Second Sister-in-law And Dowries
"…" The two families almost choked in anger!
Shao Yunduan's reaction almost burst out. He turned around and pretended to cough so as to hold the laughter in. This wife of his seemed like a lot of fun. RE𝒂ad updated st𝒐ries at n/𝒐
Eldest Uncle's eyes widened as he said, "But we are all from the Shao Family, we share the same ancestors…"
Ms. Fang found that Ms. Qiao's words were too good. She snorted. "You are not talking senses. Half of the people in the village have Shao as their family name and we all share the same ancestor. Should we check with every family? Ms. Qiao, you are right, we are in different families, and we are all healthy beings, why must someone be so greedy? We have never gotten anything from your families!"
Ms. Niu said, "Honestly, Sister-in-law, we are not that competent, and we always remember the favor you have done for us! When we become capable in the future, we will be of some help to you too! We are all one family, don't get so estranged! It is so hurtful! Ms. Qiao can say whatever she wants, but we wonder if it is true about what she says, or just that she doesn't want to share her things with Meiling and Xiaozhi? We are all sisters. What she has done hurts us!"
Eldest Uncle sighed, and threw a guilty look at Shao Meiling and Shao Xiaozhi.
He felt the same way, as he complained that Qiao Xuan was too stingy as the sister-in-law!
Qiao Xuan showed a helpless look. "I am telling the truth. There is nothing I can do, even if you don't believe me!"
Ms. Niu became even angrier!
She was not convinced inside her heart!
She should have asked them to check her dowries!
If Qiao Xuan had said these words, Ms. Niu would definitely ask Ms. Ma to dig out everything from Qiao Xuan's boxes!
Moreover, she also wanted to see what those 26 sets of dowries from the County Magistrate's family were like!
Qiao Xuan did not follow her lead, but Ms. Niu could not hold the itch, and said, "You have to show us!"
Qiao Xuan turned to her and showed a strange smile. "You want to check my dowries?"
Ms. Fang became furious. "Ms. Niu, what do you mean? Even I, the mother-in-law, have not seen any of her dowries, what do you think you are doing?"
Dowries were private things. No families who had even a little shame in them would do things like this.
Ms. Niu pursed her lips. "Don't get me wrong. I just want Ms. Qiao to prove what she said was real."
Ms. Fang sneered. "I don't care if you don't believe her. There is no need to prove anything. As long as I believe my daughter-in-law, it will do!"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "That is fine for me, but I just remember that you haven't given me any gifts either! What about giving presents to me and letting me see your dowries too?"
"You…" Ms. Ma got annoyed. "What gifts? We don't have such rules in the Shao Family!"
Ms. Fang rolled her eyes. "Then, shut your mouth!"
Ms. Niu was about to add something, when Ms. Fang said, "So, you don't want to have any dinner tonight, right? Are we done or not?"
Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma exchanged glances with their husbands and pressed down their anger. They knew that they could do nothing today, so they stopped making the fuss.
Eldest Uncle had already become very worried, exhausted and embarrassed.
He waved at Ms. Fang and said, "Alright, alright, stop talking and go make dinner! It is getting late…"
Guilty
Ms. Fang had been used to Eldest Uncle trying to appease everyone in the past. She simply snorted and felt nothing inside her heart. She was worried that Qiao Xuan would get bullied again, so she said to her son, "Yunduan, take your wife back to the room. I will tell you when it is time for dinner."
Shao Yunduan also did not have any interest in hearing them babbling any further, so he nodded. "Okay."
Ms. Ma did not seem happy about this. She let out a fake smile. "Sister-in-law, you love your daughter-in-law, and don't want her to do anything…"
Ms. Fang threw a superior look at her. "My son is a Cultivated Talent, and soon he is going to take the village examination. He needs someone to take care of him!"
Ms. Ma thought of how her own son failed the imperial examination that he had attended with Shao Yunduan. She became angry and glared at her.
Both Third Uncle and Sixth Son were not looking good either after hearing this.
Ms. Fang did not care about how they felt. She turned around and went into the kitchen.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan went back to the room as well.
The door closed and Qiao Xuan let out a sigh of relief.
It was quiet in the room. Shao Yunduan looked at her and felt that he should say something. So he thought for a while and asked her. "You… are you okay?"
Qiao Xuan threw a look back at him and smiled. "I am okay!"
Okay…
Shao Yunduan had no idea how to respond to it…
He did not know what to say next.
"Okay, good that you are okay!" He paused and added. "They are always like this. You can just… stay away from them. Don't take what they say to your heart. If they go over the top, tell me or Mom." Ne/w novel chapt𝒆rs are published on no/vel( /m
Shao Yunduan told her all this and gave a complicated look to Qiao Xuan. It was really a difficult situation for her right now…
Qiao Xuan saw how he was behaving and burst out into laughter. She looked at him with her head tilted and teased him. "You are feeling a little guilty?"
Shao Yunduan was startled. He responded in a small voice as he moved away his gaze in an awkward way. "I didn't expect that they were going to behave like this. Anyway, stay away from them."
Qiao Xuan let out an even deeper smile. "You are worried that I will be bullied?"
It was a question, but Shao Yunduan seemed to feel that she was saying that she was not at all scared and that she did not care about his concern!
He felt a bit angry inside his heart, and he was about to reply when Qiao Xuan nodded and said, "Yes, you are right. I will stay away from them."
In fact, she had no interest in those people. As long as they did not come to her causing trouble, she would not care about what they were doing.
Teasing this man in front of her was a lot of fun!
So, she turned to him and said with a look of sincerity and expectation, "If you are feeling guilty, how do you think that you should compensate me?!"
Shao Yunduan. "…"
He felt as if he had been trapped by her. But he wasn't sure about it.
The feeling of being both trapped and helpless in front of her arose inside him again!
He answered in a muffled voice, when facing her gaze and this hard question. "What do you want?"
Qiao Xuan chuckled inwardly, thinking that this man was really so much fun!
She inclined her head and thought for a while, smiling. "What about taking me to the mountains tomorrow!"
"To the mountains?!" Shao Yunduan was startled.
Her answer was beyond his expectation. She was the daughter of the County Magistrate. What was she going to do in the mountains? He could not help but get curious. "What are you going to do there?"
"Take a walk!"
Shao Yunduan. "…"
He felt as if he had become an idiot!
Shao Yunduan's Denial
Seeing that he was so flummoxed, Qiao Xuan held her laughter and added. "The mountains must have a good view. I just want to take a walk around for relaxation. Can you come with me?"
The most important thing was that she was going to study her superpower. After all, there were many plants in the mountains.
Could Shao Yunduan say no?
Of course not!
Moreover, she was blamed for a series of hardships today, and seemed to be so pitiful.
"I got it!" Shao Yunduan nodded and looked at her. Then he gave her a reminder. "It is not an easy path to reach the mountain. There are plants with thorns, and the leaves are sharp as knives. Also, there are bugs and insects during this time of the year. You have to be prepared for all these!"
"Oh, that is okay." Qiao Xuan laughed. "You will always be with me, won't you?!"
Shao Yunduan's heart skipped two beats. He suddenly flushed. "You…"
He had intended to tell her not to talk like this, but then he realized that she was right. On this trip to the mountain, he was going to be by her side anyway, wasn't he?
She was a noble-born lady who had never been to any wild mountains! If he did not look out for her, she might get messy and totally lost!
Therefore… she was simply talking sense! It was just him who had thought it in another way!
Good that he stopped himself from telling her the words, otherwise he would get really embarrassed!
Shao Yunduan could not stand being by her side right now. This unbelievable woman was going to spill out something even more uncomfortable, wasn't she?!
He got up and replied stiffly. "You stay here, I will take a look outside."
Before Qiao Xuan could give any response, he turned around and dashed off.
Qiao Xuan covered her face and chuckled, as she saw the door close again.
This man was so much fun! He only knew how to read!
It seemed that she had developed some feelings towards him!
Qiao Xuan thought of how he calmly defended her when she was confronted by those annoying families. She suddenly felt that this man was actually very nice!
Then she thought deeper. Her mother-in-law was so nice, and so was her sister-in-law. The Elder Brother, Third Brother and Qi were nice as well. So was the elder Sister-in-law. As for her father-in-law… she could tell that he was a parent who loved to look good on the surface. It was a merit too. In this way, he was definitely not going to do anything shameful, like lecturing his daughter-in-law publicly. Actually, this kind of man was very easy to deal with.
For example, when she was speaking so rudely to the two women just now, their husbands got so annoyed that their veins popped out. But what her father-in-law did was only to stare at her with a look of accusation, instead of doing anything more than that.
This section of the Shao Family was really nice!
Qiao Xuan could not help but smile.
The two families must have gotten tired of the argument earlier today. So they did not say anything more at dinner.
Although they behaved terribly, she decided to tolerate them thinking that she would not have to spend so much time with them in daily life, as they were in different family sections.
The dinner went well.
After dinner, the children of the second and the third sections of the family were gone. But Second Uncle, Ms. Niu, Third Uncle and Ms. Ma remained there.
Ms. Fang said that Shao Yunduan was going to study, so she asked Qiao Xuan to keep him company in the room.
The elders who stayed back at Eldest Uncle's home started to chitchat. They kept mentioning that he should watch out for Qiao Xuan, because she was going to bring trouble to the family etc.
Eldest Uncle became really guilty after hearing those suggestions. He nodded constantly in agreement.
Qiao Xuan's Joke
Eldest Uncle also felt that Qiao Xuan wasn't well-behaved as a daughter-in-law was supposed to be!
Look at Ms. Xu. She was honest and diligent. But Qiao Xuan did not show any politeness when speaking with the senior members of the family. Instead, she kept countering them!
She was the daughter of the County Magistrate, true, but she was the Shao Family's daughter-in-law! Hence, she needed to be taught well, otherwise she was going to offend many people! Gét latest 𝒏ovel ch𝒂pters on n𝒐v(e)lbj/n.c/𝒐m
They were one family, and everyone should stay in harmony!
On their wedding day the night before, when the original host caused such an accident, Shao Yunduan got so annoyed and troubled that he did not care about anything else but fell asleep directly on the bed.
But tonight, things were different and had started to go into the normal direction, well at least on the surface! The sharp issue of how they were going to spend the night also came up.
Shao Yunduan just did not know how to mention this issue.
They were a poor farmer's family with only one bed in the room. There were no other places available for sleeping!
In the end, Shao Yunduan decided to get some blankets from the wardrobe and sleep on the floor instead.
The floor was not paved with wood or bricks, just concrete. The floor was firm but not dry enough to sleep on.
Qiao Xuan also thought of this issue. But she did not mention it deliberately, and occupied the bed before her husband could.
But this man was so honest that he would rather sleep on the wet floor than on the bed.
She got both annoyed and amused!
Of course she was not going to let him sleep on the floor. It was far too wet and cold, what if he got sick! That would hurt her conscience!
"What are you doing?"
"Sleeping!" Shao Yunduan threw a look at her. "Don't worry…"
"I am worried!" Qiao Xuan replied. "The bed is wide. What are you sleeping on the floor for? I will have to take care of you, if you are sick!"
"I am strong and I don't fall ill easily!"
"But what if you get sick?" Qiao Xuan smiled. "Oh, are you afraid of me?"
"I am not!" Shao Yunduan snapped. This woman was so unreasonable. He wasn't afraid of her. Rather, she should be afraid of him!
She had said what he was going to say!
He was just thinking for her sake, but she, instead of showing him some care, even told him disdainfully that she would have to take care of him if he got sick!Moreover, she taunted that he was afraid of her!
"Then, come up!" Qiao Xuan added. "We spent the last night together, did we?"
Shao Yunduan. "…"
Yes they did. So any more times would not make any difference!
Shao Yunduan got startled. He did not know how to reply to her.
Qiao Xuan was amused. This man was so tangled in his own thoughts!
Anyway, she was going to help him out. She summoned him and said, "Come up and sleep, we are going to the mountains tomorrow!"
Shao Yunduan's heart skipped two more beats. He flushed and almost tripped over!
He opened his mouth, thinking that this woman simply did not know how to talk properly!
"Come up and sleep…" That was not something to be said so casually!
But it seemed right too. She looked natural and calm in every way. She was just making a statement, rather than meaning anything more than that…
But he was the one who kept thinking about strange things!
Shao Yunduan knocked at his head, thinking that he must have gone mental!
He squinted and saw Qiao Xuan staring at him curiously. She had seen how he just behaved.
Shao Yunduan became so embarrassed that he wished that he could go deep into the ground and disappear.
But he gave up when he had already come to this step. Shao Yunduan coughed and calmed himself, as he walked straight to the bed.
But the way he walked made Qiao Xuan almost burst into laughter!
Anyway She Wanted
The following morning after breakfast, everyone got down to their own business.
Shao Yunduan told his mother that he was going to take Qiao Xuan for a walk in the mountains.
Ms. Fang was very happy. She nodded and said, showing an affable smile, "Alright, alright, just go and take a walk, but don't go deep into the steep mountains. Take good care of her, so she won't trip or something."
His mother looked gratified and satisfied. She even looked as if she understood everything. That made Shao Yunduan feel a bit speechless.
He would like to give an explanation but did not know how to make himself look less suspicious. So he gave it up eventually.
Anyway she wanted…
As long as she was happy!
With a bamboo basket in hand, Qiao Xuan was very happy on the way. She hopped around and smiled, looking around and showing admiration as she observed the surroundings with a pair of beautiful eyes.
It was the best time of the year, flourishing and full of plants. The landscape in the mountain was really attractive and beautiful. Follow the latest novels 𝒐𝒏 n𝒐
They had walked for more than half an hour, when they came to a forest filled with bamboo and trees. The valleys were large and broad, with gentle hills and trees, flowers blooming around.
There was a clear river flowing at the feet of the mountain, with water gurgling and birds chirping from the tree branches.
Among the flourishing forest, Qiao Xuan suddenly felt a sense of vibrant life, which made her feel rather joyful.
"It is so beautiful here!"
Shao Yunduan thought that she made such a sound because she, who was born in a noble family, had never seen such a forest before. Maybe she found it exciting, it being her first time. He found a dry rock and sat down, answering her casually with a single 'yes'.
As Qiao Xuan was looking around in admiration, she again smiled. "There must be many mushrooms at this time of the year. They are always so fresh and tasty, I want to take some home."
Shao Yunduan threw a look at her, thinking that she had never been to the mountains and knew nothing about what was going on in the woods. So he said patiently, "I suggest we do not do that. There are many mushrooms that are poisonous, what if we eat some of them, we will die!"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "But I know which kinds we can pick. They should be fresh and safe!"
She had just made an attempt and with her superpower, she was able to tell which mushrooms were poisonous, and which were not, including those types that they did not know about.
Shao Yunduan did not believe her. He said seriously, "I am not joking with you. We shouldn't do that."
Qiao Xuan pursed her lips. "Why not? Let me tell you, I was born to be sensitive towards different plants, I…. My father has many books about geography and everything, and one of them talked about mushrooms. I remember the contents well. I am not going to joke with my life."
Shao Yunduan could not think of any way to counter her.
He even showed a look of admiration. The study of the County Magistrate's home? That sounded really nice!
Qiao Xuan showed him a smile. He must be very jealous of her for knowing so much about mushrooms!
"Let's go, I can teach you something about them!" Qiao Xuan was very generous, as she tugged his sleeves and pulled him forward.
She was not going to hide anything!
Shao Yunduan looked down at the hand that tugged his sleeves, saying nothing more.
Anyway, they might as well do that!
There were many mushrooms in the mountains, but it was not very easy to get them. If luck went against them, she might lose interest after a while.
But…
What he did not know was that Qiao Xuan always intended to get mushrooms for herself!
She placed her hand casually on one leaf of a small tree, concentrated inwardly and looked over with her superpower angle.
No Need
She did not stop looking until her superpower sight covered many kilometers. That made Qiao Xuan both surprised and happy, because the range was not fixed. She could clearly tell that when her superpower grew stronger, she was able to expand the range.
Her superpower could grow, especially when it came to the season in which all matters were growing and everything was flourishing. In this environment, her power grew fast too.
So within this visible range, every tree, every piece of grass, every flower, and even every small ant on the grass root as well as the ground became extremely clear in her eyes.
"Let's go that way!"
Qiao Xuan pointed into one direction with a smile, and took Shao Yunduan there.
Shao Yunduan saw that she was so delighted, and decided to follow her lead rather than disappoint her.
Soon they found one bunch of grass mushrooms under one tree. The mushroom had grey-brown umbrellas, and the stems were thick, white and tender. Qiao Xuan's eyes sparkled as she said, "We are so lucky!"
Seeing that she was squatting to pick them, Shao Yunduan could not help but respond. "Are they really safe?" Gét latest 𝒏ovel ch𝒂pters on n𝒐v(e)lbj/n.c/𝒐m
"Of course!" Qiao Xuan took a bite of them. "Look!"
"Hey, you!" Shao Yunduan had no time to stop her but said, "What are you doing, spit it now!"
Qiao Xuan spat and said with a smile, "You see, it is safe right?"
Shao Yunduan. "…"
He just had no idea how to react.
She did not have to make so much effort to prove the point!
He shivered and said, "Don't do this again. Pick them if you want, but feed them to the roosters first before trying them yourself, okay?"
It was not worth dying because of a mushroom.
Qiao Xuan burst into laughter and nodded. "Okay, whatever you say!"
Shao Yunduan looked at her and wondered why she did not accept his advice.
Qiao Xuan waved at him. "Come and help me pick some!"
Instead of turning her down, Shao Yunduan had no choice but to squat down and pick mushrooms for her.
Then the two of them found some wild-growing needle mushrooms in brown-yellow color, red mushrooms in dark red color, as well as several kinds of fragrant shiitake mushrooms, fungus, pine milk mushrooms, and many more. Even several rare porcini mushrooms were picked.
But for the basket that was too small to hold everything, they were able to get more.
They even found some very fat and big brackens on one hill. They picked one armful of that and tied them into one bunch with a long thatch.
Satisfied, Qiao Xuan smiled brightly. "This is a big harvest! We are so lucky today!"
Shao Yunduan smiled with slight delight. He nodded. "Yes!"
In the meanwhile, he was totally amazed…
There were many mushrooms in the mountains, but they were never so readily available for him to pick all the time.
They were just so lucky!
The two of them were just about to head home, when they ran into Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao who were strolling in the mountains.
"Fifth Brother, Fifth Sister-in-law!"
The brother and sister waved at them, running at them joyfully.
"Qi, Taotao, what a coincidence to run into you two!" Qiao Xuan's eyes brightened.
Shao Xiaoqi scratched her head and smiled. "Yes, I put some traps down in the mountains the day before, so I am here to check to see if I caught anything. Fifth Brother, Fifth Sister-in-law, you have got so many mushrooms, and even bracken!"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Those mushrooms are all so tasty, and so are the bracken. We are going to have a feast tonight!"
Shao Taotao was as worried as her fifth brother. She could not help but ask. "Many mushrooms in the mountains are not safe to eat. What about these?"
One Problem
"Of course!" Shao Xiaoqi replied with trust and determination in his voice. "Fifth Brother would never be wrong!"
His fifth brother was the Cultivated Talent, who had learned quite a bit and knew a lot. If he said that the mushrooms were fine, then they were definitely fine.
Qiao Xuan nodded in agreement and said with a smile, "Qi is right!"
Shao Taotao showed a look of realization. "That is true!"
Shao Yunduan. "…"
What a blame he had to take!
The four of them went home together, as they were talking.
Qiao Xuan could not help but keep asking Xiaoqi what was happening in the mountains.
Shao Xiaoqi felt a bit regretful. "I wasn't so lucky today. I got nothing. I wish I had trapped some wild rabbits, roosters or some other small birds, so that we could eat some meat tonight! This place is too close to the village, and hence, there aren't many wild roosters around. In a couple of days I will go to the Wangqing Mountains, where we are definitely going to get a lot! Few people visit there, so we are definitely going to get many wild animals…"
He was not only good at setting up traps, but also at shooting arrows. He was good at some Kung Fu, which was all taught by the deceased Grandpa Zhao.
But Grandpa Zhao kept telling him that unless he was defending himself, he should never reveal that he was good at shooting and Kung Fu.
Grandpa also told him not to reveal this secret to anyone in the family!
He had no idea why, but Grandpa was very nice to him, so if he made the promise to Grandpa Zhao, he would definitely keep it.
Therefore, even though he had made arrows and bows with bamboo, he was not going to do anything like this when he was lingering in the village, fearing that someone would see him. He only showcased his skills when he was deep in the mountains.
Qiao Xuan was apparently very interested in what she was told. She asked with a smile directly. "It sounds very interesting! Qi, next time you go to Wangqing Mountains, take me with you, okay? And Fifth Brother too!"
Shao Yunduan frowned slightly as he threw a look at her. So, she had become addicted to walking in the mountains?
He could not help but caution them. "It is very dangerous in the deep mountains, Qi, you…"
Before he could finish his 'you shouldn't go there', Qiao Xuan said with a smile, "Are you scared?"
"Of course I am not." He was not going to admit even if he was!
"Nor am I !" Qiao Xuan said to Shao Xiaoqi. "Look, your Fifth Brother wants to join us too!"
Shao Xiaoqi got totally happy and he struck his chest. "Okay, don't worry, Fifth Brother, and Fifth Sister-in-law, everything will be fine when I am with you. I won't take you to any dangerous places!"
Shao Taotao cheered and chimed in as well. "I want to go with you too!"
Shao Yunduan. "…"
That was another blame he had to take.
Anyway, since he could say nothing more, he would just drop the topic here.
When mushrooms and brackens were brought home, Ms. Fang spoke highly of Qiao Xuan. But she wasn't sure about those mushrooms either.
Qiao Xuan passionately proved that those mushrooms were fine after feeding them to the roosters. Only then did Ms. Fang get assured.
For dinner, they made fried mushrooms, mushroom soup, pickles with spring baboom and bracken. All were very fresh and tasty, and were highly appreciated.
They had never expected that the mushrooms could taste so good.
There were many mushrooms growing in the mountains. They would serve as very good dishes, if they were well-distinguished. 𝒩ewW 𝒏ovels upd𝒂tes on nov/𝒆l/b(i)𝒏.com
Also, though fresh mushrooms could not stay fresh for long, they could be dried and stored, ready to be eaten whenever, throughout the whole year.
Therefore the following day, the interested Qiao Xuan, together with Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao went into the mountains again. Shao Yunduan had no choice but to follow after.
It was another day full of harvest. Within half a day's time, mushrooms, brackens and wild bamboos filled up their hemp bags!
It seemed as if those mushrooms did not have to be found, but appeared right in front of their eyes directly. They could find the mushrooms wherever they wanted.
Both Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao were cheerful.
"We are so lucky today!"
"True!"
Admiration and Delight
Shao Yunduan could not help but nod in agreement. They were indeed very lucky…
As the four of them returned home, Ms. Fang and Ms. Xu did not suspect the safety of mushrooms as they already witnessed what happened the day before. So they got the dustpans to hold the mushrooms and dried them out on high places.
When it came to brackens, they cut off the head and bottom, put them in boiling water before placing them into the clear water, after the brackens were taken home.
Those coin-size and finger-size bamboos needed to be peeled. So the women sat together to peel off the shells…
As they were busy with all of these, Ms. Niu came to visit them with a look of smile. She was thinking of some plans the moment she walked in. Seeing that Ms. Fang and Qiao Xuan were peeling the bamboo, she instantly lost interest and said with a smile, "Oh, these bamboos are too thin to have their shells peeled off. It is so exhausting to do this work, are you tired?" Gett your 𝒇avorite 𝒏ovels at no/v/e/lb𝒊
When she heard that some people of the family came home from the mountains with large bags of things, she just came to see what they had got.
But the things in front of her were beyond her anticipation.
Ms. Fang threw a look at her and said casually, "That is true, children are just having fun with it."
Ms. Niu sounded as if she did not like any of these, but as she saw those peeled, white and tender-looking bamboos lying in the basket, she smiled and said, "Qi and Taotao are so diligent. I will have some to take home for a taste."
But suddenly, a pair of hands stretched out and took away the whole basket instantly.
Qiao Xuan stood up with a basket and smiled. "Mom, should we also boil bamboo in the water?"
Ms. Niu failed to get the basket and turned a bit dumbfounded. She looked so silly as she was frozen in her posture.
Ms. Fang laughed and nodded at her. "Yes, but don't do that, you will burn your hands, Ms. Xu, you go and do it instead."
Ms. Xu nodded and took over the basket.
She had also been a bit anxious seeing that Second Sister-in-law was trying to get the basket. That woman was never going to spare any courtesy and would have taken the whole thing away.
Those bamboos were very tasty, even though they were covered with thick shells. They had spent so much time peeling them and she would feel so bad, if Second Sister-in-law took them away for free.
But she did not dare to stop that woman. Luckily, her sister-in-law took action.
Ms. Xu could not help but admire and feel happy.
Ms. Niu got so annoyed that she snorted. "Ms. Qiao, you are so stingy! We are a family, why are you defending your bamboos like this?"
Qiao Xuan showed an awkward smile and said, "It is so exhausting to peel these bamboos, I am not that generous to share them. Second Sister-in-law, if you want to eat them, you can go to the mountains to pick them yourself, it is not that difficult."
Qiao Xuan was not a stingy person, but she did not want to share her spoils with Ms. Niu, who was snapping at them, simply trying to take advantage of them.
Ms. Niu."…"
Ms. Fang chuckled. "Yes, that is true. They are not expensive things. They are available everywhere in the mountains. Just go and pick them if you want to. There are so many of us in the family. These are only enough for two meals. We can't share them, okay?"
Ms. Niu snorted. Stingy people! She did not care about these no-taste bamboos!
She just wanted to take advantage of them!
She did not want to continue to care about these bamboos. But she had stepped into the family, and she believed that she needed to say something.
Ms. Niu rolled her eyes and suddenly smiled. "Ms. Qiao, tomorrow is your 'return-to-bride's home' day. Have you got your presents ready? Tell me what you are going to take home? I can help you with some ideas."
Glare
Ms. Fang's smile stiffened and her face sank. She threw a really cold side glance at Ms. Niu.
This damn woman. What a bitch! She just picked those words which they did not like to talk about as if she could benefit something out of it.
Ms. Fang could not help but feel regretful and nervous.
She should have discussed with Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan about the return to Qiao Xuan's family yesterday, but she forgot about it after having a row with her husband. Expplôre 𝒖ptod𝒂te stories at no/𝒗el/bin.c𝒐m
She really had no idea what she should do about the trip. She started to think carefully and decided to turn to Qiao Xuan instead.
Qiao Xuan smiled at Ms. Niu. "What about you getting two hens for me? My father and his wife would definitely love it!"
"In your dreams! My hens are still hatching eggs. They can't possibly be given away as presents!" Ms. Niu glared back at her.
Qiao Xuan shrugged and uttered a small "oh" sound.
"Then why are you asking for the information, if you are not sponsoring it?"
Ms. Niu again said sinisterly, "But you have hens, don't you? You can give some of them to your family right? But I don't think that hens are enough for the return trip, right? Elder Sister-in-law, it is time for you to back up Yunduan and the Shao Family! You should never be stingy about this, right, Ms. Qiao?"
Ms. Niu was trying her best to turn the family members against each other.
"Of course! Ms. Qiao is a kind, understanding and family-favored person. We are going to do everything we can for her!"
Ms. Fang glared at her, feeling both angry and irritated.
What was going on?
But she did not dare to say anything as she looked at Qiao Xuan. If she countered Ms. Niu, then she would probably annoy Qiao Xuan, who might assume that she would overthink her intention.
Qiao Xuan smiled at Ms. Fang gratefully. "Mom, thank you for your kindness. My father and mother once said that the elder section of the Shao Family are kindest of all! For them, just greetings would do! Mom, you don't have to care about this, otherwise I will feel so sorry about your concern. My father and mother will snap at me, for causing you trouble, if you do too much for me."
Officer Qiao was a very selfish person with the intention of going upwards. He did not care a thing about Qiao Xuan.
As for Madame Qiao… well, she was very happy that Qiao Xuan had married into a farmer's family. She did not care if she was bringing back any presents.
As a matter of fact, Qiao Xuan had not even thought about returning to her own family. She would rather go back with nothing in her hands.
Her family would not help her even when she was in trouble. If that was the case, why should she care about them?
Ms. Fang felt warmth attacking her heart. She felt slightly more assured as she responded anxiously. "Okay, okay, that is good, that is good."
Qiao Xuan turned to look at Ms. Niu and smiled. "Don't stand there, Second Sister-in-law, come and help us peel the bamboo!"
Ms. Fang felt so happy at this moment that she sneered. "True, you are so free, why not come and help us peel the bamboo!"
Ms. Niu felt quite jealous and showed a false smile. "I am not free at all, I need to go home…"
She was so angry that they had such good luck! How did the Qiao Family end up being related to them?
She could not help but start to complain about her son.
Her second son could do nothing, but her fourth son, who she believed to be smart, just did not want to go to school and study! He said that he would reap the harvest rather than go to school, where he felt a headache attacking him.
The elder brother was always taking care of his younger brothers and their families. If he had been willing to study, the fifth son of the family would have been squeezed to nowhere by this point.
Shao Yunduan's Reaction
When Ms. Niu was gone, Ms. Fang could not help but mention the topic about returning to Qiao Xuan's family on the next day.
Qiao Xuan kept consoling her, telling her that her family did not care for presents, so Ms. Fang really felt assured.
By this point, Ms. Fang loved Qiao Xuan even more. She felt really happy for her.
The next morning, Shao Yunduan took Qiao Xuan back to her family.
There was no wagon in the village, so they spent 20 wen in borrowing a bullock cart to ride back.
Qiao Xuan had not prepared any presents. She decided to buy some on the street.
She did not want to give away the arrogant roosters and fat hens which she had been feeding for two days, let alone the efforts done by Ms. Fang and Ms. Xu earlier on them.
Ms. Fang decided that they should go to the street to buy some stuff, when she truly could not find anything at home to offer.
She gave Qiao Xuan 2 liang. That was what she had saved till this point from her private earnings.
They just could not save any money openly. The other two sections of the family were all staring at the savings!
But for Shao Yunduan who was going to school, she would not have any private money either!
Qiao Xuan had not intended to take it, but she accepted it when she failed to turn down the kind offer.
As they walked into the county, they bought four boxes of pastry, two jars of rice wine and two boxes of tea leaves.
Those were very ordinary things, and were cheap.
Qiao Xuan intentionally bought some beautiful wrappings to repack them.
So, every present looked really amazing and expensive! Geett the l𝒂test 𝒏𝒐vels on no/v/elbin.c/om
Shao Yunduan was totally dumbfounded.
Seeing her achievement, Qiao Xuan could not help but feel that she had taken revenge, when she thought of how Madame Qiao was going to react to that.
"Before we go there, I have a few words to share with you."
Anyway, as long as they arrived at the Qiao Family, all the evil inside the mansion would be revealed in front of him.
Madame Qiao, her lineal sister, Qiao Wei and her second sister, Qiao Kou as well as Concubine Du would definitely laugh and sneer at her. They might even humiliate her as well as her husband, Shao Yunduan.
She decided to give Shao Yunduan a warning before he entered the mansion.
Shao Yunduan was surprised, but not that surprised after all.
He was a Cultivated Talent and had more knowledge than the others.
He clearly understood the conflicts that were bound to exist between the lineal mother and the concubine's children.
When Qiao Xuan was rescued by him, he had found it to be very strange as to how there could be no maids next to this noble lady when she fell into the water. How did she fall into the water so easily?
But he did not delve deep into the reason, when right afterwards, their wedding happened.
But hearing what Qiao Xuan said, he suddenly felt that everything made sense.
No wonder the marriage went on so easily.
Madame Qiao was hoping that Qiao Xuan could marry a farmer's son!
He was a Cultivated Talent, but there were many talents out there, and Shao Yunduan never believed that he could make it through all the imperial examinations. He might remain as just a Cultivated Talent for the rest of his life.
No wonder Qiao Xuan committed suicide on their wedding night.
Shao Yunduan suddenly felt sorry for Qiao Xuan and threw a sympathetic look at her.
She wasn't living an easy life either.
"We are not going to be received well today, but don't take any of their words to heart. We won't have much communication with them from this day on. We can just get the ceremony done as soon as possible, and can go home soon!"
"Okay!"
The couple held a very strange conversation, which did not make them look like a newly-wedding couple on their way back to the bride's home.
The couple came to the back street of the county mansion with gifts in each of their hands.
No one was there to greet them at the door, which didn't even open until a long while later.
Even the housekeepers, and a few aunties were nowhere to be seen, let alone the master. The door was opened, as a lazy sound of 'Second Miss and Second Sir Son-in-law are back here!'
Then the sound disappeared.
Madame Qiao's Cold Glance
There was no one guiding them on the path.
Qiao Xuan, even on the trip back to her own family, received ignorance and coldness.
Qiao Xuan felt calm. All those servants working for Madame Qiao were just servants, who obeyed what Madame Qiao told them to. There was no point in getting angry with them.
However, Shao Yunduan next to her noticed her calmness. But he assumed that it was because she was pretending to stay composed and trying to force out a smile whilst feeling so ashamed, humiliated and angry inwardly.
Shao Yunduan more or less had an idea of what was going on with Qiao Xuan's family, after she had told him about the situation inside the mansion. But only at this moment when he was inside the mansion did he realize that what he knew was too little for him to get a full understanding.
They were not like a family to her. They seemed to be regarding her even worse than a stranger!
Well, Madame Qiao might not show any passion, but what he had not expected was that Officer Qiao acted the same.
Shao Yunduan sneaked a look at Qiao Xuan and said in a low voice, "Don't be mad."
"What?" Qiao Xuan was surprised.
Shao Yunduan did not know how to console people, so he added awkwardly. "Just… don't be upset."
Qiao Xuan blinked and realized that he was trying to console her. She showed a smile and her eyes shone. "I am not angry or upset."
The couple came to the main hall, where only Madame Qiao and Qiao Wei were seen.
Qiao Xuan told Shao Yunduan to put down the gifts they had brought with them and greeted the pair of mother and daughter.
Madame Qiao glanced at how the couple were dressed and felt very satisfied. She nodded slightly and said, "Take a seat. Old Master is busy today so he will not be meeting you. Well, you won't mind it, will you, Mr. Shao…"
Madame Qiao just could not remember what Shao Yunduan was called. Nor did she have the willingness to call him Son-in-law, so she just addressed him by 'you' only.
She was going to humiliate Qiao Xuan as well as the Shao Family. She believed how she treated the Shao Family would make Qiao Xuan's life even more miserable.
Madame Qiao felt even better, when she thought of how Qiao Xuan would be screamed at and lectured by her husband after this, making her shed tears from day to night.
That bitch Concubine Yan dared to seduce Old Master. Hence, she decided to stab her heart so that she would not get to rest in peace even when dead.
Shao Yunduan threw a gentle look at Madame Qiao and replied with a gesture, shaking his head. "Officer Father-in-law is a busy man and I am not here to disturb him, so no, I don't mind his absence at all."
Madame Qiao was startled. Right after, coldness flashed across her eyes.
A busy man? He was just a County Magistrate who had no business at all. Shao Yunduan was being ironic, wasn't he? Did he do that on purpose or not?
She had thought that this son-in-law was a dumbass, but it seemed that he did know how to talk.
Madame Qiao did not show any weakness but smiled. "You are a scholar, aren't you? No wonder you know how to talk."
Shao Yunduan lowered his head slightly and said, "Thank you for your compliment."
Qiao Wei sneered – compliment? He did not deserve any compliment! He was speaking so highly of himself!
They were just talking, when Concubine Du and Qiao Kou arrived.
Concubine Du did not appear until Madame Qiao showed up first. She always used to compete with Concubine Yan.
Madame Qiao had signed a lifetime contract with Concubine Du, so Concubine Du obeyed whatever Madame Qiao said. She liked to flatter Madame Qiao in every possible way.
Qiao Kou, the daughter of Concubine Du was also Qiao Wei's follower. She served her as if she were her maid.
During the past few years, the mother and the daughter lived a good life at the mansion, at least they were always well fed and were given a lot of things on the side. Điscover n𝒆w chapt𝒆rs 𝒐n n0𝒗e(l)bi𝒏.com
So when Madame Qiao held such a deep grudge against Qiao Xuan, that pair of mother and daughter would only show even deeper grudge against Qiao Xuan.
"Greetings, Madame Qiao!"
Concubine Du and Qiao Kou greeted Madame Qiao happily and then took the seats opposite Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan.
Qiao Kou's Smile
Qiao Kou threw a look at Qiao Xuan and then chuckled, as she said with interest, "Sister, you are dressed very uniquely. I almost did not recognize you! I seem to have seen you far in the distance a while ago, but I did not dare to speak with you. I just could not believe that was you! I should have greeted you, Sister, hehe!"
Hearing what Qiao Kou said, everyone including Qiao Wei, Concubine Du as well as the aunts and maids laughed.
Madame Qiao did not dare to laugh loudly, so she just showed a small smile.
Shao Yunduan threw a look at Qiao Xuan, feeling both angry and sympathetic. He subconsciously clenched his fists, and suddenly, he felt a thought attacking his head. There was going to be one day, when he was going to make her prosper like never before, so that these people would not demean her in this way!
Now that they had made the trip back to her family's home, they did not have to stay and get humiliated here anymore!
Shao Yunduan was about to ask for leave, when Qiao Xuan smiled at Qiao Kou and said shyly, "It is my biggest luck that I have become the Shao Family's daughter-in-law. I am very happy already. But you, my sister, you are beautiful and have a good personality, I believe that you are going to marry some noble family! If that day comes, do try to give me a boost!" Điscover n𝒆w chapt𝒆rs 𝒐n n0𝒗e(l)bi𝒏.com
Qiao Kou was just one year younger than Qiao Xuan, and she was old enough to get married.
Officer Qiao was transferred to this place from the capital, and he had been seeking for a good official position in the capital these two years, so that he could return to the capital after two years' seat in the office.
In the capital there were a number of noble people and young masters from some Prince's families. The Qiao Family were not supported by any strong background, but if they tried hard, they might be able to get connected with some marquis' families.
Also, there were families who were worse than the Qiao Family that got connected through marriage with noble families. It was a matter of destiny that could not be stopped in any way.
What Qiao Xuan said, hit right on Concubine Du and Qiao Kou's hearts.
Those were nice and auspicious words that everyone loved to hear.
Concubine Du and Qiao Kou suddenly felt so happy and went into a good mood. They could not help but show a proud smile.
Qiao Kou became even more proud. She was both arrogant and bashful, as she flushed and let out a light snort. Suddenly, she felt that this sister of hers was better-behaved than before.
But neither of the women noticed that Madame Qiao was displaying a cold look.
Qiao Wei was not as introverted as her mother. She sank her face and threw a cold look at Qiao Xuan, as she sneered. "What do you know about noble families? Just shut up if you know nothing."
Both Concubine Du and Qiao Kou's smiles stiffened.
Concubine Du's face changed as she said quickly, "True, Elder Miss is right. Second Miss, please don't make this kind of joke any more!"
Qiao Wei was the lineal daughter, and her brother was working at the Literati House in the capital and the only son of Officer Qiao. Madame Qiao's own family was not bad either, and she had been spoiling Qiao Wei, who had become selfish and dominating and always held a grudge against a lot of people. No one knew that better than Concubine Du.
Qiao Wei was already engaged. Her fiance was the youngest son of the cousin of Marquess An in the capital.
But the Marquir Family was already separated. Even if they were still a whole family, cousins and brothers were not much connected at all.
It was already lucky for the Qiao Family to have such a marital connection. They were not a real Marquess family, but at least they were a little connected.
Now that Qiao Xuan was saying that Qiao Kou would be able to marry someone at a higher position, Qiao Wei could not stand that thought.
Concubine Du got very frightened when she realized this point.
Madame Qiao's Irritation
Concubine Du got really frightened as she realized this point.
But inwardly, she did have a small hope for that to happen, so she just told Qiao Xuan not to joke rather than confirm the point. Điscover n𝒆w chapt𝒆rs 𝒐n n0𝒗e(l)bi𝒏.com
Qiao Kou was not as smart as her mother. Hearing what her sister and mother said, she remained unconvinced. "Why can't I marry into some noble family? What if someone from the noble family falls for me?"
Even a narrow-minded person like Qiao Xuan knew that she was a beautiful girl.
Qiao Xuan smiled and said nothing more.
She was just trying to make a small fuss so they could all shut up. If she went over the top, the results would not be as good.
She was still a weak person at the moment, and making Madame Qiao irritated wasn't an ideal choice for her in this situation now.
Madame Qiao wasn't very happy as she said calmly, "Alright, you sisters can have chit chat somewhere else. Yuzan, lead the son-in-law of the Shao Family to have a seat in the hall!"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Mother, I need to speak with you alone, please. Is that okay with you?"
Madame Qiao looked at Qiao Xuan transfixed, and smiled suddenly. "Sure. Leave us."
Shao Yunduan, who was about to ask Qiao Xuan to leave, had to drop his intention. He exchanged a look with Qiao Xuan and left with the maids.
When everyone else retired, only Auntie Ling and Qiao Wei next to Madame Qiao did not move.
Madame Qiao had always spoiled Qiao Wei, so she said nothing about her being present.
Qiao Wei raised her eyebrows and sneered. "You are bolder than before. Since when did you develop the ability of being so good at talking? Just spill it, if you want to have a word with my mother."
Qiao Xuan inhaled and said self-mockingly, "I have nothing to fear when I end up being in this situation. You don't have to dwell too many thoughts on me, because it is how I should be. From this moment on, we will go our separate ways. I don't think that I am going to become someone outstanding in the future any more, so I will just admit that I am nobody!"
Madame Qiao sneered. "You are smart enough to understand where you stand!"
She felt both proud and happy, and she suddenly did not seem to feel that Qiao Xuan was so annoying any more.
Qiao Xuan, in her eyes, was just like an ant who was no threat to her. She had many other important things to worry about, so from this day on, she did not have to care about this woman any more.
She was not going to become anyone outstanding in her life.
She felt very assured when she realized that this girl was going to be deeply trapped in a poor, farmer's family and never get out of it.
"However…" Qiao Xuan smiled and confessed. "I am a worldly person, so I am acting like a worldly girl. Madame Qiao, you know pretty well what you have offered as dowry for me, so I am here, asking for the dowry that I deserved to get."
"What are you talking about?" Madame Qiao was shocked.
Qiao Wei was startled as well.
Qiao Xuan said, "I want the dowry I deserve. Otherwise, you won't have a peaceful day in my life."
Qiao Wei sneered. "What can you do?!"
Damn, this bitch dared to threaten her mother. How bold she had become!
She had turned so brave after she got married.
Qiao Xuan took out the pamphlet from her arms and chuckled. "Should I read out what is written in the book? I have nothing to fear when I am just a nobody. Do you believe that I am going to bring the real dowry and what is written in the book to the governmental office for my father to see?"
"How dare you!" Madame Qiao became really furious.
Humiliation
Qiao Xuan said nothing.
Madame Qiao got so angry that she started to breathe heavily, glaring at Qiao Xuan.
Qiao Wei got annoyed too and snapped. "If you dare to do that, dad will punish you!" DiisCoover 𝒖pdated novels on n(o)v. 𝒎
Qiao Xuan smiled and said calmly, "So what, Elder Miss?"
"You…"
Madame Qiao got stuck in wards as well.
True, so what?
The bare-feet people were never afraid of those with shoes, and Qiao Xuan was the former.
She was not afraid of losing face, but they were!
If she did put forward that to the governmental office, the Old Master would be absolutely humiliated, so would she. By that time, the Old Master would blame her for what she had done.
Madame Qiao clenched her teeth. "What do you want?"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "I told you, I want the real dowry I deserve. Madame Qiao, just get the money equal to that, okay?"
"In your dreams!" Qiao Wei snapped. "Shame on you!"
Madame Qiao sank her face and said after a while, "You are Old Master's daughter, and you should get some benefits. 50 liang, and seal the note, no more requirements in the future, otherwise you will be punished!"
Qiao Wei got startled. "Mom…"
Madame Qiao turned to Qiao Wei who shut up and glared at Qiao Xuan.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "That is so little, Madame Qiao, I need 500 liang!"
Qiao Wei screamed. "You are a robber!"
Madame Qiao also became annoyed and laughed angrily. "Who do you think you are, worth 500 liang? 100 liang, or no deal."
"400 liang, and nothing less! I am Officer Qiao's daughter."
"300 liang, and that is all!"
"…Alright then, 300 liang will do."
Qiao Wei felt as if her heart had broken. "Mom, how can you say yes? 300 liang, she isn't worth that much!"
Madame Qiao patted her hands and sneered. "Just pretend as if we were buying some things and donating to the temple. As long as she leaves us alone!"
Qiao Wei was not convinced. She glared at Qiao Xuan, feeling as if a part of her had been ripped off.
Well, she was more selfish than her mother anyway…
300 liang was enough to buy a set of excellent jewelry for herself…
Soon, Madame Qiao asked Auntie Ling to get the money and asked Qiao Wei to write the note, showing that Qiao Xuan got 300 liang from Madame Qiao and they were going separate ways from that moment on, without any more blackmailing or demands.
Qiao Xuan also got one note, sealed on it without hesitation.
Madame Qiao threw a disdainful look at her and put away the note. "Just leave, you can have lunch and go, no more visits from this moment on!"
Qiao Wei added and sneered. "No more visits! No one likes you here!"
"Don't worry." Qiao Xuan said inwardly, "I wish you could forget me totally!"
She got up. "I will skip lunch. We will be heading back home. It is not closeby."
Hearing what she said, Madame Qiao and Qiao Wei felt slightly better thinking that she had married into a poor family.
Qiao Wei sneered. "You aren't staying for lunch? Honestly, we have hens, ducks, fish and other meat, you won't have this much after you step out of the door."
"No, thanks!"
Qiao Xuan had no interest in arguing with her over some unnecessary things. She joined Shao Yunduan and together, they left the mansion.
In the mansion, Qiao Wei was still very unhappy about giving away the 300 liang.
Qiao Xuan's Understanding
Madame Qiao consoled her with a smile, meaning to console herself as well. "It is just 300 liang. She can't live on that amount for the rest of her life. It is worth the while if we are left alone after this. Just take it that we are driving away a beggar!"
Qiao Wei snorted, and let it go.
When Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan left the mansion, they could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Darling, I am sorry that you have to go through this! But don't worry, this is the one and only time. We will never come to this place again!"
Qiao Xuan was feeling really guilty, because Shao Yunduan suffered from this ordeal thanks to her. Finndd the new𝒆st 𝒏ovels on n/𝒐
She had told him a few things before they walked into the mansion, but the reality turned out to be much worse than what she had said. It did not seem to have worked that well for him.
Shao Yunduan was indeed feeling really bad inwardly.
But that was mostly because he felt sorry for Qiao Xuan, who was the so-called daughter of County Magistrate on the surface yet who suffered from such discrimination inside the mansion. He even believed that Taotao was living a happier life than she had, earlier at her house.
They had gotten married and Qiao Xuan was very compatible with the Shao Family these days. She even called his mother 'Mom' passionately, and subconsciously, Shao Yunduan had already included her into their family.
Seeing that she was bullied, he became not only compassionate, but also angry.
But she was still trying her best to console him at this moment.
Shao Yunduan felt heat attacking his heart, as he looked at Qiao Xuan. "I will definitely make it to the 'Recommended Man' next year at the village examination!"
Qiao Xuan was confused. "What? Why are you saying this now?"
"And the year after that, I will make it to the 'Advanced Scholar'."
"What?"
"At that time, no one is going to look down at you any more."
"…"
Qiao Xuan finally understood what he was saying.
Suddenly, she felt a stream of warmth flowing past her heart, as she looked at Shao Yunduan in astonishment.
She had thought that the most Shao Yunduan would do was not blame her, and might hold some grudges inside. After all, he had been humiliated for no reason. No one would be able to stand that.
Moreover, he was a scholar, who cared more about manners than the others.
Unexpectedly, however, he was making a promise to console her.
This kind of consolation consisted of no sweet words or gentle sentences. Instead it was filled with penetrative strength, just like the sunshine that melted the ice and snow. For some reason, she felt even more confident in this way.
She smiled brightly. "I am sure you can make it!"
A man like him deserved to get happiness in his life. He should be given a promising future to become a 'Recommended Man' and an 'Advanced Scholar'.
Shao Yunduan showed a rare smile as he nodded. "Let's just leave."
"Okay!"
Since they were in the county, Qiao Xuan decided to bring some stuff home.
She talked happily with Shao Yunduan, who wasn't that talkative but gave small responses. Gradually, the grudge they held towards the trip to the Qiao Mansion was gone.
The couple grabbed some food and then, Qiao Xuan took Shao Yunduan for shopping.
Farmers' families were not rich enough to splurge on spices and seasonings, and they were always fed light-tasted food. Two or three meals might be useful to get a healthy diet, but too many such meals couldn't be tolerated.
Qiao Xuan, who had been used to a well-to-do life, had had enough of such bland food after just three days.
She was definitely going to buy a lot of seasonings and spices today, before anything else.
They were breeding sprouts at home, and after the Dragon Boat Day, they would start to plant the crop. But it seemed that the grains were not enough, so her mother-in-law had tried to cut down the rice for the porridge so as to live more frugally. They would not be completely full until the new grains were harvested.
Therefore, Qiao Xuan decided to buy hundreds of jin of rice and flour respectively.
Presents From My Family
After this, she was going to buy some meat and other small things.
She had received 300 liang from Madame Qiao, and she was going to learn how to make money, so she feared nothing.
The things here were not very expensive, so after buying one wagon full of stuff, Qiao Xuan only spent a dozen liang.
Qiao Xuan felt so fruitful when she had bought so much!
Shao Yunduan had intended to ask her not to buy things, but when he was reminded that she had always been living a well-to-do life, he allowed her to buy whatever she wanted for herself.
He felt a bit guilty, and could not help but ask her to buy things for herself, not for the whole family.
Qiao Xuan said confidently, "But Mom treats me so nicely. Qi, Tao and you as well are always kind towards me. We don't have to be so calculative. Anyway, you can repay me when you become successful in the future."
Shao Yunduan, who was naturally terrible at saying things, could not find words to counter her.
The two of them came home with a wagon full of stuff, which startled Ms. Fang, Ms. Xu as well as Shao Taotao.
Ms. Xu could not help but feel very joyful inside her heart, when she saw the daily necessities.
They were living together, so those things were for all of them to share!
Her fifth sister-in-law was so generous!
But then, she could not help but feel jealous of her. She was not a match against her fifth sister-in-law, who was born in a County Magistrate's family.
"Why did you buy so much? How much did everything cost?!" Ms. Fang asked.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Mom, we barely visit the town. Moreover, these are not so expensive. Just put them away!"
The mother-in-law instantly understood what she meant. Instead of asking anything more, Ms. Fang nodded. "Okay, Ms. Xu, Qi and Taotao, come and help!" Yôur favorite 𝒏ovels at n/𝒐(v)
Together with Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan, they carried the stuff inside the room and put them away neatly.
When Qiao Xuan was buying the meat, she just could not help but feel like eating braised rib-bone and deep-fried pork. So, she volunteered to make two dishes tonight for them.
Ms. Fang nodded and agreed, asking Ms. Xu and Taotao to help her.
They were just talking when Ms. Niu, who was holding her grandson in her arms, came with Ms. Ma.
The two of them had already started to make a plan the moment they went into the yard.
Ms. Ma looked about and said, "I heard that you brought home a wagon full of presents from your mother's family. We are a family, so I believe that we should be given some portion as well. I don't think that you should keep the good things all for yourself."
"I agree!" Ms. Niu added. "Unless you don't regard us as family. But I don't think that Elder Brother agrees with it."
Ms. Fang had a terrible look on her face and she was about to speak when Qiao Xuan came there.
Qiao Xuan was on the same side as she was, so she explained. "You have misunderstood us, Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law. I bought those things with my own dowry. They are not presents from my mother's family."
Qiao Xuan felt that she had already put it clearly. Those were not presents from her mother's family, but bought by herself. Therefore, no one outside this family would be able to get a portion.
Unfortunately, Eldest Uncle of the Shao Family always regarded his brothers' families as one, and kept sharing food and stuff with the other sections of the family. As long as the other sections of the family expressed some gratitude, he would feel satisfied.
Therefore, during the past few years, it had been natural for the other two sections of the families to get stuff from the first section of the family.
Hearing what Qiao Xuan said, Ms. Niu snapped. "It is all the same. We are one family, how can you be so cruel seeing us drink porridge whilst you are eating fish and meat?"
Pestering
Ms. Ma said, "That is right! Our elder brother never does anything so selfish!"
The two of them complimented and cooperated with each other, spitting and shouting as if they were definitely going to get what they wanted. soon, they became increasingly impatient and asked Ms. Xu and Qiao Xuan to get them whatever they wanted instead of wasting their time here, claiming that they had many other things to deal with!
Qiao Xuan turned to look at her mother-in-law.
She had already told them that all the things were paid from her dowry, so Ms. Fang was not in a position to cut in. She threw a look at Qiao Xuan, suggesting that she could do whatever she wanted.
Qiao Xuan lowered her head and said, "I think that you are well aware that my dowry belongs solely to me, and I have a say in how I deal with it. No one can do anything about it, right? So, you two should just go back to wherever you came from."
Ms. Fang sneered and chipped in. "Ms. Qiao, don't worry, we are from the countryside, but we have dignity. We don't put our hands in our daughter-in-law's dowry!"
"Okay!" Qiao Xuan blinked her beautiful eyes and nodded with belief. "You are right, there is no one so shameless in our family!"
Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma got so annoyed that their faces twisted!
Ms. Fang was alone in the past, and was not in a match against the other women in the family, considering that Eldest Uncle was always on the family's side. Now Ms. Qiao was here, and she was very hard to deal with.
"Okay, okay, you are so selfish!"
"Oh but honestly, Ms. Qiao, you are counting money for those who are out to sell you! You keep saying things about your dowry, but haven't you noticed that you are buying those things for your husband's family. You are being coaxed to spend all your money!"
This implicit blame made everyone from the first section of the family turn pale. Ms. Fang bellowed. "What are you saying?"
"Mom." Qiao Xuan laughed. "I love spending money for my husband's family. That is not anyone's business!"
Everyone present. "…"
"Ms. Qiao…" Ms. Fang was startled. She was so moved that she had no idea what else to say.
Qiao Xuan raised her eyebrows. "As for people outside my family… I don't care what happens to them."
"You…" Ms. Ma got so annoyed but she only mumbled. "But we are a family, how can you be like this!"
Ms. Fang sneered. "We are living in separate homes! Are you too blind to see that every family with many siblings in our village is living like this!"
Ms. Fang had said those words before, but it never worked. Yet at this moment, she felt that it was nice to say these words out loud. RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at nô(v)e(l)bin/.c/o/m Only
When the eldest man in the family was gone, brothers had started to live in separate homes and were dealing with their own business affairs. They even spent Chinese New Year in a separate way as well! Brothers helped each other when they were in need, but that was all.
Brothers could offer help, if someone was in need. But it was never done out of selfishness.
No families would just come to the others' families as if they were still living together.
That was like making themselves turn into a laughing stock in front of the entire village!
Those from the second and third sections of the family kept telling others that the first section of the family were working for them as if they were their words were nothing to Eldest Brother who just wanted to keep the brotherhood well and fine, but they were annoying to everyone else from the first section.
Ms. Niu sneered and pulled away Ms. Ma. "Since you are so cruel, there is nothing we can say or do about it! Also, we are not shameless people! We don't care about your stuff, we can live on our own happily!"
Qiao Xuan's Plan
Ms. Fang snapped at their retreating figures. "You should have realized this point earlier!"
Shao Xiaoqi scratched his head and whispered. "Mom, do you think they are going to tell Dad about this?"
Ms. Fang knocked at his forehead. "Who cares!"
Shao Xiaoqi grimaced and shut up.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Dad should be a reasonable man. Isn't it natural that I am in charge of my own dowry?"
Ms. Fang sighed slightly and turned to Qiao Xuan, speaking kindly. "Ms. Qiao, let's just drop what happened today. Don't buy so many things in the future, keep the money for later use."
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Don't worry, Mom, we can earn money when it is spent. Also, I have got something to discuss with you and my husband. I am thinking about buying some land."
"What?"
Both Ms. Fang and Ms. Xu were startled. Even Shao Yunduan threw a surprised look at her.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Let's go to the room and talk."
"Okay, okay."
For farmers' families, buying land, building houses and buying bulls were always important things. When Ms. Fang heard that Qiao Xuan had such a plan, she completely forgot about Ms. Niu, Ms. Ma and all others. She was totally distracted.
After walking around the village two days ago, Qiao Xuan had already made a good plan. There was a slope of about ten acres behind the Shao family. Because the soil was shallow and there were many stones, it remained deserted. She planned to buy it, so as to cultivate mushrooms, plant fruit trees, some precious medicinal materials such as gastrodia elata, Panax notoginseng, Solomon's seals, etc.
When it was time to build fences, it could be connected with the yard at home, making it extremely convenient to take care of.
That was a place which was an eyesore in other people's eyes. But she was a person with a wood superpower, and it should be a great place for her.
Her superpower was growing day by day, and the more she used it, the faster it grew. It looked as if she were in the process of cultivating her superpower.
If she planted two trees for each kind of fruit and expanded the range for four, or five mu, they would always have all kinds of fruits for the rest of their lives.
Then she could build some houses for mushrooms, and with the superpower of hers, she could harvest a lot within a short while.
As for the rest of the four or five mu, she could plant gastrodia elata, Panax notoginseng planted there. She could use her superpower to make them grow well.
Moreover, she could have a batch of hens in the place that was isolated from the mushroom house and medical field. It would be so wonderful!
Apart from the small land in the back of the yard, she planned to buy a patch of valleys and land close to the village. That was a huge land, but she could not afford so much, only 60 mu would do.
On that land, she planned to plant China roses and multiflora roses, red and blue flowers, pomegranates, sweet-scented osmanthus, lilies, safflowers, gardenia and other safflowers and aromatic flowers and trees.
With that, she could feed twenty to three beehives.
Red flowers could be used to make lipstick rouge, and the essence of aromatic flowers and trees could be extracted to make perfume.
Thanks to the superpower she had, all the work would be so easy for her. As long as she could concentrate, she could keep control of the plants and extract stuff out of them. She was very sensitive to the scent of flowers as well, and making perfumes would not be difficult either.
She had tried all of these. She picked some mints from the yard and with almost no effort, she was able to extract two portions of very pure mint oils.
With this superpower of hers, she was definitely going to live a lovely life and make a fortune.
But she was going to keep it a secret from Ms. Fang and Shao Yunduan.
They would not believe her words either, even if they were told.
So what she said was that she was going to plant some fruit trees in the back of the yard, and the crops would be planted in the mountains. She looked forward to seeing what the harvest would be like.𝒂ll new st𝒐ries at n0ve/lbi/𝒏.c𝒐m
Never Too Much
The moment she finished her speech, Ms. Fang and Shao Yunduan exchanged a look with each other, falling into silence.
Shao Yunduan threw a sneaky look at her, feeling both helpless and having no idea what to do.
He sighed inwardly. Well, it was not her fault. She was a daughter born in a noble family who had no idea about how farmers' families were living.
Buying land? That land was all barren…
But seeing the sparkle in her eyes as well as the obvious passion, Shao Yunduan just could not help but hold back his intention of refuting her.
Ms. Xu got a bit anxious, as she said with a smile, "Fifth Sister-in-law, what are you buying barren land for? It is so difficult to sort and clean up these places, and what grows out of such land is nothing more than beans and peanuts. Why bother wasting the money on the land that doesn't even produce good things? We can just buy some good land with the money."
Ms. Xu had her own plan. Qiao Xuan had the money to buy land, which she was jealous about. But she was happy as well.
Even if Qiao Xuan bought the land in her own name, they were still one family and Ms. Xu and her family should be able to get some profits out of them too.
Also, even if they lived separately in the future and may not be able to share much land with the family, Ms. Xu and her family would still get some share.
No one would complain about getting too much land!
Ms. Fang did not think highly of Ms. Xu, but she still nodded in agreement.
She said with a smile, "That is true, Ms. Qiao, your sister-in-law is right! We can use the money to buy fertile land! The price might be higher, but those wonderful fields produce grains, which is something this barren land would not be able to match!"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "You are right, Mom and Sister-in-law, but I still want to buy some land first to plant fruit trees and some other things, as well as for breeding some hens. I can buy some watery land later too. Please, Mom, just say yes."
Ms. Xu did not want to give up. So she insisted. "But, Sister-in-law, don't blame me for talking too much. You don't know much about the difference between lands. Just listen to what Mom says! It is very painstaking to open the barren lands outside the village, and no good things would grow out of that, let alone the land in the back of our yard, where the soil is no thicker than one inch and stones are everywhere! Just don't waste any money on either of them!"
Ms. Fang agreed.
Shao Yunduan suddenly said. "Mom, Sister-in-law, if Ms. Qiao wants to have a try, what about letting her do that. It doesn't matter what she wants to plant."
Ms. Fang accepted her son's words, and after a moment of contemplation, she nodded.
Ms. Qiao was spending her own money and she could do whatever she wanted. What she as the mother-in-law could do was to make some suggestions rather than make decisions on her behalf.
If those fruit trees, peanuts and beans could grow well, then they would be able to get something, which was better than nothing. 𝒂ll new st𝒐ries at n0ve/lbi/𝒏.c𝒐m
Ms. Fang nodded and said with a smile, "Since you have made up your mind, then do as you want. Also, remember to write your name on the land contract, and keep the contract well."
"One more thing, however, we are still living together, so half of the income should be handed out to the big family and you can do whatever you want with the rest, even selling for money. That is a rule applicable to everyone in the family."
"I got it, Mom!"
Qiao Xuan smiled and nodded.
She could keep her land contracts and be in charge of her own lands. That was already a great thing given to someone who was living in a big family. Many people had no choice but to hand out all she had, before they started to live separately.
But must she hand out half of the income? That was something she needed to discuss with them.
She was willing to do that, except that she did not want the other sections of the family to take advantage of what she handed out.
Ms. Fang smiled and nodded, feeling very satisfied by how Qiao Xuan reacted.
Her son's wife was a very understanding girl. He was lucky to have a wife like this!
Laughter
When she was done with the discussion of this important matter, Qiao Xuan was very happy. She could not wait for even one moment before taking Shao Yunduan to visit the Land Officer's home.
When they needed to do some business with land and sign a land lease, the Land Officer had to help with all of these.
Ms. Xu felt a bit disappointed when she saw her mother-in-law nodding at Qiao Xuan's proposal. But she could not do anything about it.
She sighed inwardly. Well, that sister-in-law of hers had money, so she could do whatever she wanted with it. She just would not accept any advice of hers. What more could she do about it anyway?
Not everything was fair in this world!
The Shao Family was located in Shaoding Village. That was to say, most of the 200 households in the village had the family names of Shao and Ding.
The two-name families were always united with each other and they never had infights. They took turns in being the Land Officer for the village. This year, it was the Ding Family's turn.
Shao Yunduan was the Cultivated Talent, whilst Qiao Xuan was the daughter-in-law of Cultivated Talent, so they were treated very amicably by Land Officer Ding. He did not dare offend them so easily.
Soon, the process was completed.
They got 60 mu barren lands at the border of the village, which cost them 180 liang in total at a price of 3 liang per mu.
As for the 13 mu at the back of the Shao Family's yard, it was worth even less, namely 26 liang in total at a price of 2 liang per mu.
Land Officer Ding promised that he would travel to the county to get them the contracts.
They spent 206 liang in total, and would need a few more liang in the later process, when they would hire workers to do the cleaning, plowing and so on, as well as for buying seeds for flowers. They even needed some money to build a brick wall in the back of their yard.
So in the end, they only had more than 70 liang left out of 300 liang which they originally possessed. It was enough for them to splurge for a long while.
Qiao Xuan was very happy. She was crying out of surprise inwardly. This was way too cheap!
After she and Shao Yunduan left Land Officer Ding's home, Land Officer Ding and his wife were laughing loudly.
They thought that the young woman was very stupid!
That was more than 200 liang which she spent, enough for a good piece of land of a dozen mu at a price of 7 liang per mu!
That would be enough for them to get a lot of grain each year!
The whole family would not be able to take in that much for the whole year!
But she spent all the money upon barren land.
The Land Officer's wife said, "Well, she is a noble-born lady who knows nothing! What she knows is to spend the money. But why does Yunduan not say anything? He must have studied too much and gotten dull in head! What about Ms. Fang? She is a smart one and even she said nothing about this?"
Land Officer Ding smiled. "She is a noble-born lady. Who dares to say any words countering her?"
The wife laughed and sneered. "True, the Shao Family has married and brought back one Buddha who should never be offended…"
The wife went to share the gossip with others, feeling so amused with the whole thing.
Qiao Xuan was very happy as she walked into the kitchen.
She was going to make bamboo with braised rib-bone, braised pork with some mushrooms. Those dishes sounded delicious!
The fresh and tender spring bamboo shoots were cut into pieces with a hob, a little soy sauce and a little sugar were added to the blanched pork ribs. They were stirred and turned until they became slightly discolored. The spring bamboo shoots were added when the fragrance spread around. Then, they were stirred and fried on high heat, before a little water was added and meat was scooped out of water.
The boiled pork belly was cut into thin slices, stirred and fried in a pan with oil. Then the sauce, salt as well as a small amount of washed mushrooms and garlic sprouts were added. The whole thing was fried over high heat until the whole place was filled with its fragrance. A little sugar was added before serving.
Finally, the two dishes were served. They looked so nice from all aspects, spreading scent in every corner of the yard. The third son of the Shao Family, Shao Xiaoqi as well as Shao Taotao just could not wait to have a taste of them.
Ms. Xu could not help but swallow down her slobber. Those dishes were almost killing her. 𝑅read latest ch𝒂pters at n/𝒐v(e)lbi𝒏.co/m
Her sister-in-law should not be wandering in the kitchen. She was pouring oil as if it were free! Yes, she spent money on buying it, but she should not just be wasting it like this!