41 Uncle Shao's Bad Mood
Ms. Fang was feeling a bit concerned too, but soon she remembered that it was Qiao Xuan who bought them herself. Hence, she stopped herself from spilling out anything more.
She was not going into the kitchen every day anyways…
She made these two dishes, together with pickles with brackens as well as woked chives, and the dinner was prepared.
Everyone was very active about the dinner. Shao Taotao and Shao Xiaoqi laid the table and put food into their bowls.
In the evening, Uncle Shao came home from the field with his two sons and accidentally ran into Second Uncle. They stopped for a moment and started to chat.
!
The two brothers were just in the middle of a conversation, when Second Uncle asked the two sons to leave and soon, Third Uncle passed by as well.
Eldest Uncle Shao had not spoken with his younger brothers for a long time and he was very happy to hear their respectful talks.
But soon, the Elder Uncle felt worse and worse…
When he came home and saw Qiao Xuan, the Elder Uncle felt terrible. He frowned subconsciously.
He had intended to say something but since it was time for dinner, he restrained himself and decided to wait until the food was done.
As they were setting the table, the Elder Uncle could not help but feel like eating when he sensed the smell of meat. But when he saw the two dishes, he started to complain to his wife. "You are wasting materials! There is so much oil!"
Ms. Fang threw a look at him and was about to say something, when Qiao Xuan added. "Dad, I made the food, it is not Mom's fault! Don't worry, I bought these with my dowry. I want to show my respect to you, just eat."
The Elder Uncle got stuck with his words and after a long while, he added. "Yes it is your dowry, but don't waste money! It is not really how you run the family. This is totally splurging! Have you given some to your Second Uncle and Third Uncle?"
When the words were spoken, the whole air turned cold.
They were not very surprised.
In the past whenever Xiaoqi got some wild animals, the second and the third families would always get a share. So, when he got some more animals in the future, Ms. Fang would ask Xiaoqi to sell them to their neighbor, Old Master Yuan instead of bringing them home, which was better.
So he only brought home one or two wild roosters and rabbits to improve the food every now and then.
Qiao Xuan was startled and then she said with a smile, "I did not buy a lot of things to be given to others, apart from you, Mom and Dad. We can talk about this next time we get the chance."
Eldest Uncle was about to add something more, when Ms. Fang said, "Just eat, the food is getting colder. Stop being critical when your daughter-in-law shows your respect."
The third son could not stand it any more. He took one bite of the ribs and exclaimed, showering her with compliments. "The ribs taste so good! You are such a good cook!"
Shao Junyan and Shao Qing could not stand the temptation any more either. They wanted to have a taste of the food too.
Ms. Fang gave food to her grandson and granddaughter, and asked everyone to enjoy themselves, whilst asking Ms. Xu to take care of her two babies as well.
They were all having a great time.
Ms. Xu was complaining inwardly. "The meat has so much oil and is well seasoned, of course it is tasty…"
Eldest Uncle. "…" Discover 𝒏ew chapters at novelbi𝒏.co𝒎
Well, eating was the only thing they could do at the moment.
The two dishes with meat were not less, and Qiao Xuan was not stingy with seasoning, so the bamboos and mushrooms inside tasted extra good as well.
Both of the dishes were soon finished.
Even the remaining broth was polished off by the third son and Shao Xiaoqi with the rice.
Ms. Fang laughed happily. It had been a long time since she felt so good.
42 Daughter-in-law's Dowry
After dinner, Ms. Xu and Shao Taotao helped to clean up the table and wash the dishes, whilst Xiaoqi and the third son went out for some fun.
Ms. Fang was looking after Shao Junyan and Shao Qing.
Eldest Uncle asked Shao Dalang and Shao Yunduan, as well as Qiao Xuan and Ms. Fang to come over. He sighed. "You had an argument with Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law?"
He felt really bad hearing what his brothers said to him today. He was so guilty and sad.
He was not someone who wanted to get rid of his own brothers. When his daughter-in-law became so rich and ruthless?
!
He felt so bashful and guilty upon hearing what his brothers said to him.
This Ms. Qiao was so unruly!
How could she not respect the elderly people and be so selfish! They were one family and they should take care of each other.
Ms. Fang had predicted that her husband would ask them about this. Those brothers were definitely going to report that to their Elder Brother!
"Who said that? I had no argument with them!"
Eldest Uncle said, "Of course yes! Ms. Qiao brought something home and she should have shared them with the second and the third section! We are a family and we should not just eat alone! Ms. Qiao, you should remember that though we are living in different homes, we are still one family. We are related by blood and we should help each other. We should not be so ruthless."
"You should get something ready and take them to the second and the third sections and apologize to them too. We should not try to argue with them."
Ms. Fang got angry. "What are you talking about?"
"Dad." Qiao Xuan's face turned cold, and her face sank. "I am very glad to share with you what I bought with my dowry, and also with the brothers, but not with those uncles and aunts! I don't think you are right, Dad."
"Dad, Ms. Qiao is correct." Shao Yunduan added. "It is not good when it is spread around. Sixth Brother is studying at the school, and if people hear that his parents are using their niece's dowry, he would get a very bad reputation too. Sixth Brother is very talented. But for the accident, he would have made it to the imperial examination already. Many people are jealous of him, what if rumors make it worse…"
"That… won't happen…?"
"Of course it can, dad, Sixth brother can't afford any bad rumors."
Shao Yunduan knew clearly what he needed to do to move his father.
He barely spoke, but when he did, he would always hit the point.
When Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan were getting married, the Sixth Son returned home for the wedding and now he was at the school again.
When Shao Yunduan made it to Cultivated Talent, he had a different identity, so he did not go to school frequently as before. Instead, he would just exchange knowledge with other Cultivated Talents regularly every month, when they could hear the lectures from the teachers.
So he was still at home, studying by himself.
Eldest Uncle trusted his son and said, "I just mean that… we should not eat everything alone…"
Ms. Fang said immediately, "We never eat things alone! We always share! Instead, they never give us anything!"
Eldest Uncle became speechless.
It seemed that his daughter-in-law's dowry did not belong to the shared properties.
Ms. Fang was the mother-in-law who did not deal with the dowry, and he as the father-in-law should not interfere either.
Elder Uncle could not help but sneak a look at Qiao Xuan, hoping that Qiao Xuan could express it herself.Rêađ lat𝒆st ch𝒂pters on n𝒐/v/𝒆/l(b)i𝒏.c𝒐m
43 Shao Yunduan's Gentleness
As long as Qiao Xuan expressed herself voluntarily, the matter would be settled.
But Qiao Xuan did nothing.
Eldest Uncle felt very disappointed inside and sighed. "A family should be in harmony, and we should live in peace, and not split hairs. The second and the third section are not living a good life right now, and they have nothing to offer us. They would not hold back, if they really have something to offer."
"My brothers keep saying that the Sixth Son is intelligent and he is learned. He is definitely going to have a promising future and he will help us too!"
Qiao Xuan looked up at Shao Yunduan subconsciously. But Shao Yunduan did not even move his eyebrows.
!
He seemed to sense her gaze. So he looked up at her.
Both of them looked deep into each other's eyes, and Qiao Xuan got slightly startled. She smiled at him and soon withdrew her look.
Shao Yunduan's heart skipped a beat. He was taken aback too, and a look of gentleness flashed across his eyes.
Ms. Fang reacted vividly. She snapped. "I need their help? I have my own son who is definitely better than him! My son is already a Cultivated Talent and he is surely going to have a more promising future than him. I don't care about their son!"
Elder Uncle frowned. "What are you talking about? Duan and Sixth Son are different! It is good that my brothers have such kindness."
Qiao Xuan could not stand it any more. She stood up and said, "Dad, Mom, I am feeling tired. I will be off now."
Before Eldest Uncle could say anything, Ms. Fang pressed down her anger and said in a gentle tone, "Go and take a break. Duan, keep her company!"
Shao Yunduan nodded and left with Qiao Xuan.
"That is what Dad is like. He is used to being a father for his brothers and sisters. You can simply ignore those terrible words he said to you. Don't take them to your heart."
Qiao Xuan threw a look at Shao Yunduan and smiled. "I won't. I only listen to Mom's words!"
Shao Yunduan was amused by what she said. He nodded. "Good!"
Qiao Xuan was not aware of and did not care how the argument went between Eldest Uncle and Ms. Fang after they left.
As long as her father-in-law did not interfere with her dowry, everything else would be easy to deal with.
As for his hints as either compliments or blame, she would ignore them all. Ne/w novel chapt𝒆rs are published on no/vel( /m
It was impossible for her to take those hints and act according to them.
The following morning, Ms. Fang said to Qiao Xuan in a staggering tone that they might have to share a few kilos of flour with the other sections of the family.
"Good girl, I know that it doesn't make you feel good but your grandparents-in-law stressed to your father-in-law that he should take care of the other brothers and their families before they passed away. He has done more than enough and been used to showing such kindness to them. It is the other brothers' families who are not good enough for us! Your father-in-law listened to their complaints and was sighing for the whole night…"
Ms. Fang was very happy to stop her husband from being too devoted to the second and the third section of the family.
But Eldest Uncle did not spend a peaceful night and she felt sorry for him in the end.
Qiao Xuan got what she meant. She was okay to share some flour, and she knew that her father-in-law was too old. It was not easy for him to change the habit so fast.
She was already very satisfied by what they had achieved this time around.
After this instance, the other sections of the family would understand that the advantages were not very easy to grab.
They would know more about this gradually.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Mom, you are right. Let's do this. You can have the right to take the call about whatever is happening here. You don't have to tell me anything!"
—
The female lead would not be bullied, ever.
44 Stupid
Ms. Fang let out a sigh of relief and smiled with happiness. "But I needed to tell you first, that's all."
Qiao Xuan felt moved and replied with a smile. "What about Mom asking Dad to deliver the flour to them? You can explain to them that I bought the rice because we are running out of food. I just don't want the family to do the farm work while being hungry."
"From this moment on, you can ask the Sister-in-law to make as much food as possible, without caring about the oil and salt. I have told my husband about buying some land for business. We are definitely going to get better and better. We don't have to be too stingy about this…"
When the land was opened, Qiao Xuan had to share the story little by little, since they would not be able to hide the secret for much longer.
Ms. Fang understood what she meant. She nodded in realization and said with a smile, "No wonder you bought the land. You are going to use them!"
!
Her son was the Cultivated Talent, intelligent and reliable. If the purchase was a bad deal, he would have stopped his wife.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "You are so clever, Mom!"
Ms. Fang laughed. "Just do whatever you want. I know what to do."
"Excellent, Mom!" Qiao Xuan replied with a smile.
Soon Ms. Fang got four kgs of flour and put it in two bags separately. She delivered them to the second and the third section of the family along with Eldest Uncle.
Eldest Uncle also believed that he should visit his brothers personally. So he tagged along.
The flour which Qiao Xuan had bought was the best sort of flour, most suitable for pancakes and noodles. Four kgs was already a lot for them.
That was why Elder Uncle was very happy and he felt so relieved after one sleepless night.
He felt that his youngest daughter-in-law was not all that hopeless. It was just that she lacked manners and was too young to understand things around her. He believed that she could be cultivated in the future.
"Brothers, we are here giving you some flour!" Eldest Uncle was very happy, as he walked in with a smile.
However, what he had not expected was that his brother and his wife were not very happy about it.
Ms. Niu took over the bag and snapped. "So little?! Fifth daughter-in-law bought a big wagon of things yesterday!"
Second Uncle also snorted. "It seems that Niece-in-law looks down at us. You are not treating us like a family!"
Ms. Fang suddenly realized why Qiao Xuan had asked her husband to come along.
Yes, she had been so stupid as not to think of this idea any sooner!
It had either been the brothers who came to fetch the things, or she, Ms. Xu or Taotao went over to deliver the stuff. Her husband had never shown up before this.
Ms. Fang stayed silent. She was going to see what her husband was going to say. 𝑅read latest ch𝒂pters at n/𝒐v(e)lbi𝒏.co/m
Eldest Uncle's smile disappeared instantly. His body stiffened up.
He had not seen the scene where his brother and the wife would express their gratitude towards him…
"We don't have much food at home. Ms. Qiao bought rice. Those small things which she bought were for herself and Duan…"
"Honestly, brother, we are not living separately! Ms. Qiao's things are ours too! She is so selfish! You are making excuses, you just don't want to give us any!"
"We don't have any rice either! Brother, share some with us! You can't just watch our children suffer from hunger, right?"
Elder Uncle gasped…
He was stuck with words.
The words that his daughter-in-law's dowry had been coveted by the uncles and aunts were emerging inside his head…
If those things were for sharing, he would definitely share them with the brothers. But those were not part of the public resources.
45 Heart-Poking
Second Uncle and Ms. Niu kept complaining, making Eldest Uncle flush over in embarrassment.
He could not possibly use his daughter-in-law's dowry to support his brothers.
Ms. Fang sneered and said, "Are you done? Then give it back to me if you find it so little! You are forcing your brother to use his daughter-in-law's dowry to support you? Do you have any conscience or not?"
Second Uncle was startled.
Ms. Niu pursed her lips. "I think the dowry is just an excuse…"
!
Ms. Fang got annoyed. "Ms. Niu, do you want me to make a list of what you have forced me to pay all this while? Do we have any savings? We have used all the savings to support you. As a result, we aren't able to afford anything! You are a healthy family and you have fields too. Still, you want my daughter-in-law to support you? Shame on you!"
Whenever they brought something home, the second and the third section would want to have a portion of that.
The second and third section of the family knew pretty well how the first section of the family was doing.
Ms. Fang pulled away Eldest Uncle. "What are you doing here? How dare you try to calculate my daughter-in-law's dowry! I will keep my eyes on that!"
Eldest Uncle was pulled away by Ms. Fang.
Ms. Niu and Second Uncle exchanged a look between themselves and did not dare to run after them.
Eldest Uncle sighed and felt confused.
Obviously, he had been poked in the heart by his brother and sister-in-law.
"That was four kgs of excellent flour!"
And they were complaining about the amount and forcing him to lecture his daughter-in-law!
Ms. Fang felt quite happy about this, but she was annoyed too. So she tried to restrain herself…
She pretended not to have seen anything, but asked Eldest Uncle to come along to visit the third section of the family.
Eldest Uncle started to panic. He did not want to join her anymore.
He felt very messy in his heart and could not stand the stimulation. What if his third brother and wife were like this too? He would definitely collapse!
But Ms. Fang did not want him to retreat at this moment. She forced him to come along, after all.
Eldest Uncle had to follow up…
Sure enough, his third brother and wife did the same thing.
They were not as sharp-tongued as the second brother and his wife, yet they were basically expressing the same thing.
They thought that they had got too little flour…
Moreover, Ms. Ma asked him to get Ms. Qiao to apologize to her…
Eldest Uncle felt so heart-broken.
He said nothing. He did not even know how he made out of the third section. 𝑅êạd new chapt𝒆rs on no/v/e/l𝒃
Everyone found that their father was not in the right mood at breakfast.
They exchanged a look between themselves and did not dare to say a thing.
Ms. Fang threw a hint at everyone, so they felt assured.
After breakfast, Eldest Uncle took his two sons to the field for farmwork, and Ms. Fang, and Taotao were taking care of the infants and making lunch at home. Ms. Xu, on the other hand, was plowing the field.
Shao Xiaoqi decided to have a tour around Wangqing Mountains. Otherwise he would have joined his father and brothers too.
Shao Yunduan was different. He was devoted to work and sometimes helped with the farmwork in the field, when the season was busy.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Taotao wanted to join Shao Xiaoqi for the tour, so did Shao Yunduan.
Ms. Fang was aware that her sons knew what they should and shouldn't do, so she asked them to take good care of Qiao Xuan and said nothing more.
Wangqing Mountains was a bit far away from Shaoding Village, and it took them three hours to arrive there.
It was a beautiful place with ancient woods growing into the mountains. The temperature was two or three degrees lower than that in the village, and it was an enormous mountain.
It was a good place to set up traps for large beasts, not for small animals like roosters or rabbits, because there were many beasts living in the mountains, and the small ones were eaten up by those big ones.
46 Updated Space
Shao Xiaoqi was carrying a bow made out of bamboo.
Qiao Xuan cast her superpower and her sight spread all over as much as two kms.
It was much bigger than that in the past.
Qiao Xuan felt absolutely delighted inside her heart. Gét latest 𝒏ovel ch𝒂pters on n𝒐v(e)lbj/n.c/𝒐m
It was a smooth day of hunting, since Qiao Xuan chose the right direction and led the way. Soon, Shao Xiaoqi noticed the prey hidden in the flourishing grass.
!
The moment he aimed at the prey, he showed a cold look that startled Qiao Xuan.
He was still young and had not yet grown up. But he would turn even more lethal, as he grew older.
Qiao Xuan thought of how he learned the hunting skills from a deceased hunter. She could not help but guess that the hunter must have been more than just ordinary.
Otherwise, he would not have cultivated a disciple like this.
Shao Xiaoqi was very fast in getting the prey. Soon he got five wild roosters and three rabbits.
Actually, Qiao Xuan had noticed wild boars and goats as well, but wild boars were too dangerous and wild goats were too fast. Neither were good options for hunting. Therefore, she led them away.
When it was time for lunch, they already had 13 wild roosters and 6 wild rabbits.
Shao Xiaoqi was extremely happy. "I am so lucky to be hunting with you! I had never been so lucky!"
Everyone was very pleased to get so many wild animals for food.
With her super power, Qiao Xuan soon found a wild grassland close to the spring. She and Shao Taotao killed a really big wild rabbit, and Shao Yunduan as well as Shao Xiaoqi fetched some wood. In this way, they roasted the wild rabbit for lunch.
Shao Xiaoqi got some wild berries and wrapped them up with large leaves for Qiao Xuan to eat.
There were not many wild fruits except for the berries in the mountains during spring. They were growing wildly and the red fruits were as large as a finger, growing all over the trees. They stood out in the bushes, beautiful and tasty.
After lunch, Shao Xiaoqi suggested. "Let's get some mushrooms before going back. It is getting late now!"
It was more dangerous after lunchtime, and he would not go around randomly when his brother and sister-in-law as well as Taotao were with him.
Also, they already got plenty of things!
They nodded in agreement.
Qiao Xuan was very satisfied by what she had gained from this trip.
There were many wild-growing fruit trees, and when she built the fruit yard, she was going to ask him to bring her here and take some home. Then she was going to transplant those fruits with better twigs.
Some could be planted directly, such as wild lemons, mulberries, bayberries, etc.
She even found a patch of wild-growing watermelons, which were just budding, and which could be transplanted back to their place later.
She did not have to worry about killing the bud.
They were just picking some mushrooms, when Qiao Xuan had an idea. She told the rest of the team and headed towards a direction alone.
She found two Ganodermas!
The two Ganodermas were growing together, different in height but large in size, almost as big as one basin. The black surface was sparkling with purple light, and the stem looked straight and sturdy.
Delighted, Qiao Xuan bent down.
But she was startled the moment she touched them.
Suddenly, she had nothing in her hands, but two Ganodermas went straight in her space and started to grow.
These two Ganodermas seemed to get rooted in her space as if they had sensed something.
In an instant, Qiao Xuan could clearly feel that the originally desolate, lifeless space had a little more life, and a small clear spring appeared at a speed visible to the naked eye, next to the two Ganodermas.
The spring was spurting and soon a pool was formed.
47 Superpower Expanded
That trash space was finally going into function mode!
The development pleased Qiao Xuan greatly.
In the meanwhile, she found her superpower becoming stronger as well. She was not only able to explore a wider range across plants but also had no difficulty in extracting oil as well as accelerating the growth of plants. Gét latest 𝒏ovel ch𝒂pters on n𝒐v(e)lbj/n.c/𝒐m
What was more, she could use her superpower at her will. Previously, it was impossible for her to achieve fine control, but at this moment it seemed to be possible. For example, if she wanted a leaf to grow by one branch, then this leaf and one branch would do as she ordered, and if she wanted a fruit to grow quickly and ripen, then this one fruit would ripen quickly without affecting others…
It was a discovery that surprised Qiao Xuan.
Pleased, Qiao Xuan decided to take a walk in the mountains when she had nothing else to do. She decided to find better things to feed her space, and when she became rich, she was going to buy excellent ginseng so that she could get unexpected surprises.
Qiao Xuan returned quickly, so the other two people did not witness anything.
Only Shao Yunduan could tell that Qiao Xuan seemed to be quite happy. He threw a confused look at her but noticed nothing different. He even assumed that it was because he had felt wrongly.
They had got abundant mushrooms and were about to return, when Shao Xiaoqi's eyes brightened. "It is a barking deer!"
Without informing others, he ran up with his bow!
Before Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan realized what was happening, Shao Xiaoqi was already cheering. "I got it, I got one barking deer!"
"Wow, brother, you are excellent!" Shao Taotao dashed forward in cheers.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "I agree!"
The arrow ran through the barking deer, which fell onto the ground. It looked strong and chubby, weighing approximately 2.5kg to 4kg.
After they cheered for a while, Shao Xiaoqi could not help but say. "Fifth Brother and Fifth Sister-in-law, let's bring this barking deer to Old Master Yuan's family and ask for a price. He kept asking me if we got anything other than wild roosters and rabbits. I bet that he will buy it. Then we can share the earnings!"
They believed that such a big barking deer would definitely be shared with the other sections of the family, when brought back.
However, he had not yet hunted one barking deer for long and he would like to have a taste too.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "That works. But you should share the money with Taotao, and we don't need it, right?"
Shao Yunduan nodded. "Yes."
"But…"
"We have wild roosters and rabbits too, right? They are good to eat as well. You should keep the money!"
They insisted upon not taking the money, and Shao Xiaoqi showed an embarrassed smile and dropped the request.
Qiao Xuan and Taotao were waiting for Shao Yunduan and Shao Xiaoqi in a forest outside the village, when they went to sell the barking deer to the Yuan Village.
They even had two wild roosters and two wild rabbits with them.
The barking deer was sold at only 20 wen, yet Qiao Xuan bought the meat at 15 wen half a kilo the other day.
Barking deer was fresh and rare, and it should not have been sold at such a low price.
But there were no rules in the village. Old Master Yuan must have bargained hard.
But Shao Xiaoqi had no choice but to sell that to him, otherwise the other sections of the family would want to share it when brought back.
But Shao Xiaoqi was already very glad to have made a small fortune, since the cost wasn't that high.
Unfortunately, Old Master Yuan did not buy wild roosters or rabbits, which would go bad soon when it got too warm. A barking deer was already enough for him.
48 Back Home
Ms. Fang took 40 wen out of the 80 wen, and the rest would be shared between Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao.
Taotao accepted the share too. She said happily, "Brother, I can keep your share for you, and you can ask me for money when you need it!"
They all laughed.
Shao Taotao pursed her lips and said, "We have had such a big harvest today. Dad is definitely going to ask us to share it with Second Uncle and Third Uncle again, sigh…"
Eldest Uncle was nice in everything except for the fact that he kept thinking that he should take care of the other sections of the family. After so many years, the whole family already gave up trying to persuade him.
The reason that half of the money earned by each person in the first section of the family should belong to the individual's personal property and only needed to be handed over to the whole family, was because it was a rule set by Ms. Fang decisively. In this way, some money could still be kept in the family.
Eldest Uncle, who was a father, would naturally not ignore his children and Ms. Fang, who was a mother, was considerate of her children, so Eldest Uncle would not object to this practice.
But Second Uncle and Third Uncle once said that it was a rule that would spoil the children, and that the money would ruin children's future. But Ms. Fang insisted upon that and the discussion was dropped.
But when Qiao Xuan came to the family, she had attacked the second and third sections so that she became such an inspiration for Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao.
Actually, Qiao Xuan was a trigger to the already existent grudge. They had not been pleased by the actions of the second and the third sections' behaviors for a long time. Fị𝒏dd 𝒏ew upd𝒂t𝒆s on n(o)v/e/l𝒃
Qiao Xuan smiled. "That works. You don't have to share everything that you have earned."
Shao Taotao could not help but say. "Fifth Sister-in-law, they would come to flip through our stuff!"
Qiao Xuan's face sank. "We won't allow this to happen again!"
Shao Xiaoqi's eyes brightened as he nodded. "Fifth Sister-in-law is right!"
They told the others that they only got two wild roosters and one rabbit.
Then, they hid everything else when they returned home.
There was almost no secret in the family that could be kept from others.
Shao Xiaoqi had a hobby of hunting wild animals, which was known to everyone.
Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma had always benefited from this hobby of his, so they kept prying about where Shao Xiaoqi went, every day.
As long as Shao Xiaoqi went into the mountain, they would surely come to visit their place.
Today was no exception.
Two wild roosters and one rabbit. They were definitely going to take them.
"Qi, you have hunted a lot today!"
"Look at the fat wild rooster! The wild rabbit looks good too!"
Qiao Xuan's lips pursed. She was not going to allow those greedy people to get even one thing out of the family. But that was not how the first section of the Shao Family worked.
They had to take it slow.
Qiao Xuan grabbed the largest wild rooster and said, "Qi, you have done a great job today, we will keep this wild rooster. Second Aunt-in-law and Third Aunt-in-law, you can share the wild rooster and the rabbit."
Shao Yunduan smiled. This wife of his was so evil.
Shao Xiaoqi was the one who hunted the animal, so it was totally reasonable that they kept the largest wild rooster.
After all, they were giving away the wild rabbit that was larger and had much more meat, weren't they?
Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma were startled. They could not help but reach out for the rabbit at the same time.
"What are you doing? This is mine!"
49 Argument
"Second Sister-in-law, Sixth Son needs to have some supplementary food. Hence, the rabbit should be mine!"
"Sixth Son is at the school, not at home. You can't bring him out for everything. How dare you try to snatch the rabbit from me!"
"So what? I can deliver it to him tomorrow. It is important that the Sixth Son studies well. You should leave the rabbit for me!"
"…"
Ms. Fang showed a mocking smile and looked at her daughter-in-law with a satisfied smirk on her face. She left from there with her grandchildren.
Shao Yunduan went to study whilst Qiao Xuan and Qi left as well.
The two women should be left alone to sort the argument between themselves.
Later, Taotao came to gossip with Qiao Xuan, telling her that Third Aunt-in-law won and took the rabbit away whilst Second Aunt-in-law wanted to exchange the remaining with the rooster, but got turned down by their mother.
Qiao Xuan laughed. Aall 𝒏𝒆west ch𝒂pt𝒆rs on n.o./v𝒆l𝒃i/n/.c𝒐m
She had thought that it would be Ms. Niu who would win, but it turned out that Ms. Ma tasted victory instead.
They had many wild roosters and rabbits left for dinner, and the remaining ones were hidden in the yard.
They were kept in the leaves and maintained in the dungeon, so that the meat could be kept for many days.
Wild roosters were never as chubby as home-kept roosters, but they were already quite big.
Qiao Xuan cooked dinner and made braised chicken soup with mushrooms, which tasted really fresh and delicious.
The other one was stirred and fried over a lot of oil, whilst the green garlic sprouts were cut into sections. The wild celery pulled from the mountains was chopped into pieces, and some dried chili peppers were added. Soy sauce, salt, and ginger pieces were put in as well. The taste was strong and fragrant. People just could not stop eating.
Then, she cut fresh bamboo shoots into thin slices, and made a light, fresh bamboo shoot soup. She even stirred and fried a vinegary and slightly spicy cabbage.
The smell went over the room and made people drool.
Ms. Xu helped her, and was stumped seeing how the seasoning was made.
Anyway, it was her dowry that paid for it all, and she could do whatever she wanted. Those were not from the family share, hence she did not care.
But Ms. Xu could not stop eating at dinner.
Shao Sanlang was the happiest. He got so delighted that he spoke highly of his sister-in-law, which made Shao Yunduan remind him that he should eat more and speak less.
Shao Sanlang nodded. "Yes, yes, I need to hurry up before you eat it all!"
Shao Yunduan. "…"
When Eldest Uncle heard that the second and the third sections of the family were given some rabbit and rooster, he got very gratified inside his heart as well. They were a family and they should get on well with each other.
It was a great, happy dinner.
The following day, Qiao Xuan started to work.
She had already gotten the contract from Land Officer Ding the day before, and after dinner, she narrated what she was planning to do.
She was using her own dowry and Ms. Fang, as well as Shao Yunduan supported her. Hence, Eldest Uncle said nothing even though he did not quite agree.
Well, Qiao Xuan was not using the family money.
She needed some labor if she wanted to open a land. So after breakfast, Eldest Uncle went to the family land whilst Shao Dalang, Shao Sanlang and Ms. Xu as well as Shao Xiaoqi, Shao Taotao went to help Qiao Xuan.
Shao Yunduan was studying in the room.
Qiao Xuan felt that she still needed more people, so she asked Shao Dalang to get three men who were reliable to come and help.
"Just tell them to tell others that they are simply helping us. We will offer lunch and 20 wen for each of them. Don't let them spill the truth."
50 Ashamed
"Since you all are working here, you will get 20 wen too. Brothers, you work so hard, I will pay you 10 more, but please work carefully."
"Don't tell others!"
Weeds, tree roots, larger stones, and other scattered rubbish on this piece of land needed to be cleaned up. Once a fence was built, trees could be planted and mushrooms could be grown.
Everyone was startled when they heard what Qiao Xuan said.
Ms. Xu smiled. "Fifth Sister-in-law, this seems very nice, but do I get paid too?"
!
"Ms. Xu!" Shao Dalang glanced at his wife and said, "Fifth Sister-in-law, we are one family and we don't need to pay each other."
"Yes." Shao Sanlang smiled as well. "You have bought us so much food and it is enough for us to get fully-fed every time. You can cook for us more instead."
Everyone laughed and agreed.
Ms. Xu felt ashamed.
Was she being very greedy? They were humiliating her!
Qiao Xuan chuckled and said, "Those are two different things. This is my private work which will last for a long time. I can't let you work for free. We should count the bill even if we are a family. Me and my husband don't do housework. It is you all who have taken over it, right?"
Shao Sanlang was very open-minded, and he could either be paid or remain unpaid.
Shao Dalang was very honest and bad at talking, so he nodded and insisted that he should just take 20 wen, no more.
Qiao Xuan thought for a while and nodded with a smile.
Seeing that they got 10 wen less, Ms. Xu felt her heart ache. She threw a dark look at Shao Dalang, thinking that he was so dull! But she did not dare to say anything more.
Qiao Xuan explained the whole thing to them and asked them not to reveal the truth to anyone else.
She was worried that the second and the third sections of the family would get someone here to work and get money from them and add nuisance.
Shao Dalang realized what was going on. He nodded and said that he was not going to tell anyone else about it.
So did everyone else present.
That was indeed how those people would behave.
Qiao Xuan returned when she was done with her work.
She helped Ms. Fang to look after the children whilst Ms. Fang was busy with some housework.
She was not very familiar with the house, and Ms. Fang was very good at doing the work, so Ms. Fang did not let Qiao Xuan do the housework either, which made her life leisurely.
Qiao Xuan told Ms. Fang about the payment.
Ms. Fang first told her not to do that but after hearing her point of view, she nodded and said, "You are right. This is good, they won't complain in the future. But don't let your father learn about it."
That was exactly what Qiao Xuan was waiting for. She nodded and smiled. "Mom, we are all a good family and noone will complain. I just think that we can't let them work for free. After all, it is my private work."
Ms. Fang smiled. "You are such a nice girl who takes everything into consideration
51 Qiao Xuan's Laughter
Qiao Xuan was always very fast while giving out the payment.
When everyone held the heavy coins in their hands, they became happier and more motivated.
Ms. Niu came to have a look at the land with her grandson in her arms. She sneered at Qiao Xuan for being so stupid. She had just bought a wasted piece of land and was treating it as a piece of treasure. That was simply a waste of money!
Moreover, the whole family was helping her with the land!
Qiao Xuan asked. "I wonder whether my cousins are free tomorrow? What about coming over to give us a hand? We are a family, aren't we? We should help each other!"
Ms. Niu glared at her without hesitation. "They are not free. Don't ask them to come here!"
Then she ran away with grandson in her arms. Rêađ lat𝒆st ch𝒂pters on n𝒐/v/𝒆/l(b)i𝒏.c𝒐m
She was worried that Qiao Xuan would catch her if she was even one second slower!
Qiao Xuan was laughing behind her back.
One wild rooster and one rabbit were served at the dinner.
The rabbit was cut into slices and fried in hot oil. Then it was woked with peeled garlics and deep-fried dried chilis as well as ginger pieces. Finally, a dish of fried rabbit was made.
The wild rooster was turned into a very light dish. A bowl was used to hold the sliced chicken, which was later steamed in water. The soup turned out to be white, tender and sweet.
Two dishes of vegetables were cooked, which made the dinner table full of meat and vegetables.
They were all tired from labor work today, but the food made them brighten up. They all spoke highly of the delicacies.
From time to time, they had eaten wild roosters and rabbits, but they were never cooked in this way. They all spoke highly of Qiao Xuan's cooking skills. She was considered smart as well!
Eldest Uncle said nothing. He thought that his brothers had got some share too.
During the daytime, Ms. Fang had already dealt with the wild rooster and rabbits well. She put them into a jar so it would not go bad even after half a month.
Qiao Xuan was thinking that maybe Shao Xiaoqi could bring some to the town and sell it.
But they could only start with acquaintances.
Otherwise some hooligans might lay eyes on them.
Normally, restaurants had a set menu, and their own resources. Otherwise they would not accept some random wild roosters and rabbits.
But they could work on some rich families who had good air. When they got the preys, they could try selling those animals to them.
The group spent one and half a day cleaning up the 13 mu land, and they hired two masons to build up the four-side wall, which took another one and half a day.
Qiao Xuan did not want anyone to sneak a peek at her land, so she had a concerete wall built with bricks, not with fences.
The wall was as tall as three meters.
Then she opened two doors from her own yard, and chained it up.
'wasteland' was done, Qiao Xuan asked Shao Dalang and the team to clean up 60 mu of land at the entrance of the village.
What they needed to do was to clear up the bushes and weeds.
Shao Dalang and the team accepted the mission directly.
Ms. Xu was glad too. She was counting how much money she would get after four days, which would be enough for the team to finish their work. In this way, she and her husband were going to get 80 wen, half of which would be shared with the rest of the family and half would be kept for themselves.
Qiao Xuan felt really satisfied when she saw the achievement. But a row broke out in the village.
"Look at Shao Dakun's family! The daughter-in-law is making a wall around that wasteland! That is such a waste of money! The amount spent should be enough to build a brick house!"
"Splurging housewife, what a splurging housewife!"
52 Splurging Housewife
"This is ridiculous! No one cares about that move? It is such a waste of land and money!"
"Ms. Fang should be a fierce Mother-in-law. She is being so stupid now!"
"Well, that daughter-in-law is the child of a County Officer! She must be dominating the whole family! Even if Ms. Fang is fierce, so what? It is such a misfortune that they have a daughter-in-law like this. They are going to have a very difficult time in life!"
Many people got jealous of Shao Yunduan who married the daughter of the County Magistrate. They were all waiting to see the ridiculous scenes arising from the Shao Family. They were all ears for such gossip.
Almost everyone around nodded and agreed. They started to mock the Shao Family, as if there was definitely going to be a lot of unpleasantness since Shao Yunduan married Qiao Xuan. Điscover n𝒆w chapt𝒆rs 𝒐n n0𝒗e(l)bi𝒏.com
!
Eventually, they all came to one conclusion. "Just wait and see. It is never going to stop!"
"But what is the daughter-in-law doing inside the wall?" Someone asked.
They were all startled.
"Yes, what is she doing?"
"It is so stupid to have built a wall around a wasteland!"
They dropped the topic, when they failed to come to a conslution.
But whenever they had a get-together, they would always gossip about the splurging housewife of the Shao Family, and even made up a lot of jokes, just to wait and see how the family was going to deal with the trouble.
Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma were also very curious. They went to the door and asked what was going on.
Qiao Xuan never tried to conceal the truth. So she said straightforwardly, "Planting fruit trees and mushrooms."
But she skipped telling them about the medical herbs.
Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma, who did not believe what Qiao Xuan was saying, started to mumble among themselves when they saw the serious look on Qiao Xuan's face.
"But that wasteland is full of stones, hard and thin, not a good place for fruit trees at all. You are just wasting your money!"
"True, you might as well give me the bricks to build a pigsty!"
Qiao Xuan. "…"
Qiao Xuan let them talk without saying anything in return.
When they learned the answer, they started to spread the story and it became the topic of gossip among the villagers.
The following day, Qiao Xuan started to buy fruit trees in the village. She picked the really thick ones, cut them and transplanted them directly. She explained to those confused people that she would do something about it later.
She needed bowl-thick or arm-thick ones, which could be transplanted directly.
In the village, some fruit trees were planted in front of and behind the houses, in the corner of the vegetable garden, and on the edge of the field. Although most of the fruit trees that were planted in this manner were actually unable to bear fruit at all.
In spring, the flowers were full of trees and lively, and the small fruits were densely packed, but basically they could not be kept.
When rain came constantly, they tended to fall little by little. In autumn, it was very difficult for them to have any good fruits to eat.
Only bayberry, persimmon, loquat, and jujube would have been harvested.
But the harvest only happened in some years, not every year.
Usually, the main function of these fruit trees was the natural melon shelf. Everyone liked to dig a hole under the tree to plant some melons, and then let the melon vines climb up, such as pumpkin, winter melon, gourd melon, loofah and so on.
Therefore, the so-called 'fruit trees' were worth no money in other people's eyes.
When Qiao Xuan decided to buy the fruit trees, everyone was laughing at her.
"What are you buying these for! For firewood?"
"She knows nothing. She has never lived in the countryside before. She thinks that only by buying the fruit trees would get fruits! Haha!"
53 Rich
"It is not the right season. The plants would not survive. She is just being ridiculous!"
"But she is rich and can do whatever she wants! Just leave her alone!"
"…"
They were all in a happy chat as if they were all experts in farming whilst Qiao Xuan was just a spendthrift girl who knew nothing.
Moreover, when Qiao Xuan spent 50 wen buying a very large pear tree, everyone got really excited.
They all came to the Shao Family and offered to sell their fruit trees.
Qiao Xuan told others with a smile that she would only buy the fruit trees that she liked. Hence, the neighours did not have to be so active in offering her the trees.
After all, she only needed two or three fruit trees of each kind.
The villagers did not believe her. They kept pushing the fruit trees towards her and asked her to buy some more.
"I will sell them to you at a lower price!"
"Yes, you can get more trees for your wide land."
Qiao Xuan kept the smile on her face when she expressed what she was thinking.
She had no energy to chit chat with these people endlessly.
Ms. Fang could not stand such pushy behavior any more and drove everyone away.
But she was also a little worried and reminded Qiao Xuan. "Ms. Qiao, it is getting very hot and the fruit trees are full of leaves. I don't think that the trees would be alive for too long."
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Don't worry, Mom. I know what to do!"
Ms. Fang smiled. "Okay, then I will not say anything more."
With strange people like the second and the third sections of the family existing, Ms. Fang thought that everyone else was really good. Although Ms. Xu had some plans of her own, she was still better than those from the other sections of the family. She was always very tolerant of her own family.
Qiao Xuan was using her own money to make the trouble, and she as the mother-in-law would not make any decisions for her.
The following day, Shao Yunduan intended to go to the school, so he left early in the morning.
Qiao Xuan asked Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao to clear up the weeds in the village, so that they could help to dig holes to plant fruit trees. 𝒩ewW 𝒏ovels upd𝒂tes on nov/𝒆l/b(i)𝒏.com
Qiao Xuan wanted these trees because she craved fruit. Also, the garden was good to get shelter during summer, especially for escaping from the heat, playing on the swings and doing grilled food, so fruit trees were not going to take up all the space.
The land was hard, but Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao, who were used to farmwork, did not think that it was a difficult job. They just needed to spend some more time on it.
Qiao Xuan had intended to offer some help, but she was really bad at it.
She could not even pick the shovel. She panted after a while, making Shao Taotao and her brother chuckle. They all asked her not to try it any more.
Qiao Xuan said to them embarrassedly, "I will make good food for you tonight!" Then she gave up.
Qiao Xuan planned the orchard on the far side, occupying an area of about four mu. She only planned to plant about thirty to forty trees on one mu, about a hundred trees on three mu, and another acre of grapes and watermelons, which should be enough to eat.
They could even make dried fruits and fruit jams.
She had her superpower and could ensure that the trees would grow and thrive. She even intended to give it a try in the future when the brokers would try to get some longan, lychee, mango, jackfruit and cantaloupe from the frontier from other places or even the south.
With the help of her superpower, those trees would definitely survive.
54 A Lucky Star
Qiao Xuan suddenly remembered the flourishing space seeing the holes being dug. She started to concentrate.
She could not help but get startled.
Those two Ganoderma Lucidum had grown bigger and were full of spiritual energy, exuding a faint medicinal fragrance, which was really refreshing.
There was a spring pool of about two square meters on the side. The pool had no exit or entrance. The spring water looked very clear, but the bottom could not be seen.
She tried to move some grass from outside but failed.
It seemed that this space was very critical. It did not take in anything or everything. It only accepted Ganoderma Lucidum, for example.
She tried to pull out the spring, yet nothing happened, which made her feel disappointed.
But the next second, Shao Xiaoqi cried out in surprise. "Water, there is water here!"
"What!"
"Really?"
Qiao Xuan and Shao Taotao were both surprised. They rushed out and checked.
Shao Xiaoqi was so happy. Her eyes were sparkling as she was smiling. They kept digging and the spring spurted out.
"Ah! It is really spring water! Oh, that is great!"
Shao Taotao screamed as she spinned around on the spot.
Qiao Xuan smiled too. "Yes, this is fantastic!"
It must be the spring from her space. Good, she did not have to worry a thing about watering!
And it was a great relief for them.
There were only three springs in the village.
They had to carry water to their home when they needed some at home.
But with this spring here, all they needed to do was to get the water out to the yard, which made it handy for them to use water.
Shao Taotao rushed out happily. "I am going to tell my mom!"
Soon Ms. Fang rushed over too.
She got so happy seeing the water. She struck her thigh and smiled. "Ms. Qiao, you are such a lucky star! You are a lucky star!"
They needed to use water every day, and it was so annoying and painstaking to carry water. This spring just saved all the trouble!
Who would have expected that spring appeared on this deserted land!
Seeing the water rushing out, Ms. Fang got both happy and nervous seeing that there was no sign that there was any end to the water. 𝒩ewW 𝒏ovels upd𝒂tes on nov/𝒆l/b(i)𝒏.com
"Keep this a secret, let's just see what is happening!"
This wasteland did not seem to be a place that should have a spring, and they wondered if the water would keep on running forward, or was it gushing out just for a moment.
What if it was simply a momentary thing?
When Shao Yunduan returned in the evening, Ms. Fang revealed the story to the family.
The whole family was shocked!
They all headed towards the yard and tried to check it out.
The spring was still leaking. The tree hole wasn't so large, and the water had already wetted the land.
"That is so good, it is so good!" Eldest Uncle just got so excited that he could not talk.
"It would be so conveinent for us to use water! Haha!" Shao Sanlang said happily.
Ms. Xu was laughing with tears in her eyes. It was always her husband who had to carry the water, and now the labor was saved.
Shao Yunduan raised his eyebrows slightly. It was such an unbelieable thing.
This land was not like a place where water could gush out. How did Qi find the spring just after some digging? The land should have been flourishing if there had been water underneath.
55 Praise
But… it was a fact!
Seeing was believing, wasn't it?
Shao Yunduan just could not believe what he had seen, nor could he find the logic of what he witnessed. It was indeed a magical world!
He could not help but glance at Qiao Xuan. His wife was indeed blessed!
No wonder his mother kept calling her 'the lucky star'.
!
Qiao Xuan caught Shao Yunduan's sight and smiled at him. She blinked and chuckled. "Am I very lucky?"
She sounded so proud that Shao Yunduan could not help but laugh. She was like an arrogant fox who had raised her tail. He nodded. "Yes, you are very lucky."
"In this case, I have achieved so much at home. Try speaking highly of me!"
Shao Yunduan. "…"
Shao Yunduan just could not utter a word. How should he praise her?
Qiao Xuan chuckled, seeing his reaction. Seeing the man got so bashful, she added another sentence. "You don't have to compliment me or praise me, but you have to promise to defend me and stand by my side!"
Shao Yunduan moved his lips. He could speak highly of people, except that he just did not understand what she was talking about.
He nodded and took a deep breath. "I will definitely defend you!"
He was going to stand by her, since she was paying so much attention to the Shao Family.
Satisfied, Qiao Xuan raised her lips. "You have to remember what you said today."
She was going to remind him of this whenever she had the chance, so he could bear what she had said in his mind firmly. She gradually understood that a woman was born in a disadvantegous place in this era, and she needed someone to lean on.
For example, but for Shao Yunduan and Mother-in-law, the second and the third sections of the family would have torn her apart, and allowed no chance for her to talk sense.
"Don't worry!"
Early next morning, everyone from the family wanted to check if the water spring was still active.
Qiao Xuan was no exception.
It was the first time for her to do this thing and she wondered if the spring would remain thriving any longer.
Seeing that the spring was still active and water was coming out of the hole, the whole family cheered as if the New Year was around the corner.
"This is a real spring! Oh god, my hanging heart can settle down now!" Ms. Fang said as she patted her chest, smiling.
Eldest Uncle was excited too. "I will get someone to get the water to our yard, so we don't have to worry about water any more!"
Ms. Fang nodded with a smile. "Let's do it now!"
She cooked porridge and steamed buns just to celebrate the discovery of the spring.
The stuffing of the steamed buns consisted of two kinds of leek vermicelli eggs, diced sauerkraut bamboo shoots and diced mushrooms. The stuffing made by Qiao Xuan was full of flavor, thin on the wrapping and big in size. When they were out of the steamers, they smelled great.
Everyone was speaking highly of the soft, fresh taste of the warm steamed buns. Alll 𝒍𝒂test nov𝒆l𝒔 on novelb𝒊n/.c𝒐m
After breakfast, Shao Dalang got so excited that he was urged by Ms. Xu to start the work for their sister-in-law. So, Shao Sanlang followed them up to the field.
After all, they could make 20 wen a day!
Eldest Uncle was in charge of the spring, so his sons did not stay at home but went to work instead.
Eldest Uncle soon asked the well expert from the neighbouring village.
Qiao Xuan had her own idea and expressed her suggestions.
56 Ms. Fang's Welcoming
The following were her suggestions.
For the pool in the yard, the best bricks should be built around it so only one hole of the spring was shown.
A patch of brick land was to be built around, which would make it easier for the water to be used for the garden.
After that, an underground ditch would be dug to lead the spring water from the garden to the courtyard. The underground ditch would also be covered with blue bricks and built on both sides. In this way, the land would be flat and the surface will not be ruined. Nor would the spring be dirtied.
Then, they would dig a pool in the backyard to connect the water for easy takeout. But the exit would remain hidden, so that it could leak straight to the sewers and ditches in the village.
!
Shao Yunduan nodded. "Dad, Mom, it sounds very convenient."
Ms. Fang agreed too, seeing that her son had said yes. She smiled. "I think it is a good idea, what about doing it like this?" Explore new 𝒏ovels on n𝒐velbi𝒏.com
Eldest Uncle was worried about spending money. So he hesitated. "The bricks are not cheap. We have to spend money…"
The well expert's mouth twitched, thinking that the garden behind was completely made of blue bricks, right? Since they could use it for the land, then why not for the water?
Ms. Fang had a clearer mind in this aspect than him. She said resolutely, "It doesn't cost much. It is going to be very conveient too. Let's do it this way now!"
Eldest Uncle nodded eventually.
The well expert patted the thighs and said with a smile, "Good. It is very sunny these days, let's start the project as soon as possible."
"Good, good!"
That the active spring was discovered in the wasteland in the yard of the Shao Family was spread all over the whole village.
"What? A spring in that wasteland? An active spring?"
"That can't be possible!"
"Is it real?!"
They all got shocked and rushed to have a look at the place.
Elder Uncle was smiling brightly while he was engaged in the work with the well expert, with Shao Xiaoqi helping alongside.
Ms. Fang was receiving guests who wanted to have a look at it.
"…that is a real, active spring! Just take a look at it as much as you want! My Duan is very lucky to have got a really good wife who has brought so much fortune to us since she marries him! A spring from a wasteland! Now we have water in the yard, and it makes everything so easy!"
"More convenient than a well! And it saves us the trouble of carrying the water! We don't have to spend any more effort!"
Ms. Fang was showing off without trying to conceal a thing.
Everyone forced a small smile and answered with 'oh yes', 'true, very convenient'. But they were not actually glad to see this.
Why did they never run into anything good like this?
They had been laughing at the wasteland a couple of days ago, but now the family got an active spring!
Look at the spring! It looked so vibrant and clear!
Ms. Fang felt even more happy seeing everyone's face.
They had been bad-mouthing her and the family behind their back, and she knew everything they had said.
Now they were slapped right on the face, right?
Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma were among the group who had watched the show. They felt so sour inside their hearts. After all, they were the ones who laughed loudest at them a couple of days ago.
Ms. Ma, who felt really sour, could not help but spit out. "Springs here are not realiable. They get dried up in a couple of days. You don't have to spend so much efforts on it. What about waiting for some more days?"
Ms. Niu laughed. "That is so true!"
57 Water In House
Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma kept saying bad words, and that made everyone else also laugh. They all started to gossip loudly.
Ms. Fang was so furious inside her heart but she said calmly, "Don't worry, sisters-in-law, the spring was discovered a couple of days ago, and it is still running right now."
Ms. Ma snorted and said timidly, "I am just reminding you out of kindness."
Ms. Fang showed a falsed smile. "Oh, thank you very much for the reminder!"
Ms. Ma. "…"
The spring remained active, no matter how much the outsiders expected it to run dry.
The work was done in the evening.
The clear water ran through the brick-built hidden passage and went into the pool in the yard. The pool was filled with water until it leaked out through the hidden passage.
Soon the soil and sand were all filtered through, and the water filled up the pool, clear and clean.
In order to prevent dirt from easily falling into the garden, the two pools in the garden and the backyard were built to be three bricks higher than the ground and were square, making it clean and easy to use.
The whole family got so happy seeing the pool of water. Visjt n𝒐velbin.c𝒐m for new updates
After dinner, they got down to their own buisness. Second Uncle and Third Uncle came with weird looks on their faces.
That Qiao Xuan had hired some people to help with the land was leaked out, and Second Uncle and Third Uncle both heard about the news. Both of them were feeling really annoyed inside their hearts. Moreover, when the spring was discovered in the yard, they felt even more distressed. They came over to make complaints.
"Brother, you are isolating us! Twenty wen a day, you would rather give them to others than to us!"
"Yes, it is so hurtful!"
"You are even trying to hide it from us. But for the leakeage, we would not have known about this at all!"
"You are always talking about being the same family!"
"Well…" Eldest Uncle was confused but smiled. "Don't get mad, you must have been mistaken! They are just here to help us, and we offer them lunch, but no salary. We will help them back when they need help in the future!"
Third Uncle was annoyed. "Now, you are even lying to us!"
"You are!"
"No…" Eldest Uncle called Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan over asked them about this.
Shao Yunduan thought for a while and threw a quick look at Qiao Xuan. "We did not talk about salary before, but they were doing a lot of work, so Ms. Qiao offered the salary when she felt very guilty."
Second Uncle and Third Uncle turned to Elder Uncle and showed a 'look-what-I-said' expression on their faces.
"Then, we can ask our sons to help you. You have to pay them too!"
Shao Liulang (Sixth Son) was the only child of the third section of the family and he was studying in the school. Hence, Third Uncle said, "I will be there too."
Qiao Xuan smiled. "It would be great if you want to offer help. But Second Uncle and Third Uncle, we are a family, aren't we? We can't take money from each other, can we?"
"True…" Shao Sanlang could not help but mumble. "We helped you so many times, but you never pay us anything, not even food!"
58 Heart-Breaking
Second Uncle and Third Uncle did not hear what Shao Sanlang said, so they countered Qiao Xuan simultaneously.
"We are separated, we are not a family!"
"Brothers should get paid too, it is fair, isn't it?"
"True!"
Elder Uncle's face turned palethe minute he heard their remarks…
!
How could his brothers say those words? They would not have become so mad as to get confused in their heads, would they?
Did they not keep saying that they were not separated, but a whole family?
Eldest Uncle heard what Shao Sanlang said as well. He was not very pleased.
Suddenly, he felt a bit emotional.
Qiao Xuan showed her arms and said disappointedly, "So, you never thought that we are a family?"
Second Uncle got startled and brought himself back, as he looked at Eldest Uncle subconsciously. "Don't try to turn white into black. Brother, I don't mean this, I mean, you can pay us rather than paying outsiders, right?"
Qiao Xuan sneered inside her heart. Well, that was true, but they never worked hard even when they were paid.
Elder Uncle sighed and could not utter a word, as he turned to Qiao Xuan.
Qiao Xuan said, "I have already paid everyone, and the work should be finished within a day. So, I might consider your offer next time if we have similiar work to do."
It was not an easy place to clean. There was grass, weeds and bushes. It would take five or six more days. Qiao Xuan was just trying to shift the whole thing as long as she could.
All she needed to do was to say some words.
She could just make up any number of excuses as she wanted, and could always find some new ones.
Shao Yunduan added. "True, we are all living in one village and it is not proper to ask for the payment back, right?" Thê sourc𝗲 of this content n/o/v/(𝒆l)bi((n))
Eldest Uncle, who was hurt by what his two brothers said, got so confused in mind, so he reacted to Shao Yunduan's words instinctively. "True!"
Both Second Uncle and Third Uncle were taken aback. Their brother had always stood by their sides and he never turned down their demands.
But at this moment, his brother ended the hope by just saying such words?
And he showed nothing?
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Second Uncle and Third Uncle, we will definitely turn to you for help in the future. We are one family, right? We don't have to split hairs, and it can save me a lot of money too, right?"
"You…" Third Uncle got anxious.
Second Uncle also exchanged a strange look with him. "Then you should take us family into consideration when you have something good to offer. After that, we can talk about payment."
What did she mean by saving her a lot of money? They were a family, right? Why save money? She had 26 sets of dowry and so much gold and silver. How could she be so stingy?
Qiao Xuan smiled and said nothing more.
Second Uncle and Third Uncle left, looking unsure.
Shao Sanlang pursed his lips. "If I am asked to plough and put down crops for them in a while, I am going to ask for money too, or atleast lunch!"
"Just drop it!" Eldest Uncle threw his temper at his son and said angrily, "Why so much talk?"
59 Nonsense
He had intended to put forward the family talk, but when he thought of what his brothers had just said, he swallowed his words.
He said stiffly, "They help us too, right?"
Shao Sanlang got even more mad. "They help? I would rather that they don't come! They just make us so angry!"
Whenever it came to the busy season, the first section of the family would always help the second and the third sections of the family to finish their labor before the other two sections came to help them.
But the other two sections always idled around and never did any good work. They were never helpful.
Moreover, the first section had to serve them three meals a day! 𝑅êạd new chapt𝒆rs on no/v/e/l𝒃
If chicken was not served at dinner, they would even complain.
But when they helped the other two sections, they not only got no breakfast, but also really little porridge. When dinner came, they served the meal with only soup and a lot of chicken bones.
That was what they considered to be 'chicken dinner'.
When Shao Yunduan heard what Shao Sanlang said, he took Qiao Xuan away.
They had just walked out of the room when Shao Sanlang's scream arose. He was begging. "Dad, don't hit me, please, don't!"
Qiao Xuan laughed.
Shao Yunduan threw a look at her. "This is what Dad has always been like. He can't change so fast."
Therefore, when Shao Sanlang kept nagging about what he had been through, he meant that everytime their father got humiliated, he started to teach the son a lesson.
Qiao Xuan said, "Do you think your dad is right?"
Shao Yunduan shook his head. "No, but it will take time for him to change."
Qiao Xuan smiled. That was true!
The following day, Shao Dalang and the team were still working on the land, whilst Qiao Xuan, together with Shao Taotao and Shao Xiaoqi were working on the fruit trees in the yard.
She bought fruit trees from a very generous seller who not only helped to dig out the trees but also helped to carry the trees to the yard.
"The trees can live on like this?"
Someone asked.
Qiao Xuan smiled and said confidently, "Of course, it is springtime and it is much easier to water the plants. They will definitely live on!"
That man said nothing more.
It was getting very hot and trees could not grow so well. Watering much did not help the trees to grow. She was talking nonsense.
Well, she was wasting her own money, after all.
When the seller sold the tree, he took a walk around the river and found a new budding tree for himself.
Within two days' time, there were two loquats trees, two dates trees, one pomegranate tree, two persimmon trees, two bayberry trees, two plum trees, two pear trees, one hawthorn, and two peach trees in Qiao Xuan's yard.
Apart from the two date trees and bayberry trees as well as pear trees which were as large as a bowl, many were transplanted here after being chopped, and the others were as large as the surface of the bowl, and were transplanted to this place after only a few twigs were chopped.
There were even some fruits hanging from the twigs.
Qiao Xuan poured her superpower into the trees. Hence, the trees turned green and looked alive the following day.
But she did not use too much superpower, otherwise they would have grown better.
In this way, Qiao Xuan was satisfied. She poured in superpower every now and then, so the trees could become really good after just a few months.
By that time, no one would find the growth to be strange.
60 Qiao Xuan's Attention
Seeing that the fruit trees were growing nicely, Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao were both very happy as well. They spoke highly of the spring here, which should be very practical to water the plants.
Qiao Xuan was thinking about the wild lemons she saw at Wangqing Mountains, so she went into the mountains with Shao Xiaoqi and Taotao.
Wild lemons were good for making food and seasoning, as well as perfume making.
They already finished consuming the wild animals they got from the last hunt. Shao Xiaoqi smiled as he said, "I have been planning to visit the mountains and if you want to go to Wangqing Mountains, we can go there together."
Shao Yunduan also decided to tag along, since he had gotten tired of reading. He needed to have a walk in the mountains.
!
Qiao Xuan had paid attention to the spot of wild lemons, so they found what they needed very fast.
In one ditch there were more than a dozen wild lemon trees growing, two of which were as large as arms and were carried home by Qiao Xuan.
For her, any broken twigs could become budding trees, and they did not need to bring too many of those home.
They were so lucky that they found one bergamot tree, which Qiao Xuan decided to bring back as well.
Then she asked Shao Xiaoqi to help dig two wild grape trees.
When the trees they needed were picked, they hid them into the bushes and would carry them back when they were heading home.
Only now did Shao Xiaoqi start to lead them to hunt for animals.
This time, Qiao Xuan did not use her superpower to hunt prey for Shao Xiaoqi. Instead, she had been using her superpower to search for some precious plants.
The two Ganoderma Lucidum were not enough to develop the space, and she needed to add some more things inside. Gét latest 𝒏ovel ch𝒂pters on n𝒐v(e)lbj/n.c/𝒐m
Without the guidance of superpower, Shao Xiaoqi took some time to find the preys. But he was not in a hurry either. He was guiding Qiao Xuan and the rest of his team to walk through the woods.
It took them almost an hour before Qiao Xuan found a patch of wild orchids, one of which looked more than ordinary.
She had no idea what the orchids were called, but she believed that they were very precious.
Qiao Xuan's eyes brightened, as she walked towards that plant.
The others did not care about the direction either, because they were idling in the woods anyway. Therefore, they caught up with Qiao Xuan.
"Look, darling, the orchids look so beautiful. What about taking them home? They look very nice and graceful!"
Scholars tended to like this kind of thing.
Shao Yunduan had no such hobbies, but he threw a few more glances at the orchids when he heard what she said. They did look very good.
So he was persuaded and nodded. "Sounds good."
Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao exchanged a surprised look between themselves. They just could not understand why the orchids looked elegant.
Qiao Xuan headed towards the special orchid, bent and picked it up.
But she kept the posture instead of straightening up.
The next moment, her hands were empty and next to the spring there appeared another bunch of orchids, facing the Ganoderma Lucidum in the space. The long leaves were hanging down, dangling beautifully.
Qiao Xuan could feel that the space became even more lively, not to a large degree, but there were some changes.
Overjoyed, Qiao Xuan realized that the space would take in any precious plants.
She was right about the orchid being more than ordinary, but what was it called?
Also, the space was so craving and demanding so many things! She would feed the space when she had something good. The activeness of the space would frighten anyone who saw it!