang Jinniang had actually brought back a young man who looked no more than twenty.

Jin Xiaoshu really needed to thank Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye for their care during this time; he had become much stronger all of a sudden, and he had already gone through puberty.

Plus, he had been doing business alone on the boat for this period of time, exposed to wind and sun, and had interacted with many people… He looked much more mature than his peers.

When Fang's mother heard the commotion outside and came out to see, she saw Fang Jinniang bringing a man over.

Anger surged within her, and Fang's mother angrily said, "Fang Jinniang, what are you doing?!"

"Mother, let's talk inside," Fang Jinniang said calmly.

Fang's mother glanced at the people outside, let Fang Jinniang in, and then slammed the door shut.

The house rented by the Fang family was quite small, with only two rooms downstairs, and there were two small attic rooms above them.

The downstairs room was the living room for cooking, eating, and receiving guests, while one room was for Fang Zijian to stay in. As for the attic rooms upstairs, one was shared by Fang's two sisters, and the other was occupied by Fang's mother.

The three of them entered the living room, and without a word, Fang's mother slapped Fang Jinniang across the face, lowering her voice as she cursed, "You little slut…"

Jin Xiaoshu had been nervously watching Fang's mother all along, so he naturally saw her actions for the first time. Without hesitation, he grabbed Fang's mother's arm and pulled her back a bit. "What are you doing?"

What's wrong with Fang Jinniang's mother? She not only scolded Fang Jinniang, but she also slapped her!

Mother, you are actually hitting someone!

And with a slap!

Jin Xiaoshu had been beaten before. When he was a child, he was naughty and disobedient, and his sister would chase him with a broom and spank him, but as he grew older, he had never been slapped.

His shyness in front of his mother-in-law disappeared in an instant, leaving only anger, and he tightened his grip on Fang's mother's arm to stop her from continuing her actions.

After closing the door, the room was quite dark. Fang Jinniang didn't see clearly what her mother was doing when she hit someone. She was stunned before realizing what had happened.

The man she brought back protected her, which was good.

Fang Jinniang grabbed Jin Xiaoshu's clothes. "Mother, I want to marry him."

When Fang's mother saw Fang Jinniang bringing back a man, she already sensed that something was wrong. Now, hearing Fang Jinniang's words, she became even more furious.

But even so, she didn't forget to lower her voice, "What nonsense are you talking about? You want to marry this rough man?"

Jin Xiaoshu worked as a boatman, so naturally, he didn't dress well. Plus, his appearance… Fang's mother could tell he was used to physical labor.

"Yes," Fang Jinniang smiled.

Fang's mother was furious and wanted to scold her loudly, but Jin Xiaoshu was still firmly holding her arm, and she felt like her arm was about to be broken!

Jin Xiaoshu, accustomed to rowing boats, had developed many muscles on his arms. He could easily control Fang's mother, who never did any physical work and was petite.

Fang's mother gritted her teeth. "I don't agree. I have already arranged a marriage for you…"

Fang Jinniang said, "Anyway, I'm going to marry him. If you like Mr. Wang so much, just marry him yourself."

Fang's mother hadn't expected to encounter such a situation. Fang Jinniang had always been obedient, so when she told Fang Jinniang to marry Mr. Wang yesterday, she never expected Fang Jinniang to resist.

She had treated Fang Jinniang so badly before, even withholding food from her, and Fang Jinniang had endured it all, hadn't she?

And marriage was originally arranged by parents and matchmakers. How could this girl dare not listen to her?

"You unfilial daughter…"

Fang Jinniang interrupted her mother. Her voice remained calm, "Mother, if you force me to marry Mr. Wang, I will go to my younger brother's school and tell his classmates that he's selling his sister to support his education. I will tell them that he's sucking his sister's blood to get an education. He's a heartless scoundrel…"

"Shut up!" Fang's mother finally couldn't contain her voice and screamed.

But Fang Jinniang didn't stop talking, "After I finish cursing him, I will either throw myself in front of him or hang myself at the doorstep. I want to see if he still has the face to continue studying."

Fang Jinniang didn't want anyone outside to hear what she was saying; her voice had been very soft all along.

But when she spoke, she was determined, and her eyes were fixed firmly on Fang's mother.

Fang's mother covered her chest, truly frightened.

If Fang Jinniang really did that, Fang Zijian would be finished!

Forget about continuing his education; probably no one would want to marry him.

Chongcheng County was just that small. If such a thing happened, neither she nor Fang Zijian would have the face to go out again!

"You despicable person, how can you be so ruthless, you're just a heartless wolf…" Fang's mother cursed loudly.

But Jin Xiaoshu went to look at Fang Jinniang and said, "Jinniang, don't scare me!"

Jin Xiaoshu had been in a daze, floating in the clouds, but just now… he was frightened by Fang Jinniang.

Fang Jinniang looked at Jin Xiaoshu and said, "Don't say anything."

Jin Xiaoshu dared not speak. He still had one hand holding Fang's mother's arm, and with the other hand, he reached for Fang Jinniang's hand. After grasping it, he felt a little calmer.

But his mind was still chaotic; he didn't know what to do next, so he just stood there, waiting for Fang Jinniang's orders.

At this moment, Fang Jinniang looked at her mother again and said, "Mother, you know what kind of person Mr. Wang is. By asking me to marry him as a concubine, aren't you just trying to end my life? You don't want me to live anymore. If I die, it'll be on you, right?"

The room was quite dark, but Fang Jinniang's voice was eerie, inexplicably frightening.

Fang's mother trembled all over.

Fang Jinniang smiled again, "Mother, I find life quite boring. I really want to die. If you don't believe me, go ahead and force me."

Fang's mother continued to curse, forgetting to control her volume, "You little animal, why did I give birth to such a heartless wolf like you…"

Fang Jinniang let her mother curse. At this moment, she even had the mood to squeeze the hand of the man beside her.

This man's hand was large and rough.

She didn't know if she had scared him.

Hopefully not.

If it weren't for this man, Fang Jinniang wouldn't dare to come back like this and scare her own mother, because she might be locked up.

She couldn't see clearly, couldn't move freely, and couldn't beat her mother.

Moreover, that was her mother… People always thought that children should listen to their parents.

But now that she had a man by her side, the situation was different. No matter how her mother struggled, she couldn't hit her, right?

And after doing this, what should she do next… Fang Jinniang planned to follow this man and live in his house.

This might make people look down on her, but in scholarly families or ordinary families…

Five years ago, many people fled to Chongcheng County from other places, such as Jin Xiaoye's husband, or Mr. Wang's former concubines.

In addition, some of the men who fled worked as laborers at the docks, and some women directly followed men from the county or nearby villages who didn't have wives back home.

She had heard a lot from Jin Jie and others, so she knew that the outside world was different from what was described in books.

The main thing was that she had no choice. She didn't want to marry Mr. Wang, and there was nowhere else for her to go.

If she rented a house in the county town, what if Mr. Wang or her mother sent someone to kidnap her?

Once she entered Mr. Wang's house, she might never be able to leave.

Her mother might even sell her to someone else…

She needed someone to protect her.

As for this man, he might not treat her well… but she had already faced the fact that her mother wanted to sell her, so what else was there to fear?

There would be a solution when the time came; in the worst-case scenario, they could both end it together.

With this thought, Fang Jinniang suddenly felt relieved. Amidst her mother's insults, she smiled at the man beside her.

Jin Xiaoshu became even more excited.

Outside the Fang household, the neighbors were discussing in a flurry:

"Mrs. Fang has been scolding Jinniang all along."

"She's scolding her too harshly."

"Who scolds their daughter like this?"

"She's always been harsh on her daughter."

…

Fang Jinniang had been speaking in a low voice all along, so the people outside only heard her mother scolding, and they all thought there was something wrong with Mrs. Fang.

Even though it wasn't quite appropriate for Fang Jinniang to bring a man home before marriage, there was no need for such harsh words!

In their neighborhood, young couples making private arrangements for marriage were quite common!

Moreover, Fang Jinniang was already of marriageable age.

"Who is the man Fang Jinniang brought back?"

"I've seen him before; he's a boatman."

"A boatman? Does he row his own boat or someone else's?"

"There is no emblem of a boating company."

"If he has his own boat, that's good. Although Jinniang is pretty, she's getting old, and her eyesight isn't good…"

"Yeah, marrying this man is better than being a concubine. Boatmen usually have no worries about food and drink, while in the Wang household… have you ever seen any of Mr. Wang's concubines living in luxury?"

"Speaking of which, the Fang family is really excessive. They not only oppress their daughter and force her to work, but also want to sell her."

…

They were all neighbors; who didn't know each other! Mrs. Fang wasn't good to her daughter, and everyone could see it.

There were quite a few families in the county who weren't good to their daughters, but it was rare to see someone like Mrs. Fang, who was willing to send her good daughter to an old man as a concubine.

The Fang family wasn't exactly struggling to get by!

After Mrs. Fang scolded her daughter for a while, Fang Jinniang said again, "Mother, I want to marry him."

Mrs. Fang wanted to refuse, but when she saw Fang Jinniang's expression, she felt a bit scared.

She was afraid that Fang Jinniang would really go out and speak recklessly.

"If you marry him, then I won't recognize you," Mrs. Fang gritted her teeth.

In the past, hearing such words would have made Fang Jinniang scared, but now…

"Well, that's great then," Fang Jinniang smiled, "Mother, if I go with him, I won't come back. And in the future… if you disturb my life, I'll go to Zijian's school and cause trouble."

Mrs. Fang glared at Fang Jinniang.

But since Fang Jinniang couldn't see, she didn't care. She turned to the man beside her and said, "I'll go pack my things. Please watch over my mother."

Jin Xiaoshu hurriedly said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely watch over her!" He had been holding onto Mrs. Fang's arm the whole time. To be honest, he felt like breaking her arm, but it wouldn't be appropriate to hit his mother-in-law.

Fang Jinniang smiled at him again before climbing up to the attic.

Fang Xiuniang was waiting in the attic. When she saw Fang Jinniang come up, she helped her pack her things.

Fang Xiuniang didn't talk much, but she had a good relationship with Fang Jinniang.

He touched Fang Xiuniang's head, and Fang Jinniang whispered softly, "Xiuniang, once I've settled down, I'll come to fetch you."

Fang Xiuniang didn't say anything, but when Fang Jinniang touched her face, she felt tears all over her hand.

Fang Jinniang didn't have many belongings. She packed a bundle and descended from the attic, saying to Jin Xiaoshu, "Let's go."

"Okay, okay," Jin Xiaoshu nodded and released Fang's mother.

Fang's mother's arms were already bruised, so she didn't dare rush to stop them and could only let Fang Jinniang leave with Jin Xiaoshu.

When they reached the outside, Fang Jinniang and Jin Xiaoshu were surrounded by a crowd. "Jinniang, who is this man?"

Fang Jinniang said, "I'm getting married. This is my future husband."

There were too many people, and Fang Jinniang couldn't distinguish who was who. After smiling at them, she said to Jin Xiaoshu, "Let's go."

"Okay, let's go," Jin Xiaoshu led Fang Jinniang away from Fang's house.

Fang Jinniang had often fantasized about what she would be like when she got married. She always thought she would have a grand wedding, but in the end… she just left with a bundle in hand.

It was actually quite embarrassing.

But if she were to become a concubine for Mr. Wang, it would be the same, leaving her with just a bundle.

Now… the man beside her at least liked her.

But after walking for a while, Fang Jinniang became anxious. She thought for a moment and said, "Take me to where I work."

She wanted to find Shopkeeper Jin and Sister Wang to ask them what to do next.

Most likely, she would marry the man beside her, but how to marry was a personal issue.

She still wanted to wear a wedding dress and have a proper wedding.

"Okay!" Jin Xiaoshu immediately agreed. He also wanted to tell his sister. He was getting married!

He was getting married! Fang Jinniang was going to marry him!

It felt like a dream!

Jin Xiaoshu felt like jumping up again.

At this moment, Fang Jinniang asked Jin Xiaoshu, "By the way, what's your name?"

Her mind had been in such a mess earlier that she had forgotten to ask the man's name.

Jin Xiaoshu was puzzled, "My name is Jin Xiaoshu!" His sister was always with Fang Jinniang, so she must have mentioned his name, right?

He had even gone to Sister Wang's house to work yesterday!

Fang Jinniang was dumbfounded, "Your name is Jin Xiaoshu? Are you Jin Xiaoye's younger brother?"

Jin Xiaoshu nodded, "Yes! Jinniang, I liked you the first time I saw you…"

Fang Jinniang froze, "How old are you?"

Jin Xiaoye was a year younger than her. Jin Xiaoye's younger brother… she remembered Sister Wang mentioning, was almost the same age as her daughter…

Jin Xiaoshu said, "I just turned nineteen this year!" They counted age in lunar years here, so he was currently eighteen.

Speaking of age… he will be seventeen in a month!

"What about actual age?" Fang Jinniang asked.

Jin Xiaoshu said, "I was born at the end of the year. In another month, I'll be seventeen… I'm not young anymore!"

Fang Jinniang had originally wanted to go find Jin Xiaoye, but now she was a bit afraid to.

On the other side, Jin Xiaoye and Sister Wang were wondering, "Didn't Jinniang say she was coming for breakfast? Why hasn't she arrived yet?"

Yesterday, Fang Jinniang told Jin Xiaoye that she wanted to have breakfast at Sister Wang's house. Jin Xiaoye then realized that Fang Jinniang never ate enough at home.

Fang Jinniang had a small appetite, and during lunch, she barely ate half of what she should.

Even with just this little bit, her mother still wouldn't let her eat until she was full… What kind of mother was that!

Jin Xiaoye occasionally felt that her own mother was too soft, but her mother was still very good to her. She would rather go hungry herself than let Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu go hungry.

With everyone not eating enough, it's no wonder Fang Jinniang was so thin.

Fang Jinniang was quite pretty, just too thin. Jin Xiaoye felt that if this girl gained a little weight, she would definitely be a top beauty!

Jin Xiaoye always thought eating was important. Not eating enough would make one weak. Therefore, yesterday she specifically asked Sister Wang to steam an egg for Fang Jinniang in the morning.

But when the usual time Fang Jinniang would come arrived, she still hadn't shown up.

Was she delayed by something? Jin Xiaoye and Sister Wang waited a while longer, but she still didn't come.

Today, Jin Xiaoye had to cut the fabric she bought yesterday, so she was actually quite busy. But she couldn't sit still anymore. "I'll go to Fang's house and check."

Yesterday, Fang Jinniang took five coins back home… Did her mother think it wasn't enough and beat her?

Five coins were almost seven hundred wen, enough to buy several hundred kilograms of rice or several tens of kilograms of meat, enough to feed several Fang Jinniangs. Normally, her mother shouldn't think it's too little.

But her mother… she wasn't normal at all!

"I'll go too!" Sister Wang liked to join in the fun. Before, because the men in her family were often away and didn't interact much with people, she used to be worried all the time. But since she started doing business with Jin Xiaoye, she became more lively.

So Jin Xiaoye took Sister Wang with her.

Meanwhile, Fang Jinniang was still standing on the road, contemplating life.

She had taken a risk before by bringing home a man she didn't know much about.

But she didn't expect that in pulling someone, she would pull Jin Xiaoshu.

For her, Jin Xiaoshu wasn't a stranger anymore. She had worked at Sister Wang's place for a month, occasionally listening to Jin Xiaoye and Sister Wang chatting about Jin Xiaoshu's situation, so she knew quite a bit.

And she always felt that Jin Xiaoshu was a good kid.

According to Jin Xiaoye, when she was recuperating after giving birth, Jin Xiaoshu was just over ten years old but still found ways to get her food, helped her with diaper changes, and even tore his own bedsheet to use as diapers for the kittens.

And recently… Jin Xiaoshu had been working hard to sell things. According to Jin Xiaoye, he wanted to save money to marry a wife.

Fang Jinniang thought Jin Xiaoshu, like this, was quite good, but Jin Xiaoshu was still too young!

She wanted a brother like Jin Xiaoshu, but she never thought of making Jin Xiaoshu her husband!

Before, when she saw Jin Xiaoshu's face, although she thought he should be quite young, she also felt he should be around twenty years old. She was a bit older, but what's wrong with a woman being a little older than her husband?

But now? He was almost eight years younger than her!

"Jinniang, let's go quickly. I want to tell my sister this good news." Jin Xiaoshu reached out to hold Fang Jinniang's hand.

He had already done it once before, so Jin Xiaoshu was a bit bolder now. But even so, when he did it, he still couldn't help but blush.

Fang Jinniang's hand was so soft!

He never imagined he would have a chance to marry Fang Jinniang!

Up until now, Jin Xiaoshu's mind was chaotic. It was no longer his brain, but porridge.

Hearing Jin Xiaoshu mention "sister," Fang Jinniang became even less willing to go.

"Jinniang?" Jin Xiaoshu asked, then couldn't help but touch Fang Jinniang's hand. No wonder his brother-in-law liked touching his sister's hand; it was really nice to touch!

Jin Xiaoshu admired his brother-in-law from the bottom of his heart. He had learned from his brother-in-law and held onto Fang Jinniang's hand without letting go.

As for the people around… a teenager of sixteen or seventeen years old, with the person he liked standing in front of him, how could he care about that?

Actually, the people around didn't pay much attention. It was just a young person holding hands… who hadn't done that before?

"Jin Xiaoshu! What are you doing?!" Jin Xiaoye's voice suddenly sounded, and Jin Xiaoshu turned his head to see his sister.

Jin Xiaoye was furious, glaring at Jin Xiaoshu. Anyone seeing their little brother being flirtatious with a girl on the street wouldn't stay calm.

Jin Xiaoye had come to find Fang Jinniang, but her little brother was holding Fang Jinniang's hand and touching it!

"Sister!" Jin Xiaoshu grinned. "Jinniang agreed to marry me!"

Jin Xiaoye slapped Jin Xiaoshu's shoulder with a smack and then froze after slapping him. "What did you say?"

At this moment, Fang Jinniang instinctively stood in front of Jin Xiaoshu and said, "Shopkeeper Jin, I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

Jin Xiaoshu was as old as her little brother. This time, she was the one who dragged Jin Xiaoshu into this mess, so Fang Jinniang felt she needed to take responsibility.

Jin Xiaoye was a bit slow to react to the situation. Meanwhile, Jin Xiaoshu just wanted to clarify things with his sister: "Sis, don't you know I've liked someone for a while now? I like Jinniang!"

Before, when Fang Jinniang mentioned Jin Xiaoshu as her future husband, she didn't blush. But now, she was blushing to the extreme, feeling extremely embarrassed.

As for Jin Xiaoye… she remembered Jin Xiaoshu delivering food to someone every day a while back. Was it for Fang Jinniang?

How did she not notice it before?

And… was Fang Jinniang nearsighted? She actually fell for her little brother?

Alright, it seems that Fang Jinniang indeed has poor eyesight.

Jin Xiaoye had been spending time with Fang Jinniang for a month and found herself liking her more and more.

Aside from being gentle and beautiful, Fang Jinniang could read and sew well.

In fact, Fang Jinniang's biggest problem was her eyesight, but it wasn't congenital, and she could manage her life independently, so it wasn't a big deal.

Jin Xiaoye thought that if she were a man, she would definitely be willing to marry a girl like Fang Jinniang, but the likelihood of that happening was low.

So… how did her brother manage to get Fang Jinniang to agree to marry him?

Just with those bits and pieces of snacks?

If Fang Jinniang really wanted to eat, she could have used the money she earned to buy some.

"Sis, I want to get married. You said before that when I get married, you'll give my wife a gold ring, hehe…" Jin Xiaoshu's thoughts became more and more idyllic.

Jin Xiaoye glared at him and said, "Let's go home first."

"Yeah, let's go home first," Sister Wang also chimed in. It wasn't appropriate to talk about such things on the street!

With that in mind, Sister Wang couldn't help but glance at Jin Xiaoshu. She had thought about making Jin Xiaoshu her son-in-law yesterday, but she didn't expect that just one day later, Jin Xiaoshu would be with Fang Jinniang.

The four of them returned to Wang Jie's house. Jin Xiaoye left Jin Xiaoshu behind and took Fang Jinniang to the kitchen. "Jinniang, what's going on? Did Xiaoshu bully you?"

Fang Jinniang looked guilty. "Shopkeeper Jin, I'm really sorry, it's all my fault…"

After apologizing, Fang Jinniang explained everything: "He… he used to bring me food every morning, but he would just throw it into my basket and leave. I never saw his face clearly. Yesterday…"

Fang Jinniang didn't mention the time when she wanted to end her life, only that her mother forced her to marry Mr. Wang, and she had no choice but to bring Jin Xiaoshu to see her mother.

After briefly explaining, Fang Jinniang apologized again, "Shopkeeper Jin, I'm really sorry."

Originally, Fang Jinniang had intended to marry Jin Xiaoshu, but after knowing his age, she felt embarrassed.

Jin Xiaoshu was too young.

"You don't have to apologize to me. It was Xiaoshu who liked you first." Jin Xiaoye said.

After hearing Jin Xiaoye's words, Fang Jinniang felt a little less anxious.

Jin Xiaoye continued, "Jinniang, now that you've brought Xiaoshu home, you probably can only marry him. I know my little brother isn't worthy of you…"

"No, no…" Fang Jinniang hurriedly said.

Jin Xiaoye smiled, "That's good. I was worried you'd look down on him! Since everything's settled, I'll have my parents prepare for the wedding. As for you… Jinniang, I'll find you a place to stay. You can temporarily stay at Mr. Zhu's house, how about that?"

After hearing Fang Jinniang's explanation, Jin Xiaoye guessed roughly what had happened.

It seemed that her brother had seen Fang Jinniang the day he was beaten by Zhang Yunquan's men and liked her. She remembered that day Jin Xiaoshu had asked her about Fang Jinniang.

She had mentioned Fang Jinniang's situation, but she hadn't mentioned Fang Jinniang's poor eyesight.

And then, for the past month, her brother has been going to Fang Jinniang every day to deliver things. Something must have happened, and the day before yesterday, he suddenly felt that Fang Jinniang didn't like him…

As for what happened… it probably was just that he met Fang Jinniang, and Fang Jinniang didn't respond to him because she couldn't see.

She said that her brother had been so happy doing chores yesterday… was it because Fang Jinniang smiled at him?

She remembered that Fang Jinniang had praised her brother for being diligent… No wonder he sang all the way home!

In reality, Fang Jinniang had never really seen people clearly.

Realizing this, Jin Xiaoye felt like teasing her brother.

But for now, the most pressing issue was the sudden marriage between Fang Jinniang and her brother.

Fang Jinniang brought her brother home and threatened their mother to separate from the Fang family, which was quite effective.

Although Fang Jinniang didn't go into detail, Jin Xiaoye could guess her original plan—after leaving the Fang family, as long as Fang Jinniang got married immediately, neither her mother nor Mr. Wang could do anything to her.

It was indeed a good plan. As long as her brother took Fang Jinniang back to Miaoqian Village… with so many people in their village, could Mr. Wang really come to snatch a bride?

For the sake of saving face, Mr. Wang couldn't stoop to such behavior.

Moreover, Mr. Wang was just a boat operator with only a few boats for rent, all of which were small. He couldn't even compare to Wu Baichuan, let alone Zhu Qian. He didn't have the capability to cause trouble for others.

However, for Fang Jinniang, this was actually not a good situation.

If Fang Jinniang followed them back to Miaoqian Village like this… even if everyone thought it was a blessing for Jin Xiaoshu to marry Fang Jinniang, they would inevitably gossip.

Her paternal aunts and her grandmother were not easy to deal with, not to mention her great-aunt…

Back then, it wasn't just Li Qingzhi who wanted to marry her. The other family offered an even higher betrothal gift. Her grandmother wanted to marry her to the other family, but she insisted on marrying Li Qingzhi… After her grandmother accepted the betrothal gift, she didn't give her a single penny of dowry.

It was different with Jin Moli. The betrothal gifts from the Yao family were all intended as dowry for her.

If Fang Jinniang went to the Jin family like this, who knew what her grandmother's attitude would be?

Jin Xiaoye thought the best solution was to find a place for Fang Jinniang to settle in the county town, and then let her brother marry Fang Jinniang.

But renting a house definitely wouldn't work. If Fang's mother brought relatives to take Fang Jinniang back forcibly, Fang Jinniang would be doomed.

Once in the hands of Fang's mother, Fang Jinniang wouldn't be able to threaten her mother with Fang Zijian anymore. If Fang's mother sent her to the Wang family, there would be no way out even if the magistrate came.

However, Li Qingzhi had told her that she could seek help from Mr. Zhu if there was any trouble… It wouldn't be a problem for Fang Jinniang to stay at the Zhu family's house for a few days.

Fang Jinniang's staying with the Zhu family meant that others couldn't do anything about it.

For the sake of her son, Fang's mother definitely wouldn't dare go to the yamen to lodge a complaint, right?

"Zhu family?" Fang Jinniang was a bit puzzled.

Jin Xiaoye explained, "That's right, my husband has a relationship with Mr. Zhu. You can stay at the Zhu family for a few days first, and then I'll have my brother marry you grandly. Ah, Xiaoshu is really lucky, getting hit by a pie falling from the sky!"

Fang Jinniang intentionally didn't say much, as if she could refuse to marry Jin Xiaoshu, but Jin Xiaoye knew that if she didn't marry, her future life would be very difficult.

And Jin Xiaoshu really liked Fang Jinniang. Fang Jinniang was also a good girl, and Jin Xiaoye hoped Fang Jinniang could marry Jin Xiaoshu.

Seeing Fang Jinniang still a little confused, Jin Xiaoye analyzed it for her in detail again.

Fang Jinniang hadn't cried all day, but at this moment, she couldn't help but cry: "Thank you, Shopkeeper Jin." Jin Xiaoye had arranged everything so well that Fang Jinniang couldn't find fault with anything.

"Don't cry, it's not good to cry anymore." Jin Xiaoye reached out and wiped away the tears from Fang Jinniang's face.

Fang Jinniang's face was so tender, it was almost as tender as the skin of a newborn baby!

Thinking like this, Jin Xiaoye pinched her again.

She had always wanted to pinch the face of a beauty, but she hadn't dared to do so before. This time, she finally got to do it!

Fang Jinniang responded with a nod, indicating that she wouldn't cry anymore, her tearful eyes were looking at Jin Xiaoye.

After Fang Jinniang calmed down, Jin Xiaoye took her hand and said, "Let me take you to the Zhu family." Fang Jinniang's hand was also very tender, completely different from hers! Well, Fang Jinniang used to embroider at home, never doing any physical labor like them, so of course it was different.

Speaking of which, Fang Jinniang's hands were really nice to touch, while hers were so rough!

She wondered why Li Qingzhi liked to touch her hands.

Outside, Jin Xiaoye saw Jin Xiaoshu sitting there stupidly, and when she saw them coming out, his eyes were glued to Fang Jinniang: "Jinniang, uh, sister…"

This was definitely a guy who had gotten married and forgotten about his sister! Jin Xiaoye said, "Jinniang has been abducted by you. She has nowhere to stay temporarily. I plan to send her to the Zhu family. Please escort us there."

"Ah, okay!" Jin Xiaoshu snapped out of his daze, immediately nodding, feeling a bit annoyed—how could he have forgotten that Fang Jinniang had nowhere to stay!

But why did Fang Jinniang have to stay at the Zhu family's house? Couldn't she stay at his sister's house?

Forget it, he would just listen to whatever his sister said, or else she would beat him up.

Seeing Fang Jinniang, Jin Xiaoshu couldn't help but smile again, and then Jin Xiaoye kicked his shin: "Come to your senses and row the boat!"

"I'll go right away." Jin Xiaoshu then hurried out.

Jin Xiaoshu rowed the boat, taking Jin Xiaoye and Fang Jinniang near the Zhu family's place. After parking the boat, he escorted them to the entrance of the Zhu family.

The area where the Zhu family lived was inhabited by wealthy people from Chongcheng County. The alley was exceptionally clean, with not a single weed on the courtyard walls.

The main gate for the Zhu family was open. Jin Xiaoye didn't enter but instead said to the gatekeeper, "Is Mr. Zhu at home? I am the wife of Li Qingzhi. I have something to discuss with Mr. Zhu."

"Oh, so you're Mr. Li's wife. Please come in and have some tea while I inform my master." The gatekeeper smiled as soon as Jin Xiaoye mentioned her name. Mr. Zhu had specifically instructed them to be polite if they encountered Li Qingzhi or anyone from his family.

After saying this, the gatekeeper warmly led them inside.

Li Qingzhi had previously told Jin Xiaoye that she could seek help from the Zhu family if needed, but Jin Xiaoye hadn't expected such hospitality upon arrival.

The three of them were taken to a side hall of the Zhu family's residence. Servants not only served them tea but also brought some snacks. Li Qingzhi had often brought snacks from the Zhu family home before, and Jin Xiaoshu had tasted these glutinous rice balls before.

Being his age, Jin Xiaoshu had a particularly good appetite. He was still very greedy for good food that he hadn't tasted before.

Whenever Li Qingzhi shared food with him in the past, he would be happy for a long time, praising it endlessly.

However, for the past month, he hadn't eaten any of the food Li Qingzhi gave him; he gave it all to Fang Jinniang. He even spent his own money to buy some things that he thought Fang Jinniang would like.

Now, seeing these snacks, he immediately said to Fang Jinniang, "Jinniang, these snacks are delicious. You should try them."

Seeing Fang Jinniang not moving, he took one and brought it to her mouth.

Fang Jinniang opened her mouth and ate it, saying, "It's very tasty."

Jin Xiaoshu smiled again at her words. "Eat a little more."

Jin Xiaoye also said, "Yes, Jinniang, you haven't eaten anything this morning, right? Eat more. Oh, I was so anxious I forgot to let you eat before coming!"

She was afraid that Fang's mother would cause trouble, forgetting to let Fang Jinniang eat before coming.

"It's okay, I'm not hungry. I still have a bag of chestnuts here," Fang Jinniang took out the chestnuts that Jin Xiaoshu had given her in the morning. "Shopkeeper Jin, these are bought by Xiaoshu. You should have some too."

Jin Xiaoye glared at Jin Xiaoshu. He had been freeloading at their house for some time now, but he never bought anything for them to eat!

Unfortunately, Jin Xiaoshu was too focused on looking at Fang Jinniang and didn't notice his sister's gaze at all.

Forget it, let's not dwell on it! Jin Xiaoye grabbed some chestnuts and started eating.

While they were eating, Zhu Qian arrived.

Just a few days ago, Zhu Qian became the president of the Chongcheng County Chamber of Commerce. Consequently, he had been particularly busy these days, meeting many people.

However, even so, when he heard that Li Qingzhi's wife wanted to see him, he put aside his work and came over.

Upon arrival, Zhu Qian saw them eating and couldn't help but smile. Li Qingzhi's family members were indeed similar to Li Qingzhi himself!

After exchanging greetings, Jin Xiaoye didn't hide anything and explained Fang Jinniang's situation, then asked, "Mr. Zhu, can Jinniang stay at the mansion for a few days?"

"Of course," Zhu Qian readily agreed.

The Zhu family had many houses, so it wasn't a problem to accommodate a girl for a few days.

As for the trouble with Fang Jinniang… Zhu Qian didn't see it as much of an issue at all.

As for Mr. Wang's side, a simple notification would suffice; he certainly wouldn't dare to pursue it. And as for Fang Jinniang's mother, she was just an ordinary woman, what could she possibly do?

However, this young couple from the Li family was quite interesting. Li Qingzhi had previously brought Zhao Mancang, who had been sold by his own father, to their home. Today, Jin Xiaoye brought Fang Jinniang, who had almost been sold by her mother, to them.

Zhu Qian was quite pleased with this. In a way, Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye's willingness to help others showed that they were good people.

He naturally preferred to associate with good people.

Zhu Qian immediately arranged accommodations for Fang Jinniang, placing her in his daughter's courtyard. He personally escorted Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu out.

As he saw them off, Zhu Qian even handed them a large box of snacks.

Once they were outside, Jin Xiaoshu couldn't help but say, "Sis, Master Zhu is really a good person!"

Jin Xiaoye replied, "Indeed, Master Zhu is indeed a good person. But his willingness to help is all because of your brother-in-law. You should remember the kindness of your brother-in-law."

"I will definitely remember!" Jin Xiaoshu said.

Jin Xiaoye added, "By the way, Xiaoshu, Jinniang's eyesight isn't very good… did you know?"

"Huh?" Jin Xiaoshu looked puzzled.

Jin Xiaoye had already guessed that he didn't know. Fang Jinniang's poor eyesight wasn't a secret; it was known by everyone in the neighborhood. But Jin Xiaoshu definitely wouldn't have inquired about Fang Jinniang from others; she hadn't said anything…

Jin Xiaoye explained how Fang's mother had made Fang Jinniang constantly do needlework in the past few years, causing her eyesight to deteriorate: "During her growing years, excessive use of the eyes can easily damage them. Jinniang's eyes got damaged, and she can only see a blurry outline. She couldn't even see clearly what you looked like when you brought her food before."

Jin Xiaoshu felt as if he had been struck by lightning at her words.

Jin Xiaoye frowned, "What? Do you dislike her?"

"No, no." Jin Xiaoshu shook his head repeatedly, feeling both distressed and regretful, "How could her mother be so cruel! Sis, Jinniang has never seen me clearly. Does that mean she doesn't like me at all? Then… then…"

Previously, Jin Xiaoshu had thought that Fang Jinniang liked him, which made him especially happy, but now it seems that he had misunderstood…

Thinking of this, Jin Xiaoshu felt quite uncomfortable.

"No matter whether she saw you clearly or not, she wants to marry you. What about you? Don't you want to marry her?" Jin Xiaoye asked.

"I want to marry her!" Jin Xiaoshu immediately said.

"Wanting to marry her is good. It's your blessing to be able to marry her," Jin Xiaoye said. "Since things have come to this, I'll accompany you back home and tell our parents about this."

With such a big event happening… After settling in Fang Jinniang, it was still better for them to go home for a while.

Jin Xiaoye also thought she should tell Li Qingzhi about this.

Previously, after Zhang Yunquan's men beat up Jin Xiaoshu, Li Qingzhi somehow managed to send Zhang Yunquan and his men to jail… Jin Xiaoye thought Li Qingzhi was particularly powerful.

So, without further ado, Jin Xiaoye told Jin Xiaoshu to go back to the village immediately.

After such an incident, Jin Xiaoshu had no mood to do business anymore. He quickly rowed the boat in the direction of Miaoqian Village.

When they arrived at Miaoqian Village, it was just around noon.

With not much work in the fields lately, some villagers had gone to the county town to work, while most stayed at home to rest. As the two of them made their way home, they saw many people sitting at their doorsteps, basking in the sun.

Seeing them, the villagers were quite curious: "Xiaoye, why are you back so early today?"

"Something's up." Jin Xiaoye hurried home and found Li Qingzhi eating while reading.

"Xiaoye, what's wrong?" Li Qingzhi asked with concern when he saw Jin Xiaoye.

"Xiaoshu and Jinniang are together!" Jin Xiaoye exclaimed.

Li Qingzhi was somewhat surprised. "What happened?"

Jin Xiaoye glanced at Jin Xiaoshu, who proceeded to explain everything about him and Fang Jinniang.

Li Qingzhi had known for a while that Jin Xiaoshu had someone he liked, but it was only now that he learned it was Fang Jinniang.

Fang Jinniang was indeed very beautiful, so it wasn't surprising that a young man like Jin Xiaoshu would like her. As for this situation…

"Xiaoye, just tell them outside that Xiaoshu and Fang Jinniang are in love, but the Fang family disapproves because Xiaoshu is poor, causing a rift between Fang Jinniang and her family." It was better not to involve the Wang family in this.

"That's what I was thinking!" Jin Xiaoye agreed.

"Then, Xiaoye, go tell your parents," Li Qingzhi smiled at Jin Xiaoye, "Tell them to prepare quickly and arrange the wedding."

"I'll go now!" Jin Xiaoye intended to take Jin Xiaoshu and leave.

However, Li Qingzhi held onto Jin Xiaoshu. "Xiaoye, you go alone. I have something to discuss with Xiaoshu."

As for Jin Xiaoshu's marriage, he could handle it alone.

Jin Xiaoye didn't object and left quickly. Once Jin Xiaoye had gone, Li Qingzhi turned to Jin Xiaoshu. "Xiaoshu, let's go for a walk."

Jin Xiaoshu had experienced a lot today, and his mind was still in turmoil. He followed Li Qingzhi outside, and soon they were in an open area.

At that moment, Li Qingzhi spoke seriously, "Xiaoshu, Fang Jinniang was very close to losing her life just now!"

"What?" Jin Xiaoshu looked at Li Qingzhi in shock.

Li Qingzhi continued, "Didn't she say in front of her mother that she wanted to die? She wasn't just saying it; she must have seriously considered it."

Jin Xiaoshu felt a bit scared at his words.

Li Qingzhi added, "Xiaoshu, she can't see clearly, and when she didn't greet you on the road, you thought she didn't like you, but you didn't bother to ask her for clarification… If you hadn't gone to your sister's yesterday or didn't bring her anything today, she might have already gone to end her life."

Jin Xiaoshu realized that what his brother-in-law said was very likely true, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Brother-in-law…"

"Xiaoshu, in this world, women have a hard time. Fang Jinniang is going to marry you. Treat her well and be more tolerant. If you encounter problems in the future, don't evade them; ask and solve them." Li Qingzhi spoke slowly, offering a lot of advice.

He deliberately scared Jin Xiaoshu and said so much because he simply hoped Jin Xiaoshu would mature and take responsibility.

Jin Xiaoshu was still quite young, and Li Qingzhi felt that it would be better for him to marry in a few years. But since things had come to this, they could only go along with it.

Generally speaking…

If Jin Xiaoshu could pity and care for Fang Jinniang, handle problems without causing a fuss, and be willing to solve them, then their marriage wouldn't encounter issues.

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Zhu family to meet her," Li Qingzhi finally said before sending Jin Xiaoshu away.

After Jin Xiaoshu left, Li Qingzhi's mood was not very good.

For him, being able to cross into this world was a great thing. Compared to the end times, this era was undoubtedly much better.

But he still had many grievances about this era.

This era was not the rule-of-law society he had lived in before the age of eighteen. In Daqi, there were too many injustices.

The original host's father was slandered and then executed along with his entire family.

As the original host fled south, he witnessed countless tragedies.

When he arrived in Chongcheng County, it was already a relatively prosperous place where people lived in peace and contentment. But even here, they still encountered various issues.

The original host was abducted and spent five years in a stone quarry, unable to do anything to seek revenge or rescue those still imprisoned because it was owned by a prince.

Zhao Mancang was still a child, but after his father sent him to work for the Hong family, he was beaten every day and had no one to turn to for help.

And now Fang Jinniang, although she could support herself, was suffocating under the constraints of this era. She almost couldn't survive!

Li Damao and Li Ermao were playing not far away, their laughter echoing.

Li Qingzhi knew that he could beat them at will without facing any punishment because he was their father.

It was simply unreasonable!

Furthermore, the class division in this era was too clear-cut. If they offended a powerful figure, they would have a terrible fate!

Lastly… He didn't have a daughter now, but he might have one in the future. Li Damao and Li Ermao might have daughters, and what would happen to those girls then?

In Daqi, people were not equal.

The powerful are high above, while the common people are mere ants. Once they fall to the lowest level, it's inevitable that it becomes a survival of the fittest.

Children, the elderly, and women, these are all the weak ones. On the journey the original host took while fleeing, these people were the first to die. Unless there were strong individuals willing to protect them.

Well, he was thinking too much.

For him now, the most important thing was to live his own life well and, within his capabilities, do some good.

For example, at this moment, he could worry about Jin Xiaoshu and Fang Jinniang's marriage, ensuring that Fang Jinniang could have a better life in the future. Also, there was Fang Jinniang's younger sister, Fang Xiuniang, whom he could try to help.

Speaking of which… Fang Jinniang's severe myopia was actually a minor problem that could be easily cured for him.

His ability could alter the human body to a certain extent.

He could change his own body, so naturally, he could change others' bodies as well. At most, it would consume more of his ability. Regarding Fang Jinniang's myopia, he could slightly alter her crystalline lens with his ability, and then Fang Jinniang would be able to see clearly.

However, if he really did this, he might expose his ability, so he wouldn't easily do it.

The original host's father was only a county magistrate, but he ended up being executed along with his entire family. Li Qingzhi, who cherished his life, still dared to take the imperial examination and prepare to enter officialdom. On one hand, this was because it wasn't necessarily safe to be an ordinary citizen, and on the other hand, it was because he had an ability.

As long as he didn't die suddenly due to unforeseen circumstances, even if he got into a dispute… as long as he revealed his ability and helped people with their ailments, someone would definitely protect him.

But doing so was very dangerous, and his ability had been greatly weakened after coming to this world. It had been so long, and he hadn't even fully healed his own body… Unless it was a matter of life and death, he wouldn't choose this path.

Those people might not harm him directly, but they would harm his loved ones to force him. If he couldn't heal the powerful due to his weakened ability, what would be the fate of his loved ones?