My Husband Comes from the Future

by Usui Takumii

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

8. 71 to 80

Chapter 71: Previous Life

Li Qingzhi regained his thoughts and glanced at his slender arms and legs, sighing inwardly.

He had examined Jin Xiaoye's body before. Jin Xiaoye had overworked himself in the past few years, leading to some depletion in his body. But now, Li Qingzhi doesn't have the energy to help Jin Xiaoye with treatment.

However, Jin Xiaoye was still young. With proper rest and nutrition, he would gradually recover.

As for helping Fang Jinniang with her nearsightedness, Li Qingzhi couldn't do much. Treatment for nearsightedness didn't require many special abilities, but with his current capabilities, he would still need several attempts to cure her. Moreover, treatment required physical contact.

This was ancient times. Could he even hold Fang Jinniang's hand? No, he couldn't!

Fang Jinniang only had nearsightedness, which didn't pose a life-threatening risk. It could wait.

Actually… instead of thinking about using his abilities to treat Fang Jinniang, he might as well think about how to produce glass and make glasses in the future.

There was no glass in Daqi. He had been penniless before and couldn't produce glass. But now that he knew Zhu Qian, couldn't he ask Zhu Qian to find someone and try to make glass?

Of course, not now. He had to wait a bit longer.

Zhu Qian had just taken over as the head of the Chamber of Commerce, and the Guo County Magistrate hadn't completely consolidated his power yet. The timing wasn't right.

Li Qingzhi walked towards Li Damao and Li Ermao, hugging the two children tightly.

His sons were really adorable!

He must protect them well!

Li Damao and Li Ermao were momentarily stunned by the sudden "attack," then they went to hug Li Qingzhi.

They loved being close to Li Qingzhi!

Nowadays, which child in the village doesn't envy them for having such a good father?

Yao Xiaobao from next door was playing with them, looking envious.

Yao Xiaobao was actually his nickname; Yao Zhenfu had given this son a very nice formal name, but everyone was used to calling him by his nickname, so no one used the formal name.

"Let's take little Bao with us to play," Li Qingzhi said after hugging Li Damao and Li Ermao.

Li Damao and Li Ermao took Yao Xiaobao to play, while Zhao Xiaodou watched them from the side.

Yao Xiaobao was usually closely watched by Jin Moli and rarely played with Li Damao and Li Ermao. Today, since Jin Moli had gone back to her mother's home, he came over to play at Li's house.

Although Jin Moli and Yao Zhenfu didn't like the Li family, he actually quite liked it.

Upon returning home, Li Qingzhi saw Jin Xiaoshu sitting there, lost in thought.

"Let's go," Li Qingzhi said.

"Where to?" Jin Xiaoshu asked.

"To your house," Li Qingzhi replied.

The two walked towards the Jin family.

Meanwhile, at the Jin family's house…

The Jin family was quite lively today. Two relatives had brought their daughters to the door, hoping to arrange a marriage with Jin Xiaoshu.

Jin Xiaoshu was considered a decent young man in the Miaoqian Village, and now news has spread that Jin Xiaoye is earning ten taels of silver a month…

Unless one had the ability to marry their daughter off to the city, Jin Xiaoshu was already the best choice among ordinary families in the village.

The two relatives who came to the Jin family were a sister of Grandma Jin, who brought her granddaughter, and another was an aunt of Uncle Jin, who brought her daughter.

Initially, these two families had some reservations. Mainly because Jin Xiaoshu listened to Jin Xiaoye a lot, and since Jin Xiaoye wasn't doing well, they feared Jin Xiaoshu might have to continuously support him in the future.

Before, when Jin Xiaoshu went to support the boat, in their eyes, he was just doing unpaid labor for Jin Xiaoye.

But if Jin Xiaoye could earn ten taels a month… Jin Xiaoshu definitely wasn't doing unpaid labor by supporting the boat!

Jin Xiaoshu indeed treated Jin Xiaoye well, but Jin Xiaoye also loved his younger brother very much. Now that Jin Xiaoye had money, he was willing to support Li Qingzhi to study. Why wouldn't she help Jin Xiaoshu?

They had just received the news yesterday, and today these two families had both come over.

In addition, Jin Moli had also returned from her mother's house after learning that her mother wanted to marry her cousin to Jin Xiaoshu.

She also wanted to marry her cousin to Jin Xiaoshu.

In her past life, Jin Xiaoshu's business was doing well, very wealthy, making her three brothers seem worthless.

If her cousin could marry Jin Xiaoshu, their future would definitely be good, and they could also benefit.

In her memory, after Jin Xiaoshu became rich, he took his father to live in the city and gave their family's land to them for free. Besides that, he didn't give them anything else! But if Jin Xiaoshu married her cousin, he would surely help her brothers a bit, right?

Mainly because, in her past life, Jin Xiaoshu's relationship with his wife wasn't good.

In her past life, around this time, the Yao family… or rather, Jin Xiaoye, had already started doing business.

At that time, Jin Xiaoye didn't sell head flowers; the business he was doing was completely different from now. It was because of this that she initially didn't realize that the Yao family's money was earned by Jin Xiaoye.

She remembered that at that time, the Yao family would cook at home, and then Mr. Yao's would row the boat to the pier to sell it.

Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu had both learned some skills from Jin Dajiang. The food they made was delicious and affordable, so business was quite good. Later on, Jin Xiaoye came up with a kind of braised snack and opened a shop in Chongcheng County.

At that time, they didn't actually have much money, but later…

Jin Moli remembered that before she passed away, thirty years later, Jin Xiaoye had a shop in the capital!

He made braised snacks here in Chongcheng County, loaded the boat early in the morning, and sold them in the capital, and they were always sold out.

At that time, the highest standard of hospitality for people from the surrounding villages of Chongcheng County was to buy some snacks from Yao Ji.

If they couldn't afford braised chicken or duck, buying some braised tofu or eggs was also quite decent. Initially, Jin Xiaoshu helped Jin Xiaoye transport goods, but later on… he got some boats and opened a shipping company.

Jin Xiaoye was very capable, and Jin Xiaoshu was not bad either.

Jin Xiaoye had a bad relationship with Yao Zhenfu, and they almost never returned to the village together, and Jin Xiaoshu was almost the same.

By this time in the past life, the Yao family had already earned some money. Jin Xiaoshu helped with cooking and selling food at the Yao family's place, earning income every day.

So her grandmother and her mother both wanted to marry their relatives to Jin Xiaoshu.

But her mother's words were not pleasant, Jin Xiaoshu didn't like her mother, so later he married a relative of her grandmother, a girl named Jiang Chunfeng.

At first, Jin Xiaoshu and Jiang Chunfeng had a good relationship, but Jiang Chunfeng… her grandmother especially liked this daughter-in-law, and Jiang Chunfeng didn't do any work at the Jin family's house, just pleasing her grandmother.

Jiang Chunfeng also liked to use her grandmother to suppress Jin Xiaoshu, and she wasn't good to Jin Xiaoshu's parents either, making Jin Xiaoshu's mother wash her clothes.

Of course, Jiang Chunfeng behaved like this because Jin Xiaoshu's mother was a soft-hearted person.

In short, their relationship got worse and worse later on. Jin Xiaoshu's mother was exhausted. After falling and breaking her leg, she passed away early, and they couldn't stand each other anymore.

But by that time, they both had children, so they still lived together. It had just been heard that Jin Xiaoshu had someone outside, but no one knew the details.

Even if Jin Xiaoshu didn't like her, Jiang Chunfeng's life was still very good. She was taken care of and enjoyed life in the county.

If her cousin could marry Jin Xiaoshu…

Jin Moli went back to her mother's house early in the morning and asked her mother to be a bit nicer when facing Jin Xiaoshu, not to offend him.

Jin's aunt didn't think so. Even if Jin Xiaoye could earn money now, she didn't think much of this brother and sister. She even felt that Jin Xiaoshu was not worthy of her niece.

"Mom, Jin Xiaoshu and Jin Xiaoye have earned a lot. Even if you don't flatter them, don't rush to offend them."

"How have I offended them?" Jin's aunt was unhappy.

Actually, Jin Moli didn't think her mother had done anything wrong either. After all, her mother had always been like that to Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu, but she still advised her mother and told her cousin how good Jin Xiaoshu was.

She even lied: "Jin Xiaoshu earns quite a bit by supporting the boat. He can earn one or two taels of silver a month!"

Jin Moli's cousin's eyes lit up.

"You're prettier than Jiang Chunfeng. Be proactive when the time comes…" Jin Moli continued to advise. In her past life, her cousin had heard a lot of bad things about Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu from her mother, so she wasn't willing to marry Jin Xiaoshu and didn't take the initiative at all.

Later on, when Jin Xiaoshu became successful… her cousin must have regretted it a lot.

As Jin Moli was speaking, Jin Xiaoye suddenly returned, and she directly found Grandma Jin: "Grandma, I've arranged a marriage for Xiaoshu."

"What? Jin Xiaoye, when is it your turn to arrange a marriage for your younger brother?" Grandma Jin was furious.

Jin Xiaoye didn't listen to her when she got married herself, and now she even wants to meddle in Jin Xiaoshu's marriage!

"What else can I do if I don't say it? Xiaoshu has eloped with a young lady from the scholar's family, and it's become a big deal!" Jin Xiaoye said.

The Jin family was dumbfounded. "What?"

The fact that Fang Jinniang had left the Fang family couldn't be concealed. The people in Miaoqian Village would know sooner or later, and by now, there should be many busybodies spreading this news in the county!

Jin Xiaoye continued: "Xiaoshu likes Miss Fang from the Fang family. He brings her food every day. Miss Fang is innocent and willing to marry him. After coaxing her, he even brought her home. But Miss Fang's mother disagrees. Now Miss Fang is angry with her mother and has gone to stay with relatives… Many people know about this. Xiaoshu's marriage with her needs to be done quickly."

Jin Xiaoye downplayed the situation and introduced the situation of the Fang family and Fang Jinniang: "Miss Fang's father was a scholar before he died, and Miss Fang is skilled in embroidery. She can earn one or two taels of silver a month just by embroidering."

The Jin family gasped in shock.

In Miaoqian Village, there were indeed girls who were fortunate enough to marry in the county town, but there hadn't been any man in the village who could marry a girl from the county town!

Jin Xiaoshu was actually looked upon by the daughter of a scholar living in the county town? What luck was this!

"Miss Fang looks so good, and she can read… I don't know how Xiaoshu managed to deceive her." Jin Xiaoye added.

The Jin family also pondered over this matter.

There was nothing particularly outstanding about Jin Xiaoshu, so why did the girls from the county town like him?

Among all the people, only Jin Moli felt more and more uneasy as she listened. Unable to hold back, she asked, "Is this Miss Fang from the Fang family called Fang Jinniang?"

In fact, Jin Moli wasn't someone who was well-informed about news, but she still knew about some major events in Chongcheng County.

Fang Jinniang was fine… but her sister, Fang Xiuniang, was a ruthless person who killed the scholar!

After Jin Moli's rebirth, many things changed.

For instance, Laogen from the Li family didn't die, her previous life's husband had already married someone else, and the Yao family hadn't started their business and become wealthy.

But before, the changes were all around her, related to her.

Recently, things were different. Some major events in the county have changed!

These days, her foster father kept talking about County Magistrate Gou, telling stories of how Gou had solved cases, saying how satisfying it was that Zhang Chouqian had been thrown into prison by County Magistrate Gou… None of this had happened in her previous life!

She remembered that in her previous life, Zhang Chouqian hadn't been caught at all. As a result, the price of onions skyrocketed, and because her husband couldn't afford fertilizer, their harvests suffered…

Because people in the county had to pay to have their chamber pots emptied, the county became increasingly foul-smelling.

As for County Magistrate Gou… No one had spoken well of him back then. In Zhaojia Village, where she lived, everyone cursed County Magistrate Gou.

After all, Zhao Xiaodou had died, and when they reported it to the authorities, nothing had come of it, not even from the Hong family's young master.

People in the village felt that even if he was mad, if he killed someone, he should pay with his life. They all thought County Magistrate Gou had been bribed by the Hong family.

More than a year later, because a scholar in Chongcheng County was brutally murdered, the county became filled with a stench… County Magistrate Gou was stripped of his official hat.

When County Magistrate Gou was dismissed, everyone cheered, feeling that he deserved it, but now, County Magistrate Gou has somehow become a celebrated official!

County Magistrate Gou had fallen from grace because of the scholar's murder, so Jin Moli had a deep impression of this event.

Such cases were indeed rare.

The murdered scholar's surname was Fang, and the murderer was his elder sister, Fang Xiuniang.

Fang, the scholar, had been a popular figure in Chongcheng County. He wasn't well-known originally, but after passing the county-level examination and going to the provincial capital for the imperial examination, he wrote a poem expressing how hard his mother had worked to support his education.

The poem was exceptionally well-written, and a high-ranking official in the provincial capital praised him for his filial piety. He instantly became famous and eventually passed the imperial examination.

However, just when everyone knew that their county had produced a filial scholar named Fang, his elder sister, Fang Xiuniang, killed him.

It was said that Fang Xiuniang first poisoned his food with rat poison, which didn't kill him but made him suffer continuously from diarrhea. Then, Fang Xiuniang took a pair of scissors and stabbed him to death.

After killing him, Fang Xiuniang committed suicide.

The official verdict was that Fang Xiuniang was insane when she committed the murder, but the people of Chongcheng County knew better.

It was said that Fang, the scholar, could only study because his two sisters worked tirelessly day and night on needlework. Fang's elder sister, Fang Jinniang, went blind from excessive needlework.

Then, Fang's mother sold her to a man surnamed Wang in the county as a concubine.

After Fang Jinniang went to the Wang family, she died in less than half a year. It was said that she was tortured to death by the Wang family. After this incident, Fang, the scholar, and his mother didn't pursue the matter further; they accepted compensation from the Wang family and settled the issue!

That wasn't all; after passing the imperial examination, Fang, the scholar, intended to marry Fang Xiuniang to Sun Juren as a concubine.

Yes, it was Sun Juren, the one who was practically on his deathbed, with one foot already in the grave, with white hair all over his head!

Fang Xiuniang probably couldn't bear it anymore, which led her to use scissors to kill Fang, the scholar. It was said that after that incident, Fang's mother went insane.

For Jin Moli, this was a long time ago. She remembered their names because one was called Jinniang and the other Xiuniang, combining to form the word "Jinxiu".

Wasn't Fang Jinniang sent to be a concubine for Mr. Wang after she went blind from needlework? Why would she be involved with Jin Xiaoshu?

Jin Xiaoye said, "Yes, Miss Fang is called Fang Jinniang. Do you know her?"

Jin Moli replied, "I've heard of her… I heard she's blind?" She sympathized with Fang Jinniang and Fang Xiuniang, but she still wanted Jin Xiaoshu to marry her cousin.

"She's not blind. Wasn't I helping shopkeeper Wu distribute embroidery work in the county? Fang Jinniang came to me for work. Her eyesight isn't great; she can't see things far away, but she's not blind." Jin Xiaoye spoke up for Fang Jinniang.

Jin Moli now understood how Fang Jinniang knew Jin Xiaoshu.

In her previous life, Jin Xiaoye hadn't been involved in distributing embroidery work. He had always sold food at the docks with Jin Xiaoshu, so Jin Xiaoshu didn't know Fang Jinniang. In this life, Jin Xiaoye had changed his business, and they met.

It was said that the Fang sisters were both very beautiful, so it was natural for Jin Xiaoshu to like them.

However… Fang Jinniang was the daughter of a scholar, and her brother was also a scholar. How could she like Jin Xiaoshu?

Jin Moli looked puzzled, and the others hadn't come to their senses yet.

Whether it was Grandma Jin or Jin Moli's cousin, they had only seen Jin Xiaoshu during the New Year.

At that time, Jin Xiaoshu was a skinny teenager who hadn't gone through puberty yet, even rolling his eyes at them.

Initially, they didn't particularly like Jin Xiaoshu.

But now that Jin Xiaoshu has caught the attention of the girls in the county… These two suddenly thought Jin Xiaoshu was great and felt dissatisfied!

Even Grandma Jin, who had been initially angry, felt favorable towards Fang Jinniang after hearing Jin Xiaoye's words. That girl could earn one or two silver coins a month!

Grandma Jin asked, "Do the girls from the county really like Xiaoshu?"

"How could it be false?" Jin Xiaoye said.

"You think her mother won't agree…"

"She might say it with her mouth, but if her daughter really likes him, what can her mother do?" Jin Xiaoye said. "I fell for Li Qingzhi back then, and I still got married in the end."

That makes sense… Grandma Jin was about to say something when Aunt Jin said, "There's no such thing as pie falling from the sky. Could this girl have done something shameful and needs to find a new home?"

As Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu's days got better, even their daughter told her not to offend these two. Aunt Jin was feeling quite unhappy.

Aunt Jin's words were not pleasant, and it happened that Jin Xiaoshu came in from outside at this time.

After talking with Li Qingzhi and realizing that Fang Jinniang had almost committed suicide, Jin Xiaoshu's mood had been heavy.

Although he was born in the countryside and had a tough life with little to eat and wear, his living environment was quite simple, and his parents and sister were very good to him.

Among his peers in Miaoqian Village, he was considered to be doing well.

Until today, he had only just begun to see the cruelty of reality.

Fang Jinniang had almost died!

This morning, when Fang Jinniang brought him back home, she was actually making a desperate gamble, seeking a way out? But he knew nothing, just laughing foolishly!

Jin Xiaoshu had been feeling uneasy all along. He hadn't expected that when he returned home, he would hear his own aunt orchestrating things against Fang Jinniang!

Jin Xiaoshu looked coldly at his aunt and said, "Aunt, you can't just say anything you want!"

Jin Xiaoye added, "Aunt, I heard that you insisted on marrying my uncle in the past. Could it be that you were looking for a new home?"

"You… you…" Aunt Jin was furious.

At this moment, Jin Xiaoshu looked at his unnoticeable parents and said, "Dad, Mom, I want to marry Miss Fang."

"Okay, okay." Jin Dajiang nodded repeatedly, and Jin's mother had no objections.

"It's settled then. Grandma, I remember that when our younger generation gets married, the family will provide ten taels of silver? Can you give it to me? I'll go find someone to arrange everything." Jin Xiaoshu looked at Grandma Jin.

Originally, he hadn't thought about handling this marriage himself. Among his peers in the village, marriages were mostly arranged by the elders.

But after Li Qingzhi's reminder, he started to think more.

His grandmother was getting old. If the family handled the marriage, it was likely that his aunt would take charge in the end.

There was no way around it; his mother was used to listening to others.

His aunt didn't like him, nor did she like Fang Jinniang. Who knows what she might do in the end?

Fang Jinniang was already very pitiful, with nowhere else to go. He couldn't let her suffer in his home!

"Who arranges marriages personally?" Grandma Jin was unhappy. If she handled this matter well, she could make a lot of money from it.

Jin Xiaoshu said, "I'll have my parents oversee it, so Auntie doesn't need to bother."

"Are you sure you want to marry that Fang Jinniang?" Grandma Jin, seeing Jin Xiaoshu acting like he was going to make the decision himself, became unhappy again.

Jin Xiaoye said, "Why? If you don't let Xiaoshu marry her, aren't you afraid the Fang family will come knocking at our door?"

That was definitely something to be afraid of.

The members of the Jin family looked at each other. They felt they had to go through with the marriage.

What else could they do? If the Fang family came knocking, the reputation of the Jin family would be tarnished!

Jin Xiaoshu wasn't obedient either; he definitely wouldn't want to marry someone else!

Of course, there was another point… Fang Jinniang's conditions were more than enough to match Jin Xiaoshu.

In the shortest time possible, Grandma Jin sent away Jiang Chunfeng and Jin Moli's cousin.

The two young girls looked at each other, feeling regretful.

The villagers thought the chubby girl was pretty, but as for men… they thought a tall, strong one was more attractive.

Jin Xiaoshu was already tall, and he looked sturdy. His attitude of wanting to handle the marriage himself was different from other men of his age, which made him especially likable.

Unfortunately, Jin Xiaoshu was going to marry a girl from the city!

The two dissatisfied girls left.

On the other hand, Grandma Jin took out ten taels of silver from the family's savings for Jin Xiaoshu. "This money is all your uncle's contribution to the family…"

Jin Xiaoshu had heard his grandmother say such things many times.

Indeed, his uncle earned a lot. He contributed a full guan of silver to the family every month, but they had over ten acres of land, most of which was cultivated by his father. Even now, half of it is still cultivated by his father.

Each acre of land could produce at least two taels of silver a year. With all this land, why hadn't his grandmother mentioned it?

If his father didn't work on the farm and did something else, he could earn a lot of money!

Even if his father rented land from others to farm, with so much land, they could easily support their family, and his mother wouldn't have to work so hard.

There were only a few people in their family!

"Grandma, if you think Uncle is losing out, then let's split the family." Jin Xiaoshu said.

"What nonsense are you talking about! Why would we split the family?" Grandma Jin said. "Staying together can also allow your uncle to support you."

"I don't want to burden my uncle." Jin Xiaoshu said. He didn't feel that his uncle had been supporting them. It was true that his uncle contributed money to the family, but their family didn't do much work.

And the money his uncle contributed to the family, they didn't even use!

Even these ten taels of silver… The dowry that Li Qingzhi gave to his sister was kept by his grandmother.

Grandma Jin was furious and drove Jin Xiaoshu away.

Jin Xiaoshu didn't stay; he went straight to Jin Xiaoye: "Sister, the silver I stored with you…"

Jin Xiaoshu hadn't been rowing for long, but he earned quite a bit. Especially in the past month, he had earned a lot by helping to sell goods.

In total, he had saved over six taels of silver. Jin Xiaoye rounded it up to seven taels and said, "I promised to give you a gold ring before. Wait a moment, I'll go get it for you."

Before, Zhu Qian had given Jin Xiaoye a pair of twisted silver bracelets, a gold ring, two gold earrings, and a gold necklace.

At that time, Jin Xiaoye discussed it with Li Qingzhi and said that when Jin Xiaoshu got married, she wanted to give him a silver bracelet. However, Li Qingzhi insisted on giving him a gold ring instead.

The value of the gold ring far exceeded that of the silver bracelets, which touched Jin Xiaoye. She thought Li Qingzhi was very good to her.

But in reality… Li Qingzhi just didn't want Jin Xiaoye to wear a ring given to her by someone else.

And after becoming wealthy, Li Qingzhi didn't care much about these material possessions.

"Sister, you're really kind." Jin Xiaoshu was very grateful.

"As long as you know I'm good to you!" Jin Xiaoye said.

She was good to Jin Xiaoshu because Jin Xiaoshu was also good to her. If Jin Xiaoshu was like Fang Jinniang's brother, a selfish person, she wouldn't give him an extra penny!

With the money in hand, Jin Xiaoshu asked Jin Xiaoye how to proceed with the marriage.

As a married woman, Jin Xiaoye naturally knew how to handle marriage affairs when someone in the village got married. She told Jin Xiaoshu what preparations needed to be made and said they should go to the blind fortune-teller in the neighboring village.

Finally, Jin Xiaoye said, "That's about it. Tomorrow, talk to Jinniang and confirm what to do."

"Okay." Jin Xiaoshu agreed.

In the afternoon, Jin Xiaoshu drove Jin Xiaoye to the county town.

They headed straight to Sister Wang's house and breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that Mrs. Fang hadn't caused trouble.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Fang Jinniang had threatened Mrs. Fang so severely that Mrs. Fang wouldn't dare cause trouble.

If this matter escalated, Fang Zijian would be finished. Mrs. Fang valued her son so much that she definitely wouldn't dare provoke Fang Jinniang again.

Although Mrs. Fang hadn't come, there were still quite a few people inquiring about Fang Jinniang's situation. Fortunately, Fang Jinniang's reputation hadn't been greatly affected.

Mainly because this place was quite small, and everyone knew a bit about what happened in each other's homes. Fang Jinniang used to stay at home every day, sewing, and hardly ever went out. Although she had been out lately and spent the whole day at Sister Wang's house… everyone noticed, but no one thought she had done anything wrong.

In comparison, many people felt that Mrs. Fang was too much.

Of course, there were busybodies who fabricated stories about Fang Jinniang and Jin Xiaoshu, but hardly anyone believed them, so it didn't matter.

Jin Xiaoye said, "Sister Wang, Mrs. Xu, and Jinniang are now staying at the Zhu family's house. My younger brother will go propose to her in a few days. If anyone asks, just tell them about it, nothing else needs to be said."

The more you say, the easier it is to be manipulated by others, so it's better to say less.

"That's what we'll say." Sister Wang smiled and looked at Jin Xiaoshu. "Xiaoshu, you're about to get married in the blink of an eye. Be good to Jinniang in the future."

Jin Xiaoshu nodded earnestly. "I will."

On this day, Jin Xiaoshu's mood could be said to have experienced ups and downs. At this moment, besides wanting to treat Fang Jinniang well in the future, he had no other thoughts.

Seeing him like this, Sister Wang said to Jin Xiaoye, "Xiaoye, people about to get married are really different! Xiaoshu seems to have grown up all of a sudden!"

"That's right! By the way, we have something to attend to at home. We'll go now." It was already late, so Jin Xiaoye hurriedly took Jin Xiaoshu and left.

By the time they returned to Miaoqian Village, the villagers already knew about Jin Xiaoshu's intention to marry a city girl. Some were curious, while others regretted it.

"How could a city girl be interested in Jin Xiaoshu?"

"I find it strange too. Jin Xiaoshu doesn't seem particularly outstanding."

"I guess Jin Xiaoshu must have made a lot of money! If I had known last year, I would have talked to Jin Dajiang. My daughter is a year younger than Jin Xiaoshu, and they would have been a perfect match."

"My niece would have been a perfect match too!"

…

People inevitably asked Jin Xiaoye about the city girl.

Naturally, Jin Xiaoye praised Fang Jinniang over and over again. "She's the daughter of a scholar!"

"And she's so beautiful!"

"She can earn more than one tael a month"

…

Although Aunt Jin was outspoken about Fang Jinniang's shortcomings while she was at the Jin family's house, once she left, she also praised Fang Jinniang.

They were all members of the Jin family. If the bride Jin Xiaoshu married wasn't good, it would be embarrassing for everyone in their family!

For a while, Jin Xiaoshu marrying a city girl became the hottest topic in Miaoqian Village.

The Yao family, Mr. Yao, envied, "The days of Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu are really getting better and better!"

Mrs. Yao also said, "Yes, who would have thought Jin Xiaoshu would actually be able to marry a city girl."

"You don't know about that Miss Fang's situation. If you knew what she was like, you wouldn't think Jin Xiaoshu was so lucky," Yao Zhenfu suddenly said.

"What's wrong with Miss Fang?" Jin Moli asked immediately. In the morning at the Jin family, Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu had decided on Fang Jinniang, so she had nothing to say, but she still felt a bit unwilling.

Yao Zhenfu sneered, "Fang Jinniang's brother, Fang Zijian, is my classmate. As far as I know, his older sister is seven or eight years older than him. Fang Jinniang is almost twenty-five, she's an old maid."

Mr. and Mrs. Yao thought their son would reveal some earth-shattering news, but… that's it?

"Is there nothing else?" Jin Moli asked.

Yao Zhenfu said, "Is there anything else?"

Jin Moli didn't say anything more.

Fang Jinniang might be a bit older, but she wasn't that much older. What's the big deal?

Not to mention, there were some families here who raised "child-brides," meaning they brought girls from other families to raise, let them raise their sons, and then married them off to their sons… These child-brides were usually about seven or eight years older.

Mr. Yao said, "Jin Xiaoshu has really lucked out. She must not have been able to find a suitable girl in the county town, so she was willing to choose him… He does indeed look handsome."

Mrs. Yao nodded seriously.

Yao Zhenfu: "…What's wrong with these people? If it were me, I definitely wouldn't marry someone eight years older than me!"

On the other side, in the Jin family.

Mr. and Mrs. Jin were honest and listened to others. Originally, they thought that whoever Grandma Jin chose for Jin Xiaoshu's future wife would be fine. Of course, if Jin Xiaoshu didn't want to, they would listen to Jin Xiaoshu.

As a result… Jin Xiaoshu found a city girl!

That evening, after Jin Xiaoshu returned home, Mrs. Jin took out their savings of over five taels: "Before, when your brother-in-law came back and your sister had to borrow money to treat him, the money wasn't enough, so we lent them a little. But it's all been paid back now. We have this much money in the house now, you take it."

Mr. and Mrs. Jin's financial situation was something Jin Xiaoshu had always known. After taking the money, he said to his parents, "Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'll pay you back once I make money in the future!"

"No need, no need. It's our responsibility to provide the money for your marriage," Mr. Jin said. In his opinion, it was only natural for parents to provide financial support for their children's weddings.

Jin Xiaoshu didn't say anything. He had already made up his mind to earn more money in the future. Then he could ensure that Fang Jinniang, as well as his parents, would have a good life!

At this moment, Mr. Jin continued, "Tomorrow, your mom and I will tidy up this house and move out. After you get married, you can live here. This house is big enough for you, and when you have children, they can also live here…"

"What about you?" Jin Xiaoshu couldn't help but ask. He had thought about where he would live after marriage, and according to his plan, he wanted to build a new house.

"We'll live in the firewood shed," Mr. Jin said.

"The firewood shed? How can people live there? Let's build a new house instead." Their firewood shed was made of straw and bamboo walls, and it would be freezing in the winter.

"But building a house will cost a lot of money…" Mr. Jin hesitated.

As they were talking, there was a knock on the door.

Jin Xiaoshu opened the door and saw his grandmother.

After Grandma Jin entered the room, she said to Jin Xiaoshu, "Xiaoshu, after thinking about it, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Jin Xiaoshu asked.

Grandma Jin said, "A girl who can earn over one tael per month is quite a catch, even if she's been married before. You must treat her well! Don't treat her poorly just because of her past."

Grandma Jin, like Aunt Jin, suspected that this girl had been with other men before. Otherwise, why would she be willing to marry Jin Xiaoshu?

But even so… this girl could earn over one tael per month!

Even if she had been married before and had children, she was still a treasure.

Jin Xiaoshu: "…"

Without hesitation, Jin Xiaoshu asked Grandma Jin for money. Naturally, Grandma Jin didn't want to give it, so Jin Xiaoshu politely showed her out.

He didn't want to listen to Grandma Jin's nonsense!

But with Grandma Jin acting like this… he didn't have to worry about her treating Fang Jinniang badly.

The next day, with Li Qingzhi, Jin Xiaoshu went to the Zhu family.

He brought along the story of "Governor Gou Punishes Zhang Chouqian," which he had finally finished writing. After visiting the Zhu family, he planned to go to the county government office to chat with Governor Gou and hopefully gain some credit.

After they arrived at the Zhu family's house, Fang Jinniang was invited out by the Zhu family's servants.

Li Qingzhi instructed Jin Xiaoshu to take Fang Jinniang to a side hall to talk while he chatted with Zhu Qian.

Zhu Qian said, "I heard that they're going to erect a monument, and the rich folks in the city are scrambling to donate money. Governor Gou plans to build some houses for rent next to the dock. The houses haven't been built yet, but everyone is already vying to rent them out. Some people are even buying land nearby, planning to build houses…"

Since the founding of Daqi, the population of Chongcheng County has been increasing, but the city's space has not expanded. Everyone was feeling crowded.

Zhu Qian felt that his family was a bit cramped, so he planned to build a house near the dock. When the city houses were given to Zhu Xunmiao, the dock houses would be given to Zhu Xinxin…

Upon hearing this, Li Qingzhi asked for more details, and Zhu Qian answered one by one.

On the other side, as soon as Jin Xiaoshu brought Fang Jinniang to the side hall, he took out a small cloth bag and handed it to Fang Jinniang. "Jinniang, take this money… I plan to build a house and buy some other things, so I can only give you ten taels of silver as a dowry. But I'll continue to earn money in the future…"

Fang Jinniang was stunned.

Yesterday, after Jin Xiaoshu and Jin Xiaoye left, Fang Jinniang recalled the events of the morning and guessed that Jin Xiaoshu probably didn't know about her poor eyesight.

She had been worried, afraid that Jin Xiaoshu would look down on her once he found out.

But the result… Jin Xiaoshu came forward and gave her money?

"Jinniang, do you plan to get married within ten days, or within twenty days? I think we should definitely get married within a month…" Jin Xiaoshu asked.

Fang Jinniang asked, "Do you know about my poor eyesight?"

Jin Xiaoshu didn't hesitate. "Yes, so when do you think we should get married?"

Fang Jinniang said, "…It's up to you. I'm fine with any time."

"Then I'll have the blind fortune-teller find a closer date! Oh, do you have anything you want? My sister asked me to buy you some dowry items. These are what we plan to buy." Jin Xiaoshu handed Fang Jinniang a piece of paper.

Fang Jinniang unfolded the paper and saw the messy handwriting, obviously written by Jin Xiaoye.

One toilet, two boxes, two bone stools, two silkworm quilts… Jin Xiaoye had ordered the list based on the most decent dowry items in their village.

Anyway, buying all of these would only cost a total of five or six taels of silver, which Jin Xiaoshu could afford.

Fang Jinniang felt like crying again. She blinked her eyes and then said, "I still have some money stored at shopkeeper Jin's place. Let Master Jin hold onto that money for me, and I want to buy some red cloth to make my wedding dress."

"I forgot about that! Don't worry, I'll buy the red cloth for you." Jin Xiaoshu said. In rural areas, weddings were not that elaborate. For example, most brides didn't have a red wedding dress, and even if they had a red veil, it was usually borrowed from someone else.

But Fang Jinniang should definitely have a red wedding dress.

Fang Jinniang said, "No, I want to buy it myself. It's only for one time, so I don't need expensive cloth. Use the remaining money to buy me some other cloth, which I can include in my dowry."

Fang Jinniang wanted to make a set of clothes for Jin Xiaoshu, but time was tight, so she might not have time. She decided to wait until after the wedding to make it.

After discussing for a long time, they returned to Li Qingzhi's side, and then they heard Li Qingzhi say, "You're here? Good, I asked Uncle Zhu to invite a doctor for Miss Fang, and the doctor should be here soon."

"Is Jinniang feeling unwell? Why did you invite a doctor?" Jin Xiaoshu was a little worried.

Fang Jinniang was a bit nervous, suddenly being called for a doctor. Was it because they were disgusted with her?

Li Qingzhi said to Jin Xiaoshu, "Your sister heard that Miss Fang has been hungry and had stomach pain before, so she wanted the doctor to take a look."

"In that case, we should let the doctor take a look." Jin Xiaoshu said quickly.

The doctor arrived soon after, asked Fang Jinniang to sit down, took her pulse, and asked her many questions carefully.

"The young lady's spleen and stomach are weak and cold. She can take some Lizhong pills, and she should also pay attention to her diet in the future…" The doctor said a lot, and Jin Xiaoshu earnestly took note of it.

After the doctor left, Li Qingzhi asked Fang Jinniang, "Miss Fang, may I take your pulse?"

"Sure." Fang Jinniang agreed. Many scholars knew a bit about medicine, and when her father was alive, he could treat minor ailments.

Jin Xiaoshu was curious. "Brother-in-law, you can take pulses too?"

Li Qingzhi said, "I want to learn." In fact, he wanted to slightly improve Fang Jinniang's eyesight.

For example, if Fang Jinniang's myopia was 800 degrees, reducing it to 600 degrees would greatly improve her quality of life. Fang Jinniang was already an adult, so if she didn't strain her eyes too much in the future, her prescription should not increase.

Imitating the doctor's actions, Li Qingzhi placed his fingers on Fang Jinniang's wrist and closed his eyes, using his ability to focus on Fang Jinniang's head.

He had treated many people in his previous life and once helped Jin Xiaoye when he was bitten by a bug and felt itchy.

Compared to his previous life, his ability is really weak now.

After taking her pulse for a long time, Li Qingzhi finally opened his eyes.

Jin Xiaoshu asked, "Brother-in-law, how is Jinniang?"

"I'm not a doctor, how would I know? I just noted down her pulse, so next time I encounter such a pulse, I'll know it indicates spleen and stomach weakness." Li Qingzhi said.

Jin Xiaoshu said, "…"

Li Qingzhi added, "Why don't you sit down too? I'll take your pulse and see how it compares to mine."

Jin Xiaoshu didn't suspect anything and sat down for Li Qingzhi to take his pulse.

Li Qingzhi's ability had already been exhausted, so this time he simply took Jin Xiaoshu's pulse. He didn't sense anything special and just said, "Your pulse is much stronger than mine."

"Of course! Brother-in-law, I'm much stronger than you!" Jin Xiaoshu said proudly.

Li Qingzhi glanced at him. "Alright, accompany me to the county office."

Jin Xiaoshu agreed and reluctantly glanced at Fang Jinniang before following Li Qingzhi out.

County Magistrate Guo was very busy lately, but when he heard that Li Qingzhi had come, he warmly received him.

When he saw the new story written by Li Qingzhi, he was even more delighted and immediately sent someone to the bookstore to have it copied and spread around.

The feeling of being praised by everyone in Chongcheng County was really great! He was now full of enthusiasm!

Regarding the dock matters, Li Qingzhi had to have another long conversation with County Magistrate Guo. From this, he learned that in about half a month, County Magistrate Guo would hire laborers to build the dock.

It would be best to settle Jin Xiaoshu and Fang Jinniang's marriage within half a month, and once he was done with his busy period, he would focus on studying.

County Magistrate Guo planned to hold the county examination next February. It was already November, so there were only four months left.

After Li Qingzhi and the others left, Zhu Qian instructed a maid to escort Fang Jinniang back to her room.

Today, after chatting with Jin Xiaoshu, Fang Jinniang's heart completely settled down, and her mood was exceptionally good.

She felt like the world in front of her became clearer.

At first, when she dragged Jin Xiaoshu to meet her mother, she didn't know who Jin Xiaoshu was and felt a bit anxious, fearing she might be deceived.

But now she wasn't afraid anymore.

Shopkeeper Jin was a good person, and Jin Xiaoshu was also a good person. She would definitely be fine in the future.

Returning to her residence, Fang Jinniang opened the purse Jin Xiaoshu gave her.

This was Jin Xiaoshu's betrothal gift to her. She declined it, but Jin Xiaoshu insisted, saying everyone else had one, so he had to give her one too.

Ten taels of silver might be considered meager in the county town, but she knew it wasn't insignificant in the countryside. Furthermore, Jin Xiaoshu intended to buy her dowry.

Fang Jinniang carefully examined the contents of the purse and was stunned.

There were several silver ingots inside, totaling ten taels, just as Jin Xiaoshu had said. In addition to that, there was also a gold ring!

The ring's design was ordinary, but it was dazzlingly bright and certainly of good quality… This ring was probably worth more than ten taels of silver!

Tears suddenly welled up in Fang Jinniang's eyes.

Not because she was sad, but because she was happy.

On the other side, after leaving the county office, Li Qingzhi found Jin Xiaoshu near the riverbank.

He originally wanted to take Jin Xiaoshu to the county office, but Jin Xiaoshu dared not go and insisted on waiting here.

"Brother-in-law, what are we going to do next?" Jin Xiaoshu asked.

"Aren't you going to buy dowry for Miss Fang? Let's go." Li Qingzhi said.

Upon hearing the words "dowry," Jin Xiaoshu became excited and immediately took Li Qingzhi to the place in Chongcheng County where dowries were sold.

Having been running a boat in the county for several months, Jin Xiaoshu was familiar with the situation in the county.

The things sold here were for ordinary people, and the prices were very cheap, but for the people of Miaoqian Village, they were considered good things.

In Miaoqian Village, many girls got married with only a few changes of clothes. Firstly, their parents didn't want to divide the family's property, and secondly, everyone was poor.

There weren't many households in the village with a toilet.

Jin Xiaoshu bought quite a few things in one go. Since it wasn't convenient to take them home, they went to Zhu's house again and had Zhu's servants move the items to Fang Jinniang's place.

On the way, they passed by the dock, and Li Qingzhi saw some large ships moored by the dock. People on the ships were lowering baskets tied with ropes and buying food from the people in the small boats nearby.

The fleet was quite large, and Li Qingzhi was slightly surprised before he remembered that today was the day Wu Baichuan followed the fleet north to do business.

This should be the fleet that Wu Baichuan would join.

In the days that followed, the Jin family busily prepared for Jin Xiaoshu's wedding.

The Day of Jin Xiaoshu's Wedding

Scheduled for twelve days later, and during these days, Jin Xiaoshu had been busy.

He asked for help from the villagers and built two separate rooms next to the Jin family house.

Grandma Jin had some objections to this. She felt that building one room next to the existing Jin family house was enough, and there was no need to build two.

Especially… Jin Xiaoshu even built a stove in one of the rooms!

Grandma Jin, who had always managed all matters, big and small, in the Jin family, was very angry and scolded Jin Xiaoshu, but he ignored her.

He built two rooms for a reason. Fang Jinniang mentioned that she wanted to bring her sister out. In this case, the extra room could be for Fang Xiuniang to live in.

As for why he didn't build more rooms… he didn't have that much money.

And by dividing the house in the middle, it could be split into two rooms, before his sister got married, he and his sister had always lived with their parents in the two divided rooms. It was common in the village for one family to live in one room.

Building two rooms in twelve days was a bit tight, but because Jin Xiaoshu hired more people and even gave them meat, they managed to finish it in the end.

In addition to building the house, Jin Xiaoshu also made a list of wedding guests during these days, arranged with some families in the village to borrow tables and chairs, bought vegetables, and arranged for people to accompany him to the county town to welcome the bride…

These were originally things his parents should have done, but Jin Xiaoshu did everything himself.

Li Qingzhi didn't help at all, and Jin Xiaoye wanted to help but was stopped by Li Qingzhi.

Li Qingzhi felt that letting Jin Xiaoshu do more things was a good thing.

Men, when they do more of these things, they become more mature. Only then can they support a family in the future.

Otherwise, if they encounter problems, all they know is to find their mother… What's the use of such a person?

The original owner fled southward all the way, such a person who can't even make a decision won't go far.

When the house was built, it was the day of Jin Xiaoshu's wedding.

The people of Miaoqian Village organized the banquet. Basically, Jin Dajiang was in charge of cooking. Jin Xiaoshu wanted to cook by himself for the wedding to save some money.

But Jin Xiaoshu didn't agree. He specially invited someone from the neighboring village who was good at cooking banquets to come over and let his father rest.

According to the customs of Miaoqian Village, when someone gets married, relatives and neighbors should help. Since the Jin family had many relatives, there were also many people coming to help.

They had slaughtered a pig last night, and today they chopped the pork and cooked it. They also carried the tables, chairs, and bowls and chopsticks borrowed by Jin Xiaoshu to the Jin family…

Around nine o'clock in the morning, Jin Xiaoshu, wearing a big red flower, set off from Miaoqian Village with ten people, rocking two boats decorated with red paper, to the county town to welcome the bride.

In addition to Jin Xiaoshu's boat,Mr. Yao's boat was also borrowed. At this moment, Jin Xiaoshu's boat was being rocked by Jin Mulangshu, while Mr. Yao rocked his own boat.

Jin Mulangshu was a family member, so he didn't charge for help. Mr. Yao borrowed his boat and helped rock the boat, so Jin Xiaoshu gave him a red envelope with a silver coin.

Li Qingzhi was also on the boat to welcome the bride, while Jin Xiaoye didn't go and stayed with the Jin family to help.

On the way, the people going to welcome the bride occasionally said, "The Jin family is really doing this wedding in a decent manner!"

"Jin Xiaoshu is really lucky to marry a girl from the county."

"Why are they rocking two boats to welcome the bride? Isn't one enough?"

"Maybe the dowry is a bit hefty?"

…

Jin Xiaoshu's wedding seemed a bit rushed. In fact, there were rumors in the village that this was because Jin Xiaoshu and the girl had something going on before the wedding.

But they certainly wouldn't mention this on the way to welcome the bride.

Even if they said it privately… most of the men were actually envious.

As for Fang Jinniang's marriage, there was no notification to the Fang family at all. Zhu Qian had tidied up a small house he bought in Chongcheng County before he became so wealthy and let Fang Jinniang get married in it. He even had servants from the Zhu family to help, making the wedding lively and decent.

The people who went to welcome the bride in Miaoqian Village were completely unaware that something was amiss.

Over here in Miaoqian Village, they usually set off in the morning to welcome the bride. The welcoming party would have lunch at the bride's family, then set off back in the afternoon.

Li Qingzhi and the others had lunch in Zhu Qian's old house, enjoying a feast prepared by Zhu's kitchen maid.

The people who came to welcome the bride kept praising the food: "This feast is really grand."

"So much meat!"

"The Fang family is really wealthy!"

"So many things I've never eaten before, the dishes are rich!"

"Miss Fang's mother hasn't shown up. Maybe she's not too happy…"

…

They had heard rumors about Fang Jinniang having a falling out with her own mother, but seeing this situation now, they assumed the mother was still not very happy.

But even if she wasn't happy, her daughter was married, so it didn't matter much. At most, in the future, Jin Xiaoshu might face some difficulties when he went back to his wife's family.

The customs of marriage were basically the richer, the more complicated it got. For common folks, it was much simpler. After the meal, Fang Jinniang, dressed in her bridal attire and covered with a red veil, was led out of the house by Jin Xiaoshu, and the people who came to welcome the bride carried the dowry Jin Xiaoshu bought for Fang Jinniang onto the boats one by one.

"No wonder they need two boats, so much dowry!"

"The bride's family is really generous."

"The bride herself must have earned quite a bit!"

…

After loading the dowry onto the boats, everyone noticed two more boats coming from behind.

"What are those two boats for?" someone asked Jin Xiaoshu in confusion.

Jin Xiaoshu cleared his throat lightly. "That's also part of the dowry." Just a while ago, Li Qingzhi told him that Zhu Qian had prepared some dowry for Fang Jinniang, and those dowries were loaded onto the two boats, which would follow them back to Miaoqian Village.

Upon hearing this, Jin Xiaoshu was dumbfounded. He still hadn't recovered from the shock, but his expression remained unchanged, so no one around him noticed anything.

The people who came to welcome the bride were also dumbfounded.

Jin Zaoshu's eyes were red with emotion.

Considering that the Jin family was an ordinary family, the dowry Zhu Qian prepared for Fang Jinniang was all ordinary items, not valuable, but there were many and comprehensive.

There was an Eight Immortals table, four stools, a wardrobe, a chest, a cupboard, and some bowls and basins tied up with straw ropes on the two boats.

All sorts of things were there, plus the dowry Jin Xiaoshu had bought for Fang Jinniang before… Jin Xiaoshu and Fang Jinniang could now live on their own without lacking anything!

"Xiaoshu, no wonder you had to build two rooms!" someone couldn't help but say. "Without two rooms, you couldn't fit so much stuff!"

Actually, all the dowry Zhu Qian gave amounted to only about twenty taels of silver, but in the countryside, who would spend so much money on dowry?

When the four boats stopped in Miaoqian Village and the people welcoming the bride couldn't carry the stuff back, the whole village was stirred up. Villagers came out of their homes to see the dowry brought by Jin Xiaoshu's bride from the city.

"Jin Xiaoshu married a golden doll!"

"In my whole life, I've never seen anyone's dowry so abundant!"

"Did you see? The bride was wearing gold rings!"

"The bride is really wealthy."

"Those cabinets are made really well."

"So many bowls and chopsticks, all brand new."

"So many quilts, enough for the couple to use until they're old."

…

For a moment, the villagers were envious. Jin Xiaoshu's new house was packed with people inside and out.

And then, something even more enviable happened in the village.

After the ceremony, when the red veil was lifted, the bride's appearance was revealed to everyone.

Fang Jinniang had always been very pretty, her skin shining white, but that was because she rarely saw sunlight.

Her previous appearance might not have seemed as healthy to others.

But today was different. Today, the servants from the Zhu family applied makeup to Fang Jinniang, shaping her eyebrows and putting on rouge. Since Fang Jinniang's skin was already fair, they didn't use powder on her, but precisely because of this, she appeared even more stunning.

Coupled with the bright red bridal attire… when Fang Jinniang lifted her head, everyone who saw her couldn't help but gasp in awe.

Jin Xiaoshu had actually married a fairy!

He was really so lucky!

The people in Miaoqian Village already knew Fang Jinniang's age.

Most women in the village at Fang Jinniang's age weren't as attractive as they were before they got married.

Take Jin Moli for example. Before marriage, she was considered one of the village's beauties, but now, after having two children, she had gained some weight and her skin isn't as good as before.

Among the women of her age, Jin Xiaoye hadn't changed much, and she even looked better recently… probably because she hadn't been exposed to much sunlight lately and had been eating well, so her complexion had improved somewhat.

And in the villagers' imagination, if Fang Jinniang was good-looking, she wouldn't have remained unmarried for so long.

In the villagers' minds in Miaoqian Village, Fang Jinniang should have been quite ugly.

But the result… Fang Jinniang turned out to be so beautiful?

At this moment, even Jin Xiaoshu was stunned… unable to say a word as he looked at Fang Jinniang.

Fang Jinniang smiled at Jin Xiaoshu, and his face immediately turned red.

"Alright, everyone has seen the bride, go outside." Jin Xiaoye started ushering people out of the house, pushing Jin Xiaoshu out to attend to the guests.

"Sis…" Jin Xiaoshu looked at Jin Xiaoye with pleading eyes.

"Hurry up, hurry up, there's so much to do outside!" Jin Xiaoye ushered everyone out.

After Jin Xiaoshu left, Jin Xiaoye moved a stool to sit by the bed and said to Fang Jinniang, "Jinniang, you look really beautiful today."

Fang Jinniang blushed. "Shopkeeper Jin…"

"Still calling me shopkeeper Jin! Call me sister!"

Fang Jinniang called out, "Sister."

Jin Xiaoye smiled and then began to explain: "Let me tell you about my family situation. My parents are very easygoing people, easy to get along with, but my eldest uncle's family is large, and my aunt likes to say sour words…"

Jin Xiaoye went on to introduce her aunt, her cousin-in-law, and her younger cousin in detail.

She also carefully explained the situation with Grandma Jin.

Finally, Jin Xiaoye said, "Actually, you don't need to worry too much about them. Just live your own life. In the future, you can go to the city with Xiaoshu in the morning and come back in the evening. You don't even need to live with them, so you don't have to deal with them."

Jin Xiaoye thought it would be better for Fang Jinniang to work in the city after getting married.

Firstly, the work here wasn't delicate embroidery; some tasks Fang Jinniang could do even with her eyes closed, without hurting her eyes. Secondly… working outside would definitely be better than facing her aunt and those two cousins-in-law at home.

"Okay." Fang Jinniang nodded happily. She also wanted to continue working after marriage. Only by earning money could she bring her younger sister out.

"When it's time to toast later, follow Xiaoshu. Whatever he says, you say the same…" Considering Fang Jinniang's poor eyesight, Jin Xiaoye continued to explain what to pay attention to during the toasting.

After listening for a while, Fang Jinniang suddenly said, "Sister, my eyes have gotten better recently."

Fang Jinniang felt that she could see things more clearly lately, probably because she was in high spirits due to the happy occasion.

When she was at the Fang family's home, she actually had quite a few problems. Stomach pains were just one of them; she also had headaches sometimes and felt like her heart was pounding as if it was going to leap out of her chest. In addition, she often couldn't sleep at night.

But recently, she hadn't had any health issues, eating well and sleeping soundly every day.

"That's great!" Jin Xiaoye was very happy.

Fang Jinniang's eyes had indeed improved a lot.

Here in Miaoqian Village, during the wedding dinner, the groom and the bride needed to make toasts. Fang Jinniang followed behind Jin Xiaoshu and didn't encounter any problems throughout.

There were rumors in the village before that she was blind, but now… where was she blind?

Rumors really couldn't be trusted!

Jin Moli hadn't gone to the new house until Fang Jinniang came out to toast. As soon as she saw Fang Jinniang, she was a little dumbfounded.

Fang Jinniang was just too beautiful!

Such a beauty, in her previous life, had been worn down by Mr. Wang, which was a pity.

Jin Moli liked good-looking people. In her previous life, it was because Li Qingzhi looked good that she insisted on marrying him. Now, she couldn't stop staring at Fang Jinniang.

Suddenly thinking that Fang Jinniang had a good relationship with Jin Xiaoye, she looked away, only to find Yao Zhenfu staring at her.

Jin Moli was furious and pinched Yao Zhenfu.

"What are you doing?" Yao Zhenfu looked displeasedly at Jin Moli, then realized why Jin Moli was angry: "Everyone's watching…"

Yao Zhenfu had previously been disdainful of Fang Jinniang in his words, but that was because he didn't know Fang Jinniang was so beautiful.

Not only was Fang Jinniang beautiful, but she also had so much dowry. How come he hadn't encountered such a good girl before? Knowing that even compared to Jin Moli, Fang Jinniang was more beautiful.

Clearly, he was much better than Jin Xiaoshu!

Yao Zhenfu felt sour inside, and he wasn't the only one thinking like this in Miaoqian Village.

For example, Jin Xiaoshu thought he was better than Jin Xiaoshu. He regretted loafing around at home all day. If he had gone to the county town more often, maybe Fang Jinniang would have noticed him earlier.

In the future, he must go to the county town more often and find someone better than Fang Jinniang.

"The bride is really beautiful."

"She looks like a fairy!"

"Xiaoshu, you're really lucky!"…

People in the village were all saying.

Fang Jinniang outperformed the villagers in all aspects, to the point that they couldn't even feel jealous.

Jin Xiaoye sat at the table and couldn't help but say to Li Qingzhi, "Jinniang is really beautiful!"

Li Qingzhi smiled and said, "I think you're the most beautiful." As he spoke, he held Jin Xiaoye's hand.

He genuinely thought Jin Xiaoye was very beautiful. Jin Xiaoye exuded vitality, never blamed others, and never bowed down to fate. Even if she fell into a bad situation, she would strive to make her life better…

As for appearances… his ability could change the human body. What was a mere appearance?

During his heyday in his previous life, he could "purify" Jin Xiaoye at any moment, turning her into a great beauty.

But he didn't have that ability now. Even when Jin Xiaoye was bitten by bugs, he couldn't cure her all at once. As for Fang Jinniang's eyes… he only realized after treating them once that it would take five or six more times to completely heal them.

Because of this, he only slightly improved Fang Jinniang's eyesight, and Fang Jinniang didn't notice anything wrong.

With so many people around, Li Qingzhi still touched her hand!

Jin Xiaoye glared at Li Qingzhi but felt quite good.

Li Qingzhi said she was beautiful. Who wouldn't like being called beautiful by others?

"Xiaoye, eat more." Li Qingzhi picked up a piece of meat for Jin Xiaoye.

Jin Xiaoye pulled her hand away from Li Qingzhi's and picked up a piece of meat for him.

This meal was eaten quite early, and it was still bright outside when Jin Xiaoye and her mother went to help Fang Jinniang tidy up the dowry.

Jin Moli didn't dare to move the things around randomly. She followed behind Jin Xiaoye, doing whatever Jin Xiaoye instructed, being exceptionally obedient. When Fang Jinniang came over, she even smiled at Fang Jinniang in an attempt to please her.

Jin Xiaoye felt quite helpless.

Her mother was really… Luckily, Jin Xiaoshu married Fang Jinniang, or else her mother would have been bullied.

She had realized from a very young age that her mother couldn't be relied upon. Later on, she ended up protecting her mother instead.

Although Fang Jinniang's eyesight had improved a bit, she could only see the outlines of people a little clearer, but she couldn't make out Jin Moli's expressions.

"Mother." Fang Jinniang smiled at Jin Moli.

"Ah." Jin Moli was overjoyed, the more she looked at Fang Jinniang, the more she liked her.

Her son would have good days in the future!

Li Qingzhi saw this scene and chuckled lightly.

He had seen a saying before: when a person is hungry, the only thing they think about is how to fill their stomach. But once they're full, various troubles arise.

People in Miaoqian Village were living relatively well, but they still lacked food and clothing. Their thoughts were simple, and they didn't care much about reputation and such.

Fang Jinniang could live well here.

That night, Li Qingzhi embraced Jin Xiaoye again, experiencing another bridal night.

He really enjoyed being close to Jin Xiaoye!

The next morning, Li Laogen had already gone to the county town to have tea with Mr. Yao. They set off particularly early, almost before dawn.

Li Qingzhi supported Li Laogen's hobby. It was better for him to go for tea than to gamble with others.

As usual, Li Qingzhi cooked with Jin Xiaoye and read to her while doing so. Jin Xiaoye was no longer satisfied with just recognizing words. After listening to him read for a while, she went to practice writing at their dining table.

Seeing this, Li Damao also took some paper and knelt on a stool to write.

Li Ermao didn't like writing, so he grabbed some grains to feed the chickens.

Their ducks had already been eaten up, but the hen was still there.

After having more grains at home, Li Laogen mentioned wanting to buy some chicks to raise, but Li Qingzhi thought it wasn't necessary and refused.

The chickens here were all free-range, and having too many of them would result in chicken droppings everywhere.

Besides… Li Qingzhi didn't plan to stay in the countryside forever. He would definitely move to the city in the future.

Li Qingzhi sat behind the stove, roasting the fire and reading a book.

Although he had a photographic memory, the books at this time contained a lot of information… He usually quickly skimmed through them to remember everything, then slowly read them again to fully understand.

This way, his reading speed wasn't fast.

While he was roasting the fire, Jin Xiaoshu and Fang Jinniang arrived.

Although it was their second day of marriage, both of them planned to go to the county town to make money. Fang Jinniang also wanted Jin Xiaoshu to accompany her to see Fang Xiuniang.

As for eating at the Li family's house, Fang Jinniang felt a bit hesitant, but Jin Xiaoshu was used to it. "Brother-in-law, what are we having today?"

Li Qingzhi said, "Mother gave me some meat yesterday. It's on the steaming rack."

His mother-in-law was very concerned about him, and because Jin Xiaoshu had paid for yesterday's banquet… Jin Moli specially left a large bowl of meat for her son-in-law to nourish him.

"That's great!" Jin Xiaoshu was very happy.

They had white rice for breakfast, along with a large bowl of meat from the Jin family, and three large bowls of stir-fried vegetables.

Stir-fried vegetables, especially Shanghai greens, were the most commonly eaten vegetables in Miaoqian Village during the winter. These vegetables, grown without the use of fertilizers, were very delicious. Even after being touched by frost, they still tasted sweet. Li Qingzhi always cooked a lot, saving some for lunch.

After eating, Jin Xiaoye and the others went to the county town, while Li Qingzhi stayed at home.

Before the end of the month, he had to transcribe and revise Zhu Qian's autobiography and improve his right-hand handwriting. Additionally, he needed to finish Ding Xi's autobiography.

In December, Li Qingzhi planned to focus on reading books related to the Zhu family and the county magistrate's office and the imperial examinations for a month. After the New Year, he would go to Li Xiucai's place to study intensively for two months… Then, he would start preparing for the imperial examinations.

Li Qingzhi was practicing calligraphy at home when the village chief, Jin Xiaoye's uncle, hurriedly came and informed him of something: "The government is conscripting laborers. Since you weren't here in the past few years, and Li Laogen is getting old, your family hasn't sent anyone. This time, you must send someone, or else you'll have to pay."

"Thank you for letting me know," Li Qingzhi said.

"I'll go inform others." The village chief left and went to the next household.

Yesterday's wedding was done quite decently, and the villagers were discussing Fang Jinniang's dowry when the village chief came to notify them about the conscription.

Nobody in the village, whether man or woman, was in a good mood.

No one liked to go to work without pay.

However, most people planned to go, partly because the village chief told them that this time the work was near the county town and relatively easy, and partly because… if they didn't go to work, they would have to pay money, which they couldn't bear.

It wasn't necessary to go to work like being drafted into the military; there was no need to pay money for not going.

The number of people conscripted varied each time, but this time, the county magistrate wanted to do a big job, so more people were drafted.

As long as there was a suitable man in the family, each household had to send one person. Moreover, if there were more than four eligible men in a household, they had to send two people.

Li Qingzhi intended to pay instead of going, as for the Jin family…

The ones conscripted by the county magistrate were men aged eighteen to forty. Jin Xiaoshu and Jin Dajiang were not among them, and there were only three eligible men in the Jin family, so only one person needed to be sent.

However, considering the situation of the Jin family, there was bound to be another argument…

The County Magistrate's intention to recruit civilian laborers to build a pier was already known to the townspeople yesterday.

Yesterday at noon, Magistrate Gou had the constables post notices in the city and read them to the people of Chongcheng County, informing them of his intention to recruit civilian laborers to build a pier. This recruitment was different from previous ones because this time the county government would provide meals.

Upon seeing the notice and hearing the constables' words, the townspeople were quite surprised. "They're providing meals this time?"

"Surely it's because of Magistrate Gou. He's a good man."

"Yes, it must be because of Magistrate Gou."

"But don't we already have a pier in our town? Why build another one?"

"The current pier is too small. A large fleet passed by before and couldn't even dock to rest."

In the past, upon seeing such notices, the common folk would surely complain, but because Magistrate Gou's reputation was now exceptionally good, the people of the county didn't complain at all. Instead, they talked about other matters.

"The latest story, 'Magistrate Gou Punishes Zhang Chuqian,' have you heard it?"

"Yes, yes, it's wonderfully written!"

"Thanks to Magistrate Gou, otherwise our town would surely be in a stench."

"Yes! Now those night soil carriers have returned, not only emptying the chamber pots but also cleaning them. How wonderful!"

"Speaking of that story… can you believe the Hong family's eldest son wants to marry Zhang Chuqian's daughter? I always knew the Hong family wasn't good people."

"The Hong family was never good people to begin with. That Sun Juren isn't any better!"

The story "Magistrate Gou Punishes Zhang Chuqian" was written by Li Qingzhi. He didn't deliberately smear Hong Hui and Sun Juren, just wrote what he learned from Zhu Qian and others truthfully. Even so, it was enough to make the people of Chongcheng County dislike these two.

Initially, after some time had passed, hardly anyone mentioned Sun Juren and Hong Hui's various misdeeds, but these days, everyone started cursing them again.

The town was bustling yesterday because of the recruitment of civilian laborers, but the folks in the countryside were unaware of this matter. It wasn't until Mr. Yao and Li Laogen came to the city for tea today that they learned about it.

Lately, people in teahouses were reading "Magistrate Gou Punishes Zhang Chuqian" every day. Mr. Yao felt a pang of worry. He was already past his prime, but Yao Zhenfu was in his prime, and someone from their family was definitely going to be recruited.

In the past, Mr. Yao had managed to avoid it by spending money because Yao Zhenfu needed to study, but now… their finances were tight.

On the other hand, Li Laogen didn't care much about this matter. After all, it had nothing to do with him.

Li Laogen, carefree as ever, went to ask an old man about the content of "Magistrate Gou Punishes Zhang Chuqian" that was read in the teahouse yesterday. After finding out, he joined in cursing Hong Hui with the others.

Li Qingzhi had his arm broken by Hong Hui's younger brother!

Such a good lad his son was, and his arm was broken!

If Li Qingzhi's arm hadn't been broken, he could have made a good living by copying books!

Meanwhile, when Jin Xiaoye and the others arrived at Sister Wang's place, they also learned about this matter.

Without earning money, Jin Xiaoye would surely worry, especially considering Li Qingzhi's physical condition, which wasn't suitable for manual labor.

But she has money now!

Paying money to avoid tasks is nothing to worry about.

Jin Xiaoye handed a basket to Jin Xiaoshu, saying, "Xiaoshu, Mr. Zhu has provided so many dowries for Jinniang, so we should go thank him. This is a gift prepared by your brother-in-law for him. Take it to Mr. Zhu's house, express our gratitude, and then accompany Jinniang back home."

"Sis, I understand," Jin Xiaoshu replied.

Mr. Zhu had prepared many dowries for Fang Jinniang, and both Jin Xiaoshu and Fang Jin Niang were very grateful. However, they were fully aware that Master Zhu did it solely out of respect for Li Qingzhi.

So, in reality, they were thankful to Li Qingzhi. Last night, they had already agreed that Fang Jinniang would make clothes for Li Damao, Li Ermao, Jin Xiaoye, and Li Qingzhi.

In addition, from now on, whenever Jin Xiaoshu earned money, she would buy some good food every day for Li Damao, Li Ermao, and the others.

Last night, Fang Jinniang learned from Jin Xiaoshu that Jin Xiaoshu used to ask Li Damao and Li Ermao for food and then deliver it to her the next day, which she found extremely embarrassing.

Some of the food Jin Xiaoshu gave her was actually obtained from the two children!

They couldn't continue doing this in the future.

However, they thought of ways to thank Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye, but they didn't have a way to thank Mr. Zhu. Since today had already passed, they could only express their thanks to Mr. Zhu.

The two of them went to Mr. Zhu's house first.

When they arrived, it was still early, and Mr. Zhu hadn't left yet, so they met him.

As soon as they met, Mr. Zhu congratulated them on their marriage.

It was the first time Jin Xiaoshu had dealt with such an important figure as Mr. Zhu. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. Fortunately, Fang Jinniang had been influenced by her father before and knew how to handle such situations. Besides, since she couldn't see other people's expressions, she remained calm. After exchanging a few words with Mr. Zhu, she handed over the basket.

As soon as Mr. Zhu took the basket and looked inside, he found a stack of papers and a book.

With a glance at the papers, he knew they were stories about Ding Xi. As for the book… Mr. Zhu picked it up, flipped through it, and found it was a well-copied and revised version of his autobiography, which delighted him greatly.

After seeing the couple off and instructing someone to deliver Li Qingzhi's autobiography to Ding Xi, Mr. Zhu left with his own autobiography.

He had read his autobiography more than once, but hadn't Li Qingzhi made some changes this time? He planned to take another look when he had time.

Maybe he could even let County Magistrate Gou have a look…

After leaving the house, Mr. Zhu went to find County Magistrate Gou. They had been busy with the construction of the pier lately.

Although the idea of building the pier came from Li Qingzhi, they were the ones who had been busy with it in the end!

After discussing with County Magistrate Gou for a while and taking a break, Mr. Zhu took out his autobiography to read.

Before, when Li Qingzhi wrote, he wrote casually on white paper, but this time he wrote properly, copying it into a book.

Having seen Li Qingzhi's dogged handwriting before, Zhu Qian admired Li Qingzhi even more when he saw the words in this book.

In just a short period of time, Li Qingzhi's handwriting had undergone a dramatic transformation. If someone had taught him carefully from a young age, Li Qingzhi might already be famous throughout the world.

Zhu Qian hadn't read many books, so to him, neatly written words were good words. He couldn't appreciate calligraphy and the like.

As for what constituted the best form of neat writing, he wasn't clear.

He simply found Li Qingzhi's current handwriting pleasing to the eye.

However, when County Magistrate Gou passed by and saw the book in Zhu Qian's hand, he immediately commented, "These words are good. Who wrote them?"

Zhu Qian hesitated for a moment before replying, "Sir, these were written by Li Qingzhi."

"Is this how Li Qingzhi's handwriting is? Let me see," County Magistrate Gou requested.

As someone who had studied since childhood and was now approaching forty years old with the successful completion of the imperial examination, County Magistrate Gou had excellent handwriting himself.

But the handwriting before him was on par with his own!

He had seen Li Qingzhi's cursive handwriting before, which, though vigorous, was not good and unsuitable for participating in the imperial examinations. But now, this handwriting…

The examiners would surely appreciate it.

Zhu Qian handed the book to County Magistrate Gou, who began to flip through it. Upon examination, he found not a single mistake in the book. Moreover, some sentence structures had been adjusted to make them easier to read.

But what surprised County Magistrate Gou the most was not these adjustments, but… the handwriting in the book was progressively getting better from front to back.

The handwriting at the end of the book was something even he couldn't produce!

Li Qingzhi's handwriting had become so good?

It was just a book. How could a person's handwriting change so much from front to back?

County Magistrate Gou was somewhat puzzled and remembered something—Li Qingzhi had broken his arm!

"Was this written after his right arm healed?" County Magistrate Gou asked.

Zhu Qian replied, "That should be the case."

"It's fortunate that his arm healed; otherwise, it would have been a pity! I didn't expect him to have such good handwriting. He must have practiced diligently for over ten years before," County Magistrate Gou exclaimed with some excitement.

Zhu Qian remained silent. In fact, Li Qingzhi had only started practicing calligraphy this year, but it seemed that Li Qingzhi didn't want people to know about it, so he decided not to mention it.

"These words are truly excellent. Based on this, making him the top scholar in the county exam is no problem!" County Magistrate Gou added.

The county exam questions were relatively simple, and the top scholar was at the discretion of the county magistrate. In the past, there had been county magistrates who liked poetry and awarded the top scholar title to a student who excelled in poetry.

With Li Qingzhi's exceptional handwriting, he could easily be given the top scholar title.

Zhu Qian's face lit up with joy.

Once he received the top scholar title in the county exam, he would basically be assured of passing the subsequent provincial examination. Li Qingzhi would then be a surefire scholar!

County Magistrate Gou praised Li Qingzhi's handwriting for a while before turning to the first page and instinctively began to read…

Once he started, County Magistrate Gou couldn't stop.

Who doesn't love reading a delightful story?

In Chongcheng County, the operas were all sung in dialects, which County Magistrate Gou couldn't understand, and he had already seen all the famous plays…

Today, County Magistrate Gou was going to visit the place outside the city where the pier was being built, but he couldn't put down the book in his hands, so he sat at the bow of the boat reading on the way.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Qian was extremely excited—his autobiography was written exceptionally well, and after County Magistrate Gou read it, he would surely have a good impression of him!

This was actually his original plan.

Others who saw this couldn't help but marvel, "County Magistrate Gou is truly someone who loves reading. He even reads while traveling by boat!"

On the other side, after leaving Zhu's house, Jin Xiaoshu and Fang Jinniang headed towards the Fang family.

When they got closer to the Fang family, some people who knew Fang Jinniang came over to greet her.

Fang Jinniang was initially a bit worried, afraid that these people would accuse or even scold her, but in fact, no one said anything to her face.

In reality, behind her back, some people concocted stories about Fang Jinniang, but normal people wouldn't say anything to her face.

And the stories they concocted mainly revolved around what might have happened between Fang Jinniang and Jin Xiaoshu before they got married… now that the two had already tied the knot, there was nothing much to say.

Ordinary folks weren't like the young ladies of prominent families who rarely left their homes. In their alleys, childhood sweethearts who had already decided on their lifelong partners were abundant.

What Fang Jinniang was most afraid of was actually being accused of being unfilial, but ironically, no one said anything of the sort.

Firstly, everyone had seen that Fang Jinniang had been scolded away by her mother, and secondly… Fang Jinniang had stayed at home until she was twenty-four, earning money to support her family. What was unfilial about that?

If Fang's mother were to cry and complain everywhere, there might be some confused individuals who would stand on her side and condemn Fang Jinniang, but after that day, Fang's mother didn't say anything… everyone thought she had tacitly agreed to marry Fang Jinniang off to Jin Xiaoshu.

At this moment, what everyone was most curious about was actually where Fang Jinniang got so many dowries from.

Yesterday, Fang Jinniang had brought four boats full of dowries when she got married, and many people in the county had seen this scene.

They lived close to Fang's mother, so they knew that Fang's mother hadn't bought any dowries for Fang Jinniang.

"It was purchased with the betrothal gifts they received from their family," Fang Jinniang explained.

Originally, these people thought that Fang Jinniang had married poorly, but upon hearing this, they were shocked. When Fang Jinniang left, their envy only grew, "I thought Fang Jinniang would marry a poor man, but who would have thought that her family would give her so many betrothal gifts."

"That man might look poor, but his family is actually very wealthy?"

"Anyone who can afford a boat must have money at home!"

"That's true, Fang Jinniang has struck gold!"

…

The neighbors of the Fang family were quite envious of Fang Jinniang. At this moment, Fang Jinniang had already arrived at the Fang family with Jin Xiaoshu.

Originally, Fang Jinniang was a bit scared, but when Jin Xiaoshu held her hand, she wasn't afraid at all.

Jin Xiaoshu was tall and strong; whether it was her mother or her younger brother, she could easily handle them!

As they arrived at the doorstep, Fang Jinniang smiled and said, "Xiu Niang, I'm back."

As soon as she finished speaking, the young woman sitting at the door, sewing, immediately looked up.

Fang's mother was actually a beauty when she was young. It was precisely because of this that she, coming from a poor family, could marry Fang Xiucai.

Perhaps due to enduring a lot of hardship since childhood, she couldn't bear to see her daughters enjoy any comfort and showed no love towards them.

She used to constantly belittle her daughters, saying they were ugly. Not only that, but even if Fang Jinniang or Fang Xiuniang dressed up a little, she would accuse them of trying to seduce men.

Fang Jinniang was fine, but under Fang's mother's repeated insults, Fang Xiuniang became increasingly silent and appeared gloomy.

She always kept her head down in front of others and even covered half of her face with her hair. She wore loose old clothes, making it difficult for neighbors to get a clear picture of what she looked like.

Only Fang Jinniang knew that her sister was even better-looking than her, albeit a bit shorter… Their mother wasn't keen on providing them with good food, and with Fang Xiuniang's small appetite, she didn't eat much during her growth years.

Fang Xiuniang threw herself into Fang Jinniang's arms, and Fang Jinniang hugged her sister, feeling her heart softening.

She thought for a moment and said, "Xiuniang, you should leave with your sister."

However, Fang Xiuniang shook her head. She didn't want to cause trouble for Fang Jinniang.

After Fang Jinniang left home, Fang's mother became angry every day. If Fang Xiuniang left with her, her mother would surely make a scene.

Previously, Fang Jinniang's words had indeed frightened Fang's mother, but now that Fang Jinniang's marriage with Mr. Wang had fallen through, that trick couldn't be used anymore.

Fang Xiuniang insisted on staying at home.

Fang Jinniang didn't take Fang Xiuniang away in the end.

She didn't know how much gratitude she owed to Jin Xiaoye and his wife. It wouldn't be good to take Fang Xiuniang back now.

Moreover, although her mother wasn't good to them, as long as Fang Xiuniang could still earn money, her life wouldn't be too bad.

On the contrary, if she took Fang Xiuniang away… if her mother caused trouble, Fang Xiuniang, as a daughter, would have to go back home.

She didn't want to die now, nor did she want Fang Xiuniang to die. They couldn't afford to take such risks.

Fang Jinniang could only say, "Xiuniang, wait a moment. Sister will definitely find you a good family…"

"I don't want to get married," Fang Xiuniang said softly.

Fang Jinniang sighed and changed the subject.

Perhaps because she had caused a scene before, Fang's mother didn't dare to mistreat Fang Xiuniang too much now. Learning this, Fang Jinniang breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, with her head lowered, Fang Xiuniang asked Fang Jinniang some questions.

"I'm doing fine," Fang Jinniang smiled and talked about what had happened these days.

While they were talking, Fang's mother returned.

Seeing Fang Jinniang, Fang's mother's face darkened, but Fang Jinniang smiled at her and said, "Mother, Xiaoshu still has to go rowing. We'll leave first."

Fang Jinniang didn't want to talk to her mother. Without much thought, she took Jin Xiaoshu and left.

After she left, Fang's mother couldn't help but curse. After cursing for a few sentences, she began to target Fang Xiuniang.

But after cursing for a few sentences, her voice suddenly stopped.

If Fang Xiuniang also ran away, who would earn money?

She could also do needlework, but only simple tasks. She couldn't embroider and couldn't earn much money.

Actually, these past few days, Fang's mother had thought about going to the Jin family to cause trouble. As long as she denied having any intention of marrying Fang Jinniang to Mr. Wang, she could label Fang Jinniang as disobedient and unfilial.

But Fang Zijian was afraid that causing a scene would tarnish his reputation, so he didn't allow Fang's mother to stir up trouble.

There would be the county exam at the beginning of next year, followed shortly by the provincial and metropolitan exams. Fang Zijian wanted to pass the county exam in one go, then find a good teacher to study for the metropolitan exam. He didn't want any disturbances at this time.

Thinking about this, Fang's mother looked towards Fang Xiuniang.

In the past few years, Fang Jinniang and Fang Xiuniang had earned quite a bit of money, especially Fang Jinniang, who could earn thirty taels of silver in a year all by herself.

Fang's mother actually had quite a bit of savings, but there were many places Fang Zijian needed to spend money in the provincial capital…

The sixty taels of dowry for Fang Jinniang had been squandered in vain!

She didn't know if her second daughter had caught the eye of any wealthy suitors.

After leaving the Fang family, Fang Jinniang returned to Sister Wang's house.

As a newlywed, whether it was Sister Wang or the women who came to do chores, they couldn't help but tease her a little.

Fang Jinniang blushed but still did her work quickly and well.

As for Jin Xiaoshu… Now that he was married and considered an adult… he worked much harder. When he saw peddlers at the pier, he boldly approached them, asking if they wanted to buy his goods in bulk and even suggesting they place orders at the Jin Xiaoye Embroidery Workshop.

He wanted to earn more money so that his children could live a better life.

When he was a child, he could only watch others enjoy good food. He hoped his children wouldn't have to endure the same.

Jin Xiaoshu was in a particularly good mood. He hadn't removed the red paper from the bow of his boat, and whenever someone asked, he proudly proclaimed, "I got married yesterday!"

Anyone who heard would congratulate him.

Meanwhile, Hong Hui wasn't feeling too good.

Ever since the book "County Magistrate Gou Punishes Zhang Chuqian" spread a few days ago, the commoners in Chongcheng County have started gossiping about him again!

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it.

His ancestors had served as officials, but that was many years ago, and their connections have long since vanished.

Now he was just a scholar.

In Daqi, scholars could see officials without bowing, but this title was not very valuable and held no power.

Hong Hui had inquired and learned that the book was written by Li Qingzhi. After this incident, he harbored a desire for revenge and wanted to cause trouble for Jin Xiaoye, but someone was protecting Jin Xiaoye, so he didn't have the opportunity to act.

Moreover, just causing some financial loss is too cheap for Li Qingzhi!

He wanted to ruin Li Qingzhi's reputation and fortune.

Of course, this would take time.

Hong Hui went to visit Sun Juren again.

Sun Juren was not young anymore. Since Zhang Yunquan got into trouble, his health has been deteriorating. Recently, the rumors circulating had not only angered Hong Hui but had also worsened Sun Juren's condition.

The fact that everyone in Chongcheng County regarded him as a villain… Sun Juren's anger kept him awake all night.

Now, the only time he felt a bit better was when he cursed County Magistrate Gou, cursed the Zhu family, and cursed Li Qingzhi with Hong Hui.

Today, they cursed as usual, and then Sun Juren suddenly laughed, "That scoundrel is probably doing it for political achievements, mobilizing so many laborers to build the dock… His Majesty has always been sympathetic to the people, always saying he wants to reduce corvée labor, but he's doing the opposite. I've already written to my friend in the capital city, reporting this scoundrel. My friend is a chess companion of the prefect, and the prefect has always loved the people like his own children. Once he learns of this, he will definitely despise that scoundrel…" Sun Juren referred to County Magistrate Gou as the scoundrel.

The government indeed conscripted laborers every year to repair roads and dig rivers, but that was necessary to ensure the smooth flow of land and river transportation.

County Magistrate Gou's plan to build a dock was unnecessary, perhaps purely for his own political gain or to make money from it after its completion.

Chongcheng County was under Hexing Prefecture, and the current prefect advocated governance through inaction, favoring subordinates who caused trouble and wasted resources.

If the prefect learned that County Magistrate Gou had mobilized so many laborers to build the dock, he would certainly not be pleased!

Sun Juren couldn't do anything to County Magistrate Gou, but if the prefect despised him…

Upon hearing this, Hong Hui was also pleasantly surprised.

This was indeed excellent news!

They discussed their plan based on this.

County Magistrate Gou was completely unaware that someone was plotting against him; he was still reading Zhu's autobiography.

This book was really interesting!

Fortunately, although County Magistrate Gou enjoyed the story, he didn't forget to handle official matters properly; he had done everything he needed to.

However, on the way back, he took out the book again and said to Zhu, "Old Zhu, you must treasure this book. In the future, it may become a treasure."

"Sir, when I asked Nephew Li to write this book, I wanted it to be a family heirloom…"

County Magistrate Gou said, "Your autobiography is indeed suitable as a family heirloom, but the writing on it, that's the real treasure. Li Qingzhi is still in his early twenties, yet his handwriting is already so good. In the future, his calligraphy will only improve, and by then, the value of this book will be immeasurable."

County Magistrate Gou believed that Li Qingzhi had the talent to become a master calligrapher.

Although Li Qingzhi's handwriting wasn't at its best now, he was still young!

As long as he persisted in practicing calligraphy, in twenty years, he would become a master. By then, a book written by Li Qingzhi in his youth, with his writing improving over time… That book would definitely be valuable!

Zhu hadn't thought of this before, but hearing County Magistrate Gou's words made him suddenly realize it.

Next time he saw Li Qingzhi, he would definitely give him more money!

County Magistrate Gou had a high opinion of Li Qingzhi, and Zhu's opinion of him became even more favorable.

Li Qingzhi, whom County Magistrate Gou believed would become a master calligrapher in the future, was still practicing calligraphy at the moment.

He possessed extraordinary abilities, far surpassing ordinary people in controlling his body, coupled with his highly developed brain… Every word he wrote was steady and beautiful.

Not only that, before writing, he had already planned the content and layout of the page, resulting in each page looking like a unified whole, which is very beautiful.

Ordinary people couldn't do what he did.

After practicing calligraphy, Li Qingzhi put down his brush and went to the kitchen to cook, calling his three children over to tell them some anecdotes.

At this time, scholars and writers liked to use anecdotes in their conversations and writings. Perhaps to better understand various anecdotes, the Sun family compiled a book specifically for this purpose, collecting various anecdotes from ancient times to the present.

After reading the book, Li Qingzhi would narrate the stories from it to his three children. After finishing, he would then write them down in simple and understandable language for the children to read.

By reading these stories frequently, the children gradually learned to recognize words.

After preparing the meal, Li Qingzhi went out for a stroll, coincidentally heading towards the river dock to meet someone.

On the way, he encountered many people discussing the conscription of laborers, some even asked if he was going. Li Qingzhi replied, "With my poor health, I definitely cannot go. Xiaoye will surely help me with the payment."

Hearing this, the villagers looked at Li Qingzhi with envy. They also didn't want to go to build the dock, but unfortunately, none of them had a wealthy daughter-in-law to help pay for them.

Noticing that most villagers didn't want to go to build the dock, Li Qingzhi said, "County Magistrate Gou is a good official. He surely won't mistreat the people. This time, going to build the dock shouldn't be too tiring."

The stories about County Magistrate Gou, written by Li Qingzhi, had spread to the village. After some hesitation, the villagers nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, County Magistrate Gou is a good person."

If they didn't go to build the dock, they would have to pay one or two taels of silver. Most families could afford this, but they were reluctant to pay. Li Qingzhi believed that most villagers would go.

Oh, except for Yao Zhenfu next door. Yao Zhenfu definitely wouldn't go.

Recently, Yao Zhenfu had been studying hard, planning to take the county examination. It was unclear whether he could pass.

Li Qingzhi waited on this side of the river dock until Jin Xiaoye, Jin Xiaoshu, and Fang Jinniang arrived.

Jin Xiaoshu, who had become a husband, suddenly became considerate. After docking the boat, he would first help Fang Jinniang off carefully before returning to the boat to retrieve things.

Carrying many items, Jin Xiaoye jumped off the boat and teased Jin Xiaoshu, "Xiaoshu, I didn't expect you to be so caring. Why didn't I see you taking care of me?"

Jin Xiaoshu was a little confused, "Sister, I learned this from you. When my brother-in-law was with us before, you always helped him off the boat like this!"

Does his sister need to be taken care of? I don't think so. She's the kind of person who dares to rent a boat even if she can't row!

Jin Xiaoye: "…Yeah, that's about right."

Li Qingzhi stepped forward and helped Jin Xiaoye carry some small items. "Xiaoshu, you should learn more from your sister in the future."

Jin Xiaoshu nodded earnestly. "Brother-in-law, don't worry, I will!"

Hearing this conversation, Fang Jinniang smiled and thought to herself, Jin, the innkeeper, is really different from ordinary people!

When the three returned to Li's house, Li Laogen had already uncovered the pot, accustomed to his work with thick calluses on his hands, he wasn't afraid of being scalded. He casually took the dishes off the steamer.

"We have braised fish today, it's delicious, come and eat!" Li Laogen greeted them.

They served themselves and ate together.

With Fang Jinniang joining, Li's fairy table was full. Due to the large number of people, Li Qingzhi made plenty of food. There was a bowl of braised fish in the middle of the table, accompanied by two bowls of stir-fried vegetables and two bowls of garlic tofu.

The meal wasn't extravagant, and due to being kept warm on the steamer, the vegetables were slightly overcooked, but it was still very good, and no one complained.

Li Qingzhi picked out the boneless meat from the fish belly and gave it to Li Damao and Li Ermao.

He wanted to serve Zhao Xiaodou as well, but Li Laogen refused, "Xiaodou will choke on the bones."

Indeed, Zhao Xiaodou was good at eating fish. Growing up in a water town, he had been eating fish since he was a child.

The braised fish was delicious, and even the rice tasted better when mixed with its sauce.

The eight of them quickly finished all the dishes on the table, and Li Laogen began asking what they would eat tomorrow and what he should buy.

Li Qingzhi said, "Dad, buy two kilograms of meat tomorrow, and some dried kelp." As he spoke, he took out some copper coins to give to Li Laogen.

At this moment, Jin Xiaoshu said, "Brother-in-law, let me contribute to the meal expenses too. I can't keep freeloading at your place."

This was suggested by Fang Jinniang. She felt embarrassed to eat and drink for free at Li's house.

But Li Qingzhi refused, saying, "There's no need for you to pay."

However, Jin Xiaoshu insisted on paying. After some consideration, Li Qingzhi said, "How about this, you bring the food rations for the two of you from the Jin family to my place. As for the meal expenses, you don't have to pay. It's not much money anyway. Besides, your sister would feel embarrassed to ask you for help if you really calculated everything."

After Li Qingzhi said this, Jin Xiaoshu agreed and thought about buying some things for the two children in the future.

Thinking about this, Jin Xiaoshu took out a bag of chestnuts and handed it to Li Damao and Li Ermao. "Damao, Ermao, Uncle bought you some delicious chestnuts. Have some."

Li Damao and Li Ermao looked at the chestnuts curiously. "What's this?"

"These are chestnuts." Jin Xiaoshu peeled one and showed them how to eat it.

Li Damao and Li Ermao followed suit and tried it, and they were captivated by the sweet taste of the chestnuts. "So tasty!"

Li Qingzhi hurriedly said, "Damao, Ermao, bring some for Dad to taste." Since coming to this world, he had never eaten chestnuts.

Li Damao and Li Ermao quickly brought the chestnuts to Li Qingzhi, who then shared them with Jin Xiaoye…

As Jin Xiaoshu led Fang Jinniang home, he couldn't help but say, "Jinniang, let's have two children like Damao and Ermao in the future."

"Okay," Fang Jinniang smiled and agreed.

She really liked the interaction between Li Qingzhi and his wife and their two children. In the future, when she had children, she would definitely be very good to them.

The two of them happily returned to the Jin family, looking forward to tomorrow's life.

Time flew by, and several days passed in the blink of an eye. During these days, both Li Qingzhi and Yao Zhenfu paid one or two taels of silver, so they didn't have to go to repair the dock.

However, the other villagers hadn't paid. On the morning of the twenty-first of November, just as dawn broke, those who hadn't paid gathered together, preparing to go and work on the dock.

The location of the dock wasn't far from the village, and the rules for conscripted laborers this time weren't too strict. The villagers could return home at night, which somewhat alleviated their mood. They carried the dry rations prepared by their families in their arms, chatting while waiting for others to arrive.

Although the village chief had said that they would be provided with meals at the dock, they didn't trust the food provided by the government and brought their own provisions just in case.

If they couldn't eat enough and still had to do heavy work, accidents could easily happen!

"Li Qingzhi and Yao Zhenfu are so lucky. They don't have to work."

"Yeah!"

"Didn't they say Li Qingzhi was going to study? Why hasn't he gone yet?"

"Maybe he was just talking. He won't really go."

"I heard Yao Zhenfu is going to take the exam again next year. I wonder if he'll pass."

…

As the villagers conversed, the topic shifted to Jin Xiaoshu: "I envy Jin Xiaoshu the most. He actually married such a beautiful girl."

"Who wouldn't envy him?"

"Exactly! His wife even brought so many dowries!"

…

As they talked, they saw Jin Dajiang approaching.

"Dajiang, why are you here?" someone asked curiously.

In previous years, when the government conscripted laborers, it was always Jin Dajiang who went. But since Jin Dajiang had passed forty, it had been Jin Sangshu who went instead.

They all knew Jin Mulangshu was likely busy ferrying boats and probably wouldn't go. They thought it might be Jin Liushu or Jin Zaoshu who would go. But now… here came Jin Dajiang?

"I'm going this time," Jin Dajiang said with a smile.

The matter of conscripting laborers by the government had caused quite a stir in the Jin family.

Jin Liushu said he could pay but absolutely wouldn't go.

Jin Sangshu, being the second son and not favored, used to go when the family asked him to, especially when they compensated him. But now that he was earning his own money, he naturally didn't want to go. He was the same as Jin Liushu, willing to pay but not willing to go.

With both elder brothers unwilling to go, Jin Zaoshu naturally wouldn't go either.

In fact, the Jin family was wealthy, and no one wanted to go. Paying one or two taels of silver was sufficient for them.

But Grandma Jin was reluctant to spend this money. She placed great importance on money; asking her to contribute was akin to cutting her flesh.

Especially since Jin Xiaoshu had just gotten married, their family had spent a lot of money on the wedding banquet and related expenses.

With so many men in the family, why should they pay money and not go? In Grandma Jin's eyes, paying money was no big deal.

As for that one or two taels of silver, they decided anyone from their family could pay on behalf of anyone else. Since the money wasn't going to outsiders but to their own family members, Grandma Jin could accept this.

In the end, after much discussion within the Jin family, they decided to send Jin Dajiang.

Although Jin Dajiang was already older, the government only cared that the required number of people showed up; they didn't bother checking the age of the laborers.

In previous years, it had been Jin Mulangshu who had gone in similar situations. Grandma Jin would give Jin Mulangshu the money they were supposed to give to the government. It was because of this that Jin Mulangshu had no complaints.

Logically, this time, the money that was supposed to be given to the government should have been given to Jin Dajiang. But after Jin Dajiang agreed to go, Grandma Jin refused to give him the money.

She was willing to subsidize her son, but asking her to give money to Jin Dajiang… she definitely wouldn't agree.

Jin Liushu had originally said he was willing to pay, but now he wasn't willing anymore. With him leading the way, Jin Mulangshu and Jin Zaoshu naturally wouldn't give any money either.

In the end, Jin Dajiang didn't receive a single penny!

Afraid that Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu would make a fuss if they knew about this, the Jin family didn't tell them anything and forbade Jin Dajiang from speaking about it.

"Dajiang, with so many strong young men in your family, why did you end up going?" someone asked Jin Dajiang curiously.

"They're all busy," Jin Dajiang chuckled. He had agreed to go to the dock to earn one or two taels of silver. He had hoped to save up some money.

But he hadn't expected them to refuse to give him the money… Jin Dajiang felt quite annoyed.

As the villagers heard this, they looked at Jin Dajiang speechlessly. Jin Mulangshu was indeed busy, but Jin Liushu and Jin Zaoshu, weren't idle most of the time?

By now, everyone had gathered, and the village chief called out, leading the people toward the dock.

The dock was only eight miles away from their village. If they walked quickly, they would arrive in fifteen minutes. Even at a leisurely pace, it wouldn't take more than half an hour. After all, they were all grown men and weren't carrying much.

Jin Xiaoshu didn't live with his parents. He had left early and didn't know his father was going to the dock.

At this moment, he was having breakfast at the Li family's house.

They were still having rice for breakfast today. As Li Qingzhi ate, he instructed Li Damao and Li Ermao, "There are eggs at home. Grandpa will fry some eggs and rice for you at noon. Dad will be back in the afternoon…"

Today was the day they were building the dock, and he was going to the county office to find County Magistrate Gou. Then, he would go to the dock with County Magistrate Gou to inspect the construction site.

County Magistrate Gou planned to share the hardships with the common people and have a meal with the conscripted laborers at the dock… Li Qingzhi would also have lunch there and then walk back by himself.

After finishing his meal, Li Qingzhi boarded Jin Xiaoshu's boat and asked him to take him to the county office.

It wasn't until this moment that Fang Jinniang learned that Li Qingzhi actually knew County Magistrate Gou. She was quite surprised but didn't say much or ask questions.

Upon arriving in the county town, Li Qingzhi immediately went to the county office.

County Magistrate Gou was already dressed neatly. When he saw Li Qingzhi, the first thing he said was, "Nephew, have you finished revising Zhu Qian's autobiography?"

It seems that Zhu Qian has shown his autobiography to County Magistrate Gou… Li Qingzhi smiled and said, "I'm afraid it will take until the end of the month to finish the revision."

"Then you can bring it to me directly when it's done. I'll read it first, and then you can take it to Zhu Qian," County Magistrate Gou said.

"Don't worry, Uncle. I'll definitely bring it to you as soon as possible," Li Qingzhi immediately promised.

County Magistrate Gou smiled and praised Li Qingzhi's handwriting, adding, "It's fortunate that your arm has healed, or it would have been a pity!"

After chatting for a while, the two of them left together.

County Magistrate Gou had a boat much larger than Jin Xiaoshu's. They were going to ride this boat to the dock today.

There was a spacious cabin in the middle of the boat with an Eight Immortals table and chairs, very comfortable. There was also a small boat trailing behind.

In affluent households, when they went out by boat, they would often have a smaller boat trailing behind. This way, if there were any requests from the people on the main boat, the servants could immediately row over to attend to them.

This was Li Qingzhi's first time riding such a refined large boat. He felt much more comfortable sitting on this boat than in a sedan chair.

As Li Qingzhi and the others headed toward the dock, the people from Miaoqian Village had already arrived at the construction site.

Since some villages were farther away and people hadn't arrived yet, they hadn't started working and were chatting together.

"Jin Dajiang, you should talk to your son when you get back. You're already so old, yet he still let you come out to build the dock without helping you bear any of the burden," Yao Zuming kept on talking. "He's really unfilial. After getting married, he moved out and doesn't care about you at all…"

Yao Zuming had a grudge against Jin Xiaoye and naturally didn't like Jin Dajiang. Now, he started making baseless accusations.

Many people from other villages were present, and after hearing Yao Zuming's words, they all went to look at Jin Dajiang.

Jin Dajiang said, "Xiaoshu isn't old enough to come. He shouldn't have come… "

Jin Dajiang wanted to say he was here on behalf of someone else, but before he could speak, Yao Zuming interrupted him, saying, "So you're here for money? Tsk tsk, with your son being so wealthy, he still lets you earn this little bit of money through hard labor?"

The expressions of the people from other villages turned even worse. Just then, someone suddenly exclaimed, "County Magistrate is here!"

For a moment, nobody paid any attention to Jin Dajiang anymore. Everyone rushed forward to see the County Magistrate.

The boat County Magistrate Gou was riding was actually Zhu Qian's. It was very beautiful, with a warm interior. There was even a small stove on the central table, boiling tea.

In addition to County Magistrate Gou and Li Qingzhi, there were two other people on the boat, servants hired by County Magistrate Gou during this period.

In the County Office of Daqi, there were actually quite a few staff members. Apart from the bailiffs, there were separate teams responsible for courtroom proceedings and executions, guarding and escorting, and investigating, spying, patrolling, and tax collection.

In addition, there were various offices in charge of different tasks within the county, such as the administrative office, household registration office, and workshop.

County officials like County Magistrate Gou would leave after serving for a few years, but the bailiffs and clerks in the county office were locals whose positions were often passed down through generations. If these people didn't cooperate, the county magistrate wouldn't be able to accomplish anything.

Previously, Zhang Yunquan was able to wield great influence in Chongcheng County because he had excellent relationships with these people and had established connections.

Having these connections brought huge benefits. For example, the former chairman of the Chamber of Commerce had hundreds of acres of fertile land, but according to official records, he only owned a few acres. For many years, he had only paid taxes on a small portion of his land!

Such occurrences were common throughout Daqi, although Chongcheng County had relatively fewer cases of this kind. Moreover, because Chongcheng County was relatively affluent, even if someone underreported their land, the amount of grain tax collected wasn't significantly reduced.

When County Magistrate Gou first arrived in Chongcheng County, he felt restricted in every aspect. Feeling disheartened, he initially planned to do nothing. However, since he managed to eliminate Zhang Yunquan, his mentality has changed.

During this period, he punished some of the minor officials and clerks in the county office, reprimanded the remaining ones, spent money to hire some righteous officials to help with his work, and even hired two servants.

These two servants were in their forties. One was particularly good at accounting, and the other was skilled at handling various miscellaneous tasks. They both had relevant work experience. County Magistrate Gou hired them to help in Chongcheng County, paying each of them one hundred taels per year.

People with abilities like theirs would never lack money!

Seeing them, Li Qingzhi couldn't help but think of the original owner of this body. The original owner didn't like to study, and before anything happened to his family, his goal was to become a servant to a county magistrate.

When the two servants faced Li Qingzhi, their attitude was very good. People who had been in the officialdom for a long time couldn't afford to offend others everywhere.

The four of them chatted while brewing tea in the cabin. Before long, they arrived at the construction site of the dock.

This kind of boat was relatively large, and boarding and disembarking required the use of gangplanks. After the boat was docked, County Magistrate Gou stepped onto the gangplank and onto the shore.

When County Magistrate Gou first arrived in Chongcheng County, he was initially hesitant to walk on the gangplanks because they were generally narrow and the boat would sway. But now he was very skilled at it.

Li Qingzhi and the others courteously let the two servants go ahead, with Li Qingzhi walking at the back.

Even though he was at the back, he was still very conspicuous. The people waiting on the shore immediately noticed him.

Li Qingzhi had been low-key at first because County Magistrate Gou was restricted in many ways when he first arrived in Chongcheng County, and Li Qingzhi was just an ordinary person.

He was afraid that being too high-profile would lead to someone targeting his family.

But now, the situation has changed.

Firstly, County Magistrate Gou had already established his authority, and secondly, even Hong Hui, who had previously resented him for being low-key, had turned against him… There was no need for him to be as cautious as before.

Li Qingzhi looked up and scanned the crowd, searching for the people from Miaoqian Village.

His vision was very good, and he first saw some merchants he had met during his participation in the Chamber of Commerce, including Zhu Qian. Then he spotted some familiar bailiffs maintaining order, and finally, he saw the people from Miaoqian Village.

Wait a minute, why was his father-in-law in the crowd?

Li Qingzhi was somewhat surprised and planned to ask him about it later.

Li Qingzhi was only somewhat surprised, but the people from Miaoqian Village were already in shock.

"They didn't see wrong, did they? The one who came down from the boat with Magistrate Gou seems to be Li Qingzhi?"

"The village head of Miaoqian Village couldn't help but ask Jin Dajiang, 'Dajiang, is that your son-in-law?'"

"Jin Dajiang opened his mouth and said, 'It seems like it.'"

"Another person said, 'What do you mean? It seems like it! That's Li Qingzhi; he's worn that outfit several times!'"

"Yes, that's Li Qingzhi."

"How come he's with the county magistrate?"

"Uncle Dajiang, what's going on here?"

…

Jin Dajiang had no idea what was going on. His son and daughter never told him anything.

The other people in the village were just surprised, but Yao Zuming was afraid. He, who had originally stood beside Jin Dajiang, bent down and moved away, hiding behind the crowd.

Seeing this scene, the villagers whispered among themselves.

This time, Magistrate Gou came to win the hearts of the people.

At first, he had written hundreds of words to say, but the steward who helped him manage various affairs said it was unnecessary after reading them.

In the end, he only learned a few phrases in the dialect of Chongcheng County. Now, Magistrate Gou walked forward, repeatedly saying those few sentences: "Hello, everyone! I am the Magistrate of Chongcheng County! This time, as you all come to work, I will make sure everyone eats well! Today, we will slaughter a pig for everyone to eat meat!"

Not only that, the steward also prepared some live pigs, which were unloaded from the boat in front of everyone.

The conscripted laborers, upon hearing Magistrate Gou's words and seeing those pigs, were excited. At this moment, there were also arranged people in the crowd shouting, "Thank you, sir!"

So in the crowd, one "Thank you, sir" after another resounded. Some even kneeled down and kowtowed to Magistrate Gou.

After some people did this, others followed suit and knelt down. For a while, many people knelt on the ground in this open space.

Magistrate Gou pretended to help them up, and heard these people shouting, "Sir, you are a good official!"

"Sir, you are a good person!"

"Great God of the Sky!"

…

Seeing this, Magistrate Gou was excited for a while, not even caring that these people were dirty all over, and actively helped them up.

Li Qingzhi had to admit that the two stewards around Magistrate Gou were really capable.

Of course, he had his own abilities.

After all, it was his proposal for the magistrate to personally come to the dock to console the people. He also had Zhu Qian find some people mixed in the crowd to guide the folks to thank Magistrate Gou.

There were quite a few laborers, but actually, no one dared to approach Magistrate Gou, and the order was maintained very well. When Magistrate Gou walked around the crowd, these people stood up under the shouts of the bailiffs.

But even after standing up, everyone was still very excited.

The class stratification in Daqi was very severe. Common people were afraid even of the bailiffs, and in their minds, the county magistrate was an even more esteemed figure. Now, the county magistrate came to speak to them and even said he would slaughter a pig for them to eat. To them, this was like something they could bring up repeatedly in old age, telling their grandchildren.

The people of Miaoqian Village exclaimed, "So the county magistrate is like this!"

"He really is a good official!"

"If I had known, I wouldn't have brought food. We unexpectedly have meat to eat at noon!"

After speaking, Magistrate Gou went to rest in a pavilion made of thatched grass. Seeing this, Li Qingzhi told Magistrate Gou that he was going to find Jin Dajiang.

In the past, the villagers liked to gather around Li Qingzhi to talk, but today, they didn't dare to get too close.

Li Qingzhi smiled at them before turning to Jin Dajiang and saying, "Dad, I have something to tell you."

Li Qingzhi called Jin Dajiang aside and asked, "Dad, why did you come? Aren't you too old for this?"

Jin Dajiang replied, "They didn't want to come, so I came…"

"Did they give you that one or two taels of silver?" Li Qingzhi thought Jin Dajiang must have come for that one or two taels of silver.

Jin Dajiang said, "They promised to give it, but they haven't yet…"

Li Qingzhi was a bit speechless at his words.

Over the past few months, Li Qingzhi has interacted with the Jin family's members, even with Uncle Jin, who only came back once a month.

Actually, this Uncle Jin and his family… they weren't exactly the worst, but they were all a bit lazy and didn't like to work.

This wasn't a big deal, and even… even Jin Liushu, recognized as relatively lazy by Miaoqian Village, would be acceptable in modern times.

He didn't just lie around the house all day doing nothing. During busy farming seasons, he would work in the fields, and when he had free time, he would go to the county town to find work.

But this was an ancient rural area.

Jin Liushu worked very slowly in the fields and would rest every now and then.

Seeing their older brothers Jin Mulangshu and Jin Zaoshu work less, they didn't want to work more. But Jin Dajiang wasn't like that; he worked hard.

As a result, Jin Dajiang inevitably suffered.

To outsiders, Jin Dahai had always been earning money outside and contributing it to the family, so Jin Dajiang's family benefited, but Grandma Jin was so stingy that she would pick up even a river clam shell she saw and wouldn't spend a penny.

The Jin family was quite wealthy, but they only ate two meals a day; except during busy times and festivals, they didn't see any meat or fish.

With this kind of standard of living, they didn't even need the money Uncle Jin contributed to the family's expenses.

In fact, Jin Dajiang's family hadn't enjoyed any benefits. But for Uncle Jin's family? They had to contribute to the family's expenses every month, and they must have felt uncomfortable about it. Naturally, they thought they shouldn't have to work.

In the end, both sides were losing out.

Actually, according to Li Qingzhi's thoughts, their family should have split up long ago; then there would be no such issues, and everyone would be happy.

But Grandma Jin didn't want to split up.

Grandma Jin also thought Uncle Jin's family had contributed more because they brought money home.

Money was tangible, and she overlooked the physical effort Jin Dajiang and his wife had put in over the past twenty years.

It's like full-time childcare without any income being considered not contributing anything by some people.

Now, the Jin family asked Jin Dajiang to build a pier and didn't even offer compensation. Li Qingzhi thought it was a bit too much.

Actually, recently, another thing happened that left him speechless. Although their family owned a lot of land now, due to the large number of mouths to feed, there wasn't enough grain. Previously, Jin Xiaoshu suggested giving money, but he said there was no need for money; just bring over the grain.

But after Jin Xiaoshu went home and told Grandma Jin, she refused to give it. Jin Xiaoshu even planned to buy grain for him, but he stopped her.

Li Qingzhi said to Jin Dajiang, "Dad, come with me."

Jin Dajiang didn't know what Li Qingzhi was going to do, but he subconsciously nodded and followed Li Qingzhi forward, then was led to Magistrate Gou by Li Qingzhi.

Magistrate Gou was already drinking hot tea. Although the pavilion didn't block the wind, because of the recent events, his spirits were high, and he was in an excited state.

Seeing Li Qingzhi, Magistrate Gou asked, "Who is this?"

"Sir, this is my father-in-law. He's already of age and didn't need to come, but he appreciates the contributions you've made to the county and came to help voluntarily." Li Qingzhi smiled.

Jin Dajiang looked quite old due to years of hard labor. Such a person actually came to help voluntarily!

Magistrate Gou was quite pleased and asked Jin Dajiang some questions, mostly related to farming.

This was the county magistrate! Jin Dajiang felt like his heart was in his throat and couldn't speak.

But with him like this, Magistrate Gou was even more satisfied. Obviously, he wasn't someone who came specifically to flatter him; he was just an ordinary farmer!

"Dad, don't be nervous. Magistrate Gou is a good person." Li Qingzhi reassured him while translating Magistrate Gou's words.

Jin Dajiang took a deep breath and finally managed to speak fluently.

Jin Dajiang was still sharp-minded, unlike Li Laogen, who was so unreliable. When Magistrate Gou asked him questions about planting time and such, he could answer them all. He even mentioned the recent increase in fertilizer prices due to Zhang Yunquan's influence, but now the fertilizer prices have finally returned to normal.

These were all things Magistrate Gou liked to hear.

Plus, Li Qingzhi occasionally said a few words expressing admiration for Magistrate Gou… the more Magistrate Gou listened, the happier he became.

At this point, Li Qingzhi casually mentioned that Jin Dajiang would often host feasts in the village. Without hesitation, Magistrate Gou said, "Since Mr. Jin has cooking skills, why not go to the mess hall and be responsible for cooking for these laborers? I can't let you work for nothing. When the time comes, I'll have the mess hall give you two taels of silver a month as wages."

For such a large project as building a pier, a little extra pay for an additional cook wouldn't even make a dent. For Magistrate Gou, it was no big deal at all.

But Jin Dajiang was already stunned.

Li Qingzhi thanked Jin Dajiang on behalf of him, then took Jin Dajiang to the mess hall.

For the people at that time, eating was extremely, extremely important, and Li Qingzhi specifically emphasized this to Magistrate Gou.

After considering it, Magistrate Gou handed over the mess hall to Zhu Qian, instructing him to find someone to manage it and ensure that the laborers ate well.

This task had to be done well! Zhu Qian not only arranged trustworthy people to manage the kitchen but also, because Magistrate Gou was going to eat with the common people today, he was personally supervising the mess hall.

Li Qingzhi brought Jin Dajiang over and explained the situation. Zhu Qian directly addressed Jin Dajiang as "Old Brother Jin" and asked Jin Dajiang to work with Chef Zhou.

He arranged for Chef Zhou to come and be the head chef.

Since Li Qingzhi knew Chef Zhou, he took Jin Dajiang to find Chef Zhou and asked him to take care of his father-in-law.

Chef Zhou promised, with a pat on his chest, that he would take good care of Jin Dajiang.

Li Qingzhi knew Jin Dajiang wouldn't be treated unfairly in the mess hall, so he left Jin Dajiang behind and left with peace of mind.

After leaving the mess hall, Li Qingzhi went to the village chief of Miaoqian Village and said, "Village Chief, my dad isn't of the right age to work here, but he's good at cooking, so I had him help in the mess hall. Now, Miaoqian Village is short one laborer."

"What should we do?" The village chief asked cautiously.

Li Qingzhi said, "Let the Jin family send another person. Let it go for today, but make sure they come tomorrow." If the Jin family had given Jin Dajiang that one or two taels of silver, he wouldn't have made such a suggestion after arranging for Jin Dajiang, but since they hadn't given the money…

Since they hadn't given the money, they should send someone.

The village chief, thinking of Li Qingzhi's acquaintance with Magistrate Gou, quickly said, "I'll call someone over!"

Li Qingzhi finished talking with the village chief and went back to Magistrate Gou.

After he left, the village chief of the neighboring village asked the Miaoqian Village chief, "Who is that? He actually knows the county magistrate!"

The Miaoqian Village chief felt a bit proud and said, "That's Li Qingzhi, a scholar from our village."

In Miaoqian Village, although there were quite a few conflicts between families, they wouldn't speak ill of their own village when facing outsiders. The village chief and the others praised Li Qingzhi, saying he was good to his children, good to his wife, used to earn a silver coin a day copying books, and was highly regarded by Master Zhu…

Now, even the county magistrate values him highly!

The people from the neighboring village listened with envy. "How come our village doesn't have someone as talented as him? How did he get to know the county magistrate? This is too amazing!"

The people from Miaoqian Village didn't know how Li Qingzhi had met the county magistrate, but hearing these praises, they felt honored and proud.

After asking Li Qingzhi, those people asked about Jin Dajiang, mainly because Yao Zuming had said in front of them that Jin Dajiang's son was unfilial…

Jin Dajiang was Li Qingzhi's father-in-law, and Li Qingzhi had just taken Jin Dajiang to meet the county magistrate!

The villagers couldn't possibly speak ill of Jin Dajiang at this time, and even Yao Zuming didn't dare to speak indiscriminately.

"That's Jin Dajiang. His son isn't unfilial; that boy is very filial. Despite being young, he helps his father with work. Besides, his son is still young, not even eighteen yet, so he doesn't need to work."

"He's here on behalf of his nephew; his nephew is quite lazy."

"Speaking of Jin Dajiang, he's very fortunate. His children are all successful!"

"His daughter does business in the county town and can earn ten taels of silver a month."

"His son rows boats in the county town, and he should earn quite a bit too. Not long ago, he even married a girl from the county town. That girl looks like a celestial being, and she brought along four boats of dowry!"

…

The people from the neighboring village listened with relish. If nothing unexpected happened, soon the people from nearby villages would all know about Li Qingzhi and Jin Dajiang's situation.

But they didn't chat for too long; soon, someone came to arrange them for work.

There were a lot of conscripted laborers, but Magistrate Gou had made a lot of preparations in advance, taking into account the suggestions of Li Qingzhi and Zhu Qian, and had arranged these people in an orderly manner.

The short and weak ones were picked out to make bricks or do other tasks that didn't require much strength, while the strong ones were divided into different teams to level the land or dig mud.

Magistrate Gou had instructed these laborers to bring some hoes, and he also provided some. There was no shortage of tools at this time.

Magistrate Gou also arranged for people to patrol among the laborers, awarding medals to those who worked diligently. Those who received medals would get an extra boiled egg when they ate later.

As Magistrate Gou watched, everyone worked harder than the other.

Magistrate Gou called for a brand new hoe to try digging the mud, but after he forcefully plunged the hoe into the ground, he couldn't dig out the mud no matter how hard he pulled.

Although he wasn't weak, he wasn't quite cut out for physical labor.

Because of this, Magistrate Gou had a bit more admiration for those laborers. He said, "When I was young, my father took me to do farm work. I thought I knew how to farm, but now, looking back, I'm afraid I was just pretending."

"County Magistrate, have you worked the land before?" Li Qingzhi asked curiously.

Magistrate Gou replied, "Yes, I have. My father believed that people should know about farming and sericulture." Bringing up this matter, Magistrate Gou then talked about his own past.

The Gou family wasn't a big clan, but they were also scholarly. For the long-term consideration of the family, they had high expectations for the children in the family. Magistrate Gou started studying at a very young age and had to learn many things like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

He had a talent for studying, so later on, he focused on the imperial examinations, while others who didn't have the talent went down different paths.

Li Qingzhi thought the Gou family's approach was quite good.

Speaking of which, the previous owner's father had high expectations for several sons. At that time, the previous owner's family was still relatively wealthy, but the previous owner had to do many things himself, and later learned to be an assistant, even running around doing a lot of hard work.

If it weren't for having enough life experience, the original owner wouldn't have been able to escape to Miaoqian Village so smoothly.

In the future, he must make sure that Li Damao and Li Ermao work hard. He couldn't let them end up like Yao Zhenfu next door, unable to accomplish anything.

The laborers had just started working when the smell of meat wafted from afar.

This time, for the construction of the wharf, they were provided with two meals a day. All the laborers who came to work could receive a pottery basin. When it was time to eat, they would line up to get their food. After they received their food, someone would pour a spoonful of vegetables on top of their rice.

These pottery basins were donated by a porcelain shop in the county town, with the name of the shop printed on them. When the laborers received the pottery basin, someone would tell them the name of the porcelain shop.

And the dish they were eating today was stewed pork with dried tofu.

The pork was diced and cooked together with diced dried tofu. Mixing the meat and dried tofu together made it less likely for there to be conflicts over who got more meat.

"This dish is really good!"

"Can we eat like this every day?"

"Definitely not. Is today the first day we can eat like this?"

"This basin is really good; it can hold a lot of rice!"

…

Just as people were talking, they saw Magistrate Gou lining up too!

Magistrate Gou was actually eating the same food as them!

For a moment, the laborers working there were deeply moved.

And the respectful and moved gazes from these laborers made Magistrate Gou feel even more that he couldn't mistreat these common people.

Li Qingzhi saw this situation and felt quite pleased.

He made sure that Magistrate Gou had a good reputation in Chongcheng County, and this reputation would support Magistrate Gou and make him a good official.

The taste of the communal pot wasn't that great.

These days, husking grains was quite troublesome. Although there were machines that used hydropower to hull rice, the efficiency was still very low. So what they were eating today was brown rice.

Stewed pork with dried tofu was such a simple dish.

But because he was in a good mood, Magistrate Gou didn't mind. Seeing the people enjoying the food so much, he even decided to donate the gold box that Zhu Qian had given him earlier to buy pork for the people to eat.

If ordinary laborers could eat so well, then the people in the mess hall could eat even better!

Jin Dajiang was brought over by someone close to Magistrate Gou. Zhu Qian treated him like a brother, and the mess hall workers all thought highly of him, treating him with special respect.

Although no one would say anything even if Jin Dajiang didn't do any work in the mess hall, he wasn't that kind of person — Jin Dajiang had been working hard all along.

Clearly having connections but still working so hard… The mess hall workers all had a good impression of Jin Dajiang. During meals, Chef Zhou even gave him two large spoonfuls of vegetables.

Jin Dajiang rarely ate so well; he held his bowl and seemed a bit overwhelmed.

On the other side, after Li Qingzhi finished eating one bowl of rice, he went back to line up for another.

Ordinary laborers could only line up once, but he was a person close to Magistrate Gou, so it was okay for him to eat a few more bowls. Of course, to avoid attracting attention, eating two bowls was about enough.

Magistrate Gou and the others were already dumbfounded — Li Qingzhi had such a good appetite!

After finishing his second bowl of rice, Li Qingzhi went home. Because they only provided two meals a day at the wharf, they ate relatively early. When Li Qingzhi returned home, Li Damao and the others hadn't yet eaten their egg fried rice.

Li Laogen root was careless in his work; he might burn the eggs and rice… Li Qingzhi took the initiative to take the ladle and cooked a pot of egg fried rice for them using low heat and six eggs.

"Ah Qing, this egg fried rice is too delicious!" Li Laogen root said without lifting his head.

Fried rice was indeed very fragrant. Seeing that the others had had enough, Li Qingzhi finished the remaining portion himself.

The fact that their family might not have enough food to eat was partly due to his excessive eating habits…

Magistrate Gou didn't stay at the dock all day either. After eating, he left.

The laborers thought that once Magistrate Gou left, they wouldn't have any meat to eat, but that wasn't the case.

That night, they had pig offal and blood soup.

The offal, pork, and blood were all diced and cooked in thick soup poured over rice… It was incredibly delicious for those lacking in nutrition!

As the villagers of Miaoqian Village returned home after work, they couldn't stop reminiscing about the two meals they had today.

"We ate so well today; we can't even eat like this during the New Year."

"Yeah! Plenty of rice and meat!"

"Magistrate Gou is indeed a good person."

"I heard it was money donated by merchants from the city, and those pigs were bought by Mr. Zhu."

"I brought a rice ball out this morning, but didn't eat a single bite. I even managed to bring back an egg."

…

Everyone was in high spirits, and some asked where Jin Dajiang had gone.

"The magistrate knew I could cook, so he asked me to help in the kitchen," Jin Dajiang replied.

"How nice." Everyone was quite envious; after all, they were already eating so well, and the cook would definitely eat even better.

Jin Dajiang did indeed eat better, with Chef Zhou even giving him two extra eggs.

But he knew not to mention this to anyone.

Speaking of eating… when others left home in the morning, they all brought food, fearing that they wouldn't have enough to eat with just the gruel provided by the county office. But he had nothing to bring.

He wanted to bring food too, but his mother heard they were providing meals for the laborers and didn't let him take anything.

Jin Dajiang hadn't even returned home yet when Jin Xiaoye and Jin Xiaoshu already knew about his work at the dock.

Jin Xiaoye was furious when she heard. Li Qingzhi told her everything, knowing that this time, Magistrate Gou would provide decent meals and the work for the laborers wouldn't be too exhausting.

But the Jin family didn't know about this! They didn't let their young and strong sons go, but instead sent her father!

Jin Xiaoye looked at Jin Xiaoshu. "Xiaoshu, let's go back together later and demand an explanation. Dad can't let people bully him like this. If possible, it would be best to divide the family."

Jin Xiaoye had wanted to split the family since she was very young, but unfortunately, she was just a girl, and no one listened to her. She used to have nothing and was worried that if the family split, her parents would not live well.

"But now… she really feels that splitting up the family is better, and she believes that her eldest uncle's family thinks the same way."