《The Lucky Star Reincarnates to Bring Her Family Fortune!》 Chapter 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°I heard that the third son of the Zhou family fell down the mountain this afternoon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He broke his legs and was just brought to the city for treatment. His legs and body were covered in blood. It was scary.¡± ¡°Why is he so unlucky? There were so many people who went up the mountain together with him, but no one else fell. How on earth did he fall?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°In my opinion, there¡¯s nothing to complain about. If there¡¯s anything to complain about, it¡¯s because his family has a jinx!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say, it¡¯s true! Look at how rich the Zhou family was when they first settled in our village. They bought fields and bought shops. Ever since that jinx was born, the Zhou family started its downfall.¡± ¡­ In an instant, the news of how the third son of the Zhou family broke his leg spread throughout Boyu Village. At this moment, the Zhou family was in a mess. The men at home, Old Zhou and Zhou Fugui, asked for help from a few burly men in the village to carry the injured Zhou Fuchun to the city. The third daughter-in-law, Madam Zhu, also went to the city to take care of her injured husband. Only the old, weak, women, and children were at home with the foolish eldest son, Zhou Yu. The jinx that the villagers were talking about was Zhou Yu¡¯s eldest daughter. At this moment, she was curled up in Zhou Yu¡¯s arms and did not move. ¡°My head hurts. It¡¯s so noisy around me¡­¡± she thought. Zhou Xiaoli felt that her head was hurting from the noise. She wanted to flare up, but she did not even have the strength to open her eyes. She struggled and finally opened her heavy eyelids. What greeted her eyes was a firm and warm chest. In an instant, memories surged into her mind. Had she reincarnated into a dead body? She was originally a small carp living in the lotus pond in Immortal Tai Yi¡¯s courtyard. As she often listened to Immortal Tai Yi preach the beliefs of Taoism, she was able to cultivate a body. She crossed the Dragon Gate in one day and was on the verge of achieving her Way, but she could not break through for a long time. After being enlightened by Immortal Tai Yi, she realized that she needed to enter the 3,000 small worlds to undergo tribulations. Be it the Immortal World or the Underworld, they all evolved with the times. The so-called 3,000 small worlds were life books written by the Siming Star Lord for immortals who had to descend to the Mortal World to undergo tribulations. It was exactly the same as the novels she secretly read from the Internet in the Mortal World. Hence, she pulled some favors and asked Star Lord Si Ming to write an easy life book for her to undergo tribulations. With that, she happily went to the Mortal World to undergo her tribulation. Unexpectedly, just as she was about to reincarnate, an otherworldly soul beat her to it! After losing her chance to reincarnate, she could only travel aimlessly in the book world as a ghost. With that, she has been like this for 10 years. Today, her soul was suddenly summoned by something unknown and she floated here uncontrollably before losing consciousness. When she opened her eyes again, she had entered this body. Did she reincarnate successfully? However, her age at reincarnation was a little old. The original owner of this body was also called Zhou Xiaoli. She was 10 years old this year and was famous in Boyu Village for being a jinx. It was said that she jinxed her father, Zhou Yu, to become a fool and her own mother to be perpetually sick. She even jinxed her brother to become a mute. And now, she jinxed Zhou Fuchun to fall down the mountain and broke his leg. This completely angered her mean grandmother, Lai Jinniang. At this moment, Lai Jinniang was in a fit of anger because of this matter. She let her grandchildren bully Zhou Xiaoli and her younger siblings. Zhou Xiaoli was bullied the most as she was trying to protect her younger brother and sister. She even took a hit from Lai Jinniang herself. At this moment, her body still burned with pain whenever she moved. It could be seen how ruthless the beating was! Fortunately, her silly father, Zhou Yu, rushed up from behind and protected her in his arms. He used his sturdy back to block all the beatings so that she would not be further injured. At this moment, Lai Jinniang was shouting at Zhou Yu. ¡°Damn it, you unfilial thing. How dare you disobeyed me for these little b*tches!¡± ¡°I worked so hard to bring you up and this is how you repay your mother!¡± Lai Jinniang pointed at Zhou Yu¡¯s nose as she yelled. Even as she scolded him, her anger did not subside. She took the rod and hit Zhou Yu repeatedly. She beat him up as she yelled. ¡°I took care of you for 20 plus years. Even a dog would have wagged its tail at me in gratitude! You are an unfilial and ungrateful thing; you¡¯re worse than a dog!¡± ¡°Had we known that you¡¯re such an unfilial thing back then, your father and I shouldn¡¯t have picked you up. We should have let you die by the roadside!¡± Zhou Yu did not make a sound nor resist when he was beaten up like this. He silently endured the vicious beatings and only hugged Zhou Xiaoli tightly in his arms, afraid that she would be hurt. The reason why Lai Jinniang was so angry was because Zhou Yu had accidentally pushed her a little as she was beating Zhou Xiaoli viciously. Although Zhou Yu was a fool, he knew instinctively that he should protect his wife and children. Seeing that his wife and children were crying, he rushed over to protect Zhou Xiaoli and the others, but in the process, he had pushed Lai Jinniang a little by accident. Now, Lai Jinniang was furious. The dull sound of the rod hitting Zhou Yu¡¯s body was painful just by listening to it. Moreover, Zhou Xiaoli received a hit from the rod earlier, so she knew the pain of it all too well. She raised her head and looked at the silly man protecting her. She wanted to tell him that he should dodge when he was beaten. However, after she finished speaking weakly, Zhou Yu did not dodge. He only gave her a silly smile and said naively, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Li¡¯er. I¡¯m here, heh.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was a fish in her previous life. She has lived in the lotus pond since she existed. She had never seen her parents and did not know what parental love was. She had only read about it from novels. At this moment, the silly smile on Zhou Yu¡¯s face, his broad chest, his warm embrace, and the way he protected her stunned her. ¡°Mother, Mother, please stop hitting him. He would be beaten to death.¡± Zhang Lan knelt beside Zhou Yu and grabbed Lai Jinniang as she tried to stop her from hitting Zhou Yu. Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun also rushed over and hugged Lai Jinniang¡¯s legs, crying their hearts out. ¡°Grandma, please don¡¯t hit Dad.¡± Lai Jinniang was furious. She cursed and kicked Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun away. ¡°Get lost! Otherwise, I¡¯ll beat you too!¡± As she spoke, she raised the rod and was about to hit Zhang Lan and her children! Seeing this, Zhou Yu became a little anxious. He stood up at once and grabbed Lai Jinniang¡¯s wrist to stop the rod from coming down on his wife and children. Zhou Yu was tall and burly, and his face was red from the beating he took earlier. Lai Jinniang was shocked when he suddenly rushed up to her. After taking a few steps back, she finally reacted and pointed at Zhou Yu. ¡°You, you¡¯re trying to hit me, your mother! Guihua, Guihua, go and call the village chief over quickly to uphold justice for us. We have a disobedient and unfilial thing that wants to hit his mother!¡± Seeing this, Zhou Yu panicked. He let go and shook his head in panic. Lai Jinniang was already sitting on the ground and crying loudly. ¡°Damn it, this disobedient and unfilial thing even dared to hit me.¡± ¡°Why is my life so bitter? What sins did I commit in my previous life to end up being in this family full of nuisances? Your entire family only knows how to eat! ¡°Let me tell you, from today onwards, you¡¯re no longer a son of our Zhou family. Take your family of weirdos and get out of the Zhou family!¡± Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios At this moment, a broken black bag was thrown in front of them. The bag was opened, and a few shriveled taros could be seen inside. Zhou Guihua clapped her hands and looked down at them with disdain. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Mother said? What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get lost with your things. If you dawdle any longer, these taros will be gone as well!¡± Zhou Yu did not know what it meant to be chased out of the house. However, Zhang Lan knew that should they be chased out, they would not even have a place to stay, let alone have food to eat. What awaited them would be death. Although they were bullied in the Zhou family, they could still live on. She hoped that there was still room for negotiation. ¡°Mother, where are we going to stay if you chase us out? This, isn¡¯t this asking our entire family to die?¡± Before she could finish speaking, she clutched her chest and coughed. All she got in return were the cold expressions on their faces. ¡°What does the death of your family have to do with us? Get lost!¡± Zhang Lan was about to plead for mercy again when Zhou Xiaoli spoke. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t beg them. Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s gaze swept across the people around her and finally landed on Zhang Lan. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t beg them. Let¡¯s go.¡± she said again. Under Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s determined gaze and Lai Jinniang¡¯s coldness, Zhang Lan finally made up her mind and nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you. Let¡¯s go!¡± Lai Jinniang snorted. ¡°You should have done this earlier.¡± Then, as if she was afraid that they would go back on their word, she urged impatiently. ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re leaving, cut the crap. Hurry up and pack your things. Leave now. Don¡¯t think about getting a free dinner!¡± With that, she turned around and entered the central room with a dark expression. Zhou Guihua and Wang Cuiju also glanced at them coldly and followed closely behind to sashay into the central room. In an instant, only Zhou Xiaoli and her family were left in the courtyard. Zhang Lan could not help but feel a little melancholic. She was determined to leave initially but now that she had calmed down, she was really worried. Their family had no houses nor fields. She was weak and sickly, and her husband was stupid. Where could they go after leaving the Zhou family¡­ ¡°Mother.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu ran to Zhang Lan¡¯s side. Although she was young, she more or less knew about the current situation. Her eyes were filled with fear at this moment. Zhang Lan looked at her youngest daughter. Her little face was sallow due to malnutrition and one side was swollen. There was a clear palm print on it, and her heart ached. ¡°Third Sister, does it hurt?¡± Lai Jinniang did it to her. This kind of beating was normal in the Zhou family. Zhou Xiaoyu shook her head and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt. Mother, are we moving?¡± Zhang Lan sighed. How could it not hurt? Then, she looked at the bruises on Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s forehead, and the injured corner of Zhou Junjun¡¯s mouth. And her husband, whose back was bleeding. She was so heartbroken that tears were about to fall. In the end, she held them back and nodded firmly. ¡°Move!¡± Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then, will Grandma never hit us again?¡± Zhang Lan¡¯s tears finally fell uncontrollably. She nodded. ¡°Yes, she won¡¯t.¡± A smile appeared on the little kid¡¯s face. Zhang Lan wiped her tears. The family supported each other and went to their room to pack. There were not many things they needed to bring along. A few taros, a blanket, a few patched clothes and a few pairs of broken straw shoes. A basket was all they needed to pack their belongings away. Lai Jinniang was determined not to give them anything. As they packed, the door of the central room remained tightly shut. Zhang Lan looked around the room. This area was the smallest and most dilapidated part of the house. It used to be a shed to raise livestock. There was only one bed and a small broken cabinet. She could take it all in at a glance. However, when they leave the Zhou family, they would not even have such a livestock shed to live in. In her sadness, she remembered that she still had children to raise. Zhang Lan forced herself to focus and asked Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Li¡¯er, have you found it?¡± ¡°Found it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli responded. She dug out a small black cloth bag from the corner of the wall and opened it. Inside were 50 copper coins. Zhou Xiaoli wrapped it up again and put it on her body. Although Zhou Yu was stupid, he was very obedient. He also had brute force and was good at manual labor. Moreover, he would not slack off at work. Therefore, Butler Wan was very fond of him when he worked for the Wan family. After Butler Wan found out about Zhou Yu¡¯s situation, he would secretly give Zhou Yu additional money every time and taught him not to tell Lai Jinniang. Therefore, Zhou Yu handed the extra money to Zhang Lan. Zhang Lan also knew that Lai Jinniang didn¡¯t like their family, so she would not prepare a dowry for her children. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was coming of age soon, she thought about it and secretly saved up the extra money without telling Lai Jinniang. After saving for a long time, they managed to save up 50 copper coins. Although it was not much, it could resolve their urgent needs for now. While Zhou Xiaoli kept the money, Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu packed everything they had and placed them in the basket on their backs. The family supported each other and walked out. Even when they were leaving the Zhou family, Lai Jinniang did not come out to take a look. Because Zhang Lan was weak, their family walked very slowly. Just as they were talking about the disaster last year and the refugees who had fled here to build a straw shed at the end of the village, a voice suddenly stopped them. ¡°Halt!¡± Without looking back, they could tell from the voice that it was Lai Jinniang¡¯s youngest daughter, Zhou Guihua. With a cold expression on her face, she did not waste any time talking nonsense. She walked directly to Zhou Xiaoli and blocked her way. She stretched out her hand and said, ¡°Take it out.¡± Confused, Zhou Xiaoli asked, ¡°What?¡± Zhou Guihua snorted. ¡°Stop pretending. Hurry up and take out the money on you. I saw it just now!¡± Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s heart turned cold. She coldly denied. ¡°No.¡± Zhang Lan nodded repeatedly. ¡°That¡¯s right. Why would we have money?¡± Zhou Guihua was unmoved. If she hadn¡¯t seen it for herself, she wouldn¡¯t have believed that they had money on them as well. When she went to the outhouse earlier, she saw with her own eyes that the jinx dug out a bag of copper coins from under the wall. And yet she¡¯s lying to her now! She immediately snorted. ¡°Stop pretending. I saw it. How dare you steal our Zhou family¡¯s money! Take it out quickly, or I¡¯ll tell Mother!¡± ¡°No means no. Even if you tell your mother, I won¡¯t be able to get you any money.¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not panic at all. Zhou Guihua wanted to pocket the money for herself, so she would definitely not tell Lai Jinniang. If she wanted to tell her, she would have told her long ago. Sure enough, Zhou Guihua did not tell Lai Jinniang. Instead, she snorted and said, ¡°You don¡¯t want to admit it!¡± However, Zhou Xiaoli was not afraid of her. ¡°No!¡± she said coldly. This was what they would have to rely on for the past few days. How could they give it to her? ¡°Alright, you forced me to do this!¡± Seeing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s unyielding attitude, Zhou Guihua didn¡¯t waste any more words and started to snatch it from her. She knew that Zhou Xiaoli had the money bag in her arms. She reached in to pull the money bag out. ¡°Ha! Sure enough there it is! A whole family of thieves!¡± Naturally, Zhou Xiaoli did not give in. She grabbed the money bag and refused to let go. She glared at the woman in front of her, unwilling to be outdone. At this moment, the scene in front of her suddenly changed and another scene appeared. In the scene, the two of them were fighting over the money bag. Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan were eager to protect their daughter, so they went forward to pull Zhou Guihua. Zhou Yu was strong so he was able to throw Zhou Guihua off immediately. Coincidentally, there was a tree branch at the place where Zhou Guihua fell. It pierced through the back of Zhou Guihua¡¯s head and she died on the spot. Immediately after, the scene before her eyes changed to a scene of the Zhou family and the villagers getting the police to arrest their family and torture them. The scene flickered again and instantly disappeared. Zhou Guihua¡¯s disgusting face was still in front of her. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but widen her eyes as she was unable to understand what had just happened. However, she subconsciously looked at the place where Zhou Guihua had fallen in her illusion. Indeed, she saw a tree branch on the ground, which was exactly the same one as in the illusion! Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Just as she was in a daze, Zhou Yu rushed over to pull Zhou Guihua away. Zhou Xiaoli panicked and subconsciously grabbed Zhou Yu. Zhou Guihua took the opportunity to snatch the money bag. At the same time, she pushed Zhou Xiaoli back. After cursing loudly, she turned around, ran back to the Zhou family courtyard and closed the door. At the same time, Zhou Xiaoli felt a wave of dizziness washed over her. It was as if all her strength had been sucked out of her as she went limp. ¡°Xiaoli, Xiaoli¡­¡± Zhang Lan¡¯s voice became more and more ethereal to her, and she finally fell into a coma. ¡ª- When she woke up again, she saw Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s swollen little face. Her almond-shaped eyes were already big, but because she was too thin and weak, they seemed rounder and bigger. She looked less adorable as a result. When the little kid saw her open her eyes, she cried out excitedly. She immediately got up and ran to find Zhang Lan. ¡°Mother, Mother, Sister is awake.¡± Due to her chronic malnutrition, Zhou Xiaoyu was very thin and small. This also made her head look very big and she was very unstable as she ran. Seeing this, Zhou Xiaoli was on tenterhooks. She was worried that she would fall to the ground as her head was disproportionate to her body. Fortunately, this did not happen. Zhou Xiaoli propped herself up on the ground and observed her surroundings. She found that they were now in the straw shed at the end of the village. At this moment, Zhang Lan was sitting beside the shed and was repairing the straw shed with Zhou Yu. Hearing Zhou Xiaoyu say that Zhou Xiaoli had woken up, Zhang Lan asked Zhou Xiaoyu to take good care of her. Zhou Xiaoyu nodded and said slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of my sister.¡± After saying that, she ran to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s side and began to ask questions. ¡°Sis, are you still dizzy?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shook her head and said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m not dizzy anymore.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu blinked and said cutely, ¡°Then can I accompany you?¡± Her childlike voice was clean and lively. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes turned gentle as she reached out and patted Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s head. Zhou Xiaoyu turned four this year, but because of malnutrition, she did not look like a four-year-old at all. Looking at her little face, Zhou Xiaoli planned to nourish the little one so much that she would become fat after earning money. She looked up again at the grass hut that had gaps in all directions. Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips. There was still a long way to go, but she was still optimistic. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoli wanted to get up and help, but after struggling a few times, she couldn¡¯t get her up. In the end, she gave up and sat up to observe the straw shed. The straw shed was supported by four pillars and the roof was inlaid with straw. The straw under her was very fluffy and it seemed that it was just brought in. Right now, Zhou Yu and the others were tying thatch and bamboo together. It seemed like they wanted to use it to cover the surroundings of the straw shed. Due to how everyone thought of her as a jinx, the villagers avoided her family as much as possible. Therefore, no one came to help them, but there were some idle people nearby who were watching. Right now, only Zhou Yu, the eight-year-old Zhou Junjun, and the sickly Zhang Lan were working. They were afraid that by night time, not even a wall would be erected by then. It was the middle of July of the lunar calendar, and the weather was still very hot. It would be fine to stay in this shed for a few days. The only thing she was worried about was Zhang Lan¡¯s health. She was already weak and staying in such a house for a few days would probably kill her. At this moment, a voice came from outside the straw shed and interrupted Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Really? Thank you so much.¡± Zhang Lan¡¯s cautious and excited voice sounded out. She turned around and called Zhou Xiaoli and the others over. ¡°Children, come out quickly and kowtow to your Uncle Liu.¡± Liu Liangcai hurriedly stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t. Sister-in-law, you can¡¯t do this. If it weren¡¯t for Big Brother Zhou who disregarded the danger to him and saved me from the wolf back then, I would have died long ago. ¡°Besides, that house belongs to my uncle¡¯s family. Their family doesn¡¯t live in the village. It¡¯s idle anyway. You can put your mind at ease and stay there.¡± Although it didn¡¯t seem much, Liu Liangcai was the only one in the entire village who was willing to stand out to help them. This kindness could not be forgotten. ¡ª- According to the villagers, Liu Liangcai¡¯s uncle was an artist. He was unruly and loved freedom. When he was young, he left home to wander outside. A few years ago, he would still return for the annual ancestral worship. But now, he rarely comes back. Therefore, this courtyard had always been abandoned. Liu Liangcai brought Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family to his uncle¡¯s courtyard and said, ¡°There are only two rooms. One is the main room, and the other is the kitchen. I¡¯ll get my wife to send you some vegetable seeds some other day. You can plant some vegetables in the courtyard or something.¡± As Liu Liangcai spoke, he opened the door and handed the key to Zhang Lan. Their entire family was naturally grateful to him. Liu Liangcai waved his hand and said with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s just clean up the house today. There are only two rooms. I¡¯ll help too so it will be quick.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the cry of Liu Liangcai¡¯s wife came from next door. Immediately after, Liu Liangcai¡¯s youngest son ran over. He stood at the door and craned his neck to look inside. ¡°Father, Father, Mother is looking for you.¡± he shouted. Liu Liangcai felt a little guilty. ¡°Then, you guys clean up first. I¡¯ll go and see what¡¯s going on at home first. I¡¯ll help you clean up later,¡± he said to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family. Zhou Xiaoli hurriedly smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Liu, you¡¯re too polite. We¡¯re already very grateful that you let our entire family live here. How can we trouble you again? We can clean up by ourselves.¡± Zhang Lan looked at her eldest daughter and nodded with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Don¡¯t make Sister-in-law wait anxiously at home. Go back quickly.¡± At this moment, with his son still urging him at the door, Liu Liangcai could only bid farewell and rushed home. After Liu Liangcai left, Zhou Xiaoli looked around the courtyard. The courtyard was indeed not very big and there were only two straw huts. There was a large vat in the courtyard, a carrying pole and two wooden buckets in the kitchen, an urn, and some wooden bowls and basins. Because no one had lived in the courtyard for a long time, there were many weeds growing in it. It would be a huge project to clean up. Fortunately, she had already recovered some of her strength. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s start. Third Sister, you and Brother Jun help Mother to sit down and rest.¡± Then, she said to the confused Zhou Yu. ¡°Father, go to the village to get water. Wash the water vat and fill it up, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Zhou Yu nodded with a silly smile and obediently went to get the carrying pole. After Zhou Yu left, Zhou Xiaoli rushed into the house and began to clean up. She had to clean up the place where they would sleep and let Zhang Lan lie on the bed to rest. After Zhou Junjun and Zhou Xiaoyu helped Zhang Lan to sit somewhere away from the wind, they also ran over to help clean the room. Although they were small, they worked hard. Sweeping the cobwebs, dusting, and opening the windows for ventilation, the two little fellows followed Zhou Xiaoli around and did a good job of cleaning up. Zhang Lan, who was leaning against the wall, covered her mouth and coughed. Her eyes could not help but turn red as she watched her three children work busily. It was all because of her incompetence that her three children had suffered since they were born. This was especially true for Zhou Xiaoli. She had not had a good day ever in the Zhou family and now that they had been chased out of the family, it seemed that she had grown up all of a sudden. She was only a 10-year-old child, but she had automatically shouldered the burden of being the eldest sister. The children¡¯s sensible appearance made her heart ache. Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Although Zhou Yu was a fool, he was not sloppy in his work. Soon, the large vat in the courtyard was cleaned and filled with water. Zhou Xiaoli and the two little fellows had also cleaned up the room and made the bed by then. Zhou Yu then carried Zhang Lan to the bed to rest. At this moment, Zhang Lan felt that she was a burden. She struggled, unwilling to lie on the bed and wanted to help. Zhou Xiaoli comforted her. ¡°Mother, now that we¡¯ve moved, you can have a good rest and recuperate. When you recover, we¡¯ll have a good life in the future.¡± Zhou Xiaoli spoke with confidence and hope. Zhang Lan, on the other hand, was not as optimistic as Zhou Xiaoli was. They had nothing now, and she was a burden to their family. How could they have a good life? However, she could not show her true feelings in front of the children and make them worry. She could only nod hopefully. After comforting Zhang Lan, Zhou Xiaoli went back to work. ¡ª- In the evening. In the courtyard, the two little fellows squatted at the kitchen door, their heads pressed against each other as they cleaned the things in the kitchen. Zhou Xiaoli had also cleaned up the kitchen. Zhou Yu returned with a bundle of firewood and started to clear the weeds in the courtyard. Zhou Xiaoli and the little fellows brought the clean wooden bowls and cauldrons into the kitchen. After working for so long, her stomach began to rumble as soon as she stopped working. Zhou Xiaoli rubbed her belly and looked up at the sky. It was indeed time for dinner. But what would they eat for dinner? When they came out of the Zhou family courtyard, Lai Jinniang had given them taros. They could steam them and make taro paste. Should they also go to the foot of the mountain behind the village to dig some wild vegetables? It would be even better if they could get a few wild chickens and ducks. Just as Zhou Xiaoli was thinking about it, a strange cry came from the courtyard suddenly and interrupted her in her thoughts. After listening for a while, Zhou Xiaoli located the direction from which the cry came from. It came from the alley between the kitchen and the main house. Zhou Xiaoli looked inside and saw a pile of weeds. It was summer now, and the grass in the alley grew vigorously. It was very easy for snakes and ants to hide in the grass. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoli picked up a wooden stick and slowly walked into the alley. Just as she approached the grass slowly, she heard another cry. This time, she heard it clearly. It was a quacking sound. Before Zhou Xiaoli could confirm what it was, a fat duck rushed out from inside the alley. Then, before Zhou Xiaoli could react, it tripped over a vine and fell headfirst at Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s feet. Its neck tilted and it stopped moving. Zhou Xiaoli was speechless. Ah, a duck doing a scam? For a moment, Zhou Xiaoli remained stunned before bending down to pick up the ¡®stupid¡¯ duck. She could not help but sighed. ¡°Heh, it¡¯s quite fat.¡± At this moment, a few more quacks came from the grass. However, the sound was obviously much younger. It was obvious that it was the cry of a duckling. Sure enough, when Zhou Xiaoli pushed aside the grass, she saw five ducklings. ¡°Sis, are we going to dig wild vegetables¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun ran over to look for Zhou Xiaoli. When they saw the duck in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand, their mouths widened. ¡°Duck, duck¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli was amused by their expressions. She pinched Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s face and pointed at the grass. ¡°Look, there are five ducklings here.¡± This time, the two little fellows were completely excited. They surrounded the ducklings and were overjoyed. The two little fellows looked at the ducklings for a while before running into the house excitedly, wanting to share the good news with Zhang Lan. ¡°Mother, Mother, there¡¯s a duckling¡­¡± By the time Zhou Xiaoyu explained to Zhang Lan what she saw with much excited waving of her hands, Zhou Xiaoli had already returned to the room with the duck. When she saw the big fat duck in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand, Zhang Lan was also shocked and pleasantly surprised. ¡°It¡¯s really a duck?¡± Zhou Xiaoli said happily. ¡°Of course. This duck is very fat. It¡¯s enough for our family to eat a few meals.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu gestured excitedly at Zhang Lan. ¡°And ducklings.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Yes, there are five of them. Father is setting up a fence. Let¡¯s raise them first. When they grow up, we will have duck eggs to eat.¡± The world of children was very simple. When she heard that there would be duck meat to eat and duck eggs to eat in the future, Zhou Xiaoyu clapped her hands happily. ¡°There will be ducks to eat.¡± Zhang Lan was also infected by the joyous atmosphere. Her originally gray face livened up. Zhou Yu¡¯s movements were quick, and he quickly removed the weeds in the corner of the wall. He used tree branches to form a fence around the corner. Afraid that the ducks would get wet, Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun even found wooden sticks and weeds to build a shed for them. It seemed to be the ducklings¡¯ first time interacting with humans. They were very afraid as they huddled in the corner. Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun surrounded the fence and looked at the ducklings happily. After watching for a while, Zhou Xiaoyu asked. ¡°Sister, are the ducks hungry? What do they eat?¡± Zhou Xiaoli thought for a moment. There was no food to feed them at home, so she said, ¡°Yes, we can catch insects and feed them.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu immediately perked up. ¡°I know how to catch bugs.¡± With that, she staggered to the grass in the courtyard to look for insects. Zhou Junjun followed closely behind. Zhou Xiaoli went to the kitchen and began to deal with the duck. When she was a carp, she often ran to the next realm and sneaked into various restaurants to learn how to cook as she loved good food. The fact that she could often sneak in to listen to Immortal Tai Yi¡¯s preaching was also due to her good culinary skills. Therefore, it was not difficult for her to deal with a duck. Zhang Lan didn¡¯t want to keep lying down. Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t win against her, so she agreed to help start the fire. It would not be tiring for her to sit and keep the fire going. Zhou Yu went out to gather firewood again. Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun were still lying in the grass to catch insects. After the entire duck was cleaned up, Zhou Xiaoli cut it open and took half of it to the next room to thank Uncle Liu for taking them in. However, just as she walked out of the door, she saw Uncle Liu¡¯s daughter, Liu Yuanyuan, running home angrily. She did not even close the door before questioning her parents loudly. ¡°Mother, Mother! Everyone says that our family took in the jinx¡¯s family. Is that true?¡± Hearing this, Liu Liangcai frowned and said reproachfully. ¡°Look at you. Is this what a girl should say?¡± Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanyuan knew that the rumor was true. She immediately objected. ¡°Father, why did you take that jinx in? She jinxed Guihua¡¯s third brother and broke his leg. What if our family takes her in and we become unlucky as well! Mother, why didn¡¯t you stop Father!¡± Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Liu Liangcai¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Child, you¡¯re getting more and more outrageous. Don¡¯t have soft ears and believe whatever gossip you hear from outside. Jinx? You¡¯re actually talking nonsense.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking nonsense. Everyone in the village knows that Zhou Xiaoli is a jinx. My good friends now know that our family has taken the jinx in, and are unwilling to play with me!¡± Liu Yuanyuan roared. ¡°Boohoo, I don¡¯t care, I don¡¯t care. I just don¡¯t want a jinx to live in Second Uncle¡¯s courtyard. I don¡¯t want to live next door to a jinx. Mother, go and chase them out now!¡± Although Liu Yuanyuan was a girl, she had been spoiled by Lin Xiujuan since young. She had a very big temper and when she threw a tantrum like this, Liu Liangcai turned red as well. He found a wooden stick in the courtyard and pointed at Liu Yuanyuan. ¡°I think I haven¡¯t disciplined you recently. Look at what you¡¯ve become. If you¡¯re like this and blabber whatever you want, you would suffer when you get married in the future as no one will spoil you in your in-laws¡¯ house. I¡¯ll teach you a lesson today! Extend your hand!¡± he said angrily. With that, he was about to punish Liu Yuanyuan. Seeing this, Liu Yuanyuan became afraid. She hid behind her mother, Lin Xiujuan, in a panic, but she refused to admit her mistake. She raised her head and shouted. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. What right do you have to hit me! Boohoo, am I still your biological daughter? You¡¯re biased towards that jinx.¡± Lin Xiujuan was naturally protective of her child. ¡°What are you doing? If you want to hit Yuanyuan, hit me instead!¡± she roared as she quickly stopped Liu Liangcai. Liu Liangcai stomped his feet in anger. ¡°Aiyaya, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s overprotective. Look at what you have done, turning her from a good girl to a bad girl. Sooner or later, she¡¯ll cause trouble.¡± Lin Xiujuan stopped Liu Liangcai from hitting Liu Yuanyuan. ¡°She¡¯s my girl. Who should I care for if I don¡¯t care about her! What about you? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking! ¡°Yuanyuan is right. That Zhou family is indeed unlucky. Which family doesn¡¯t avoid them in this village? You¡¯re the only one who didn¡¯t listen to my advice and insisted on taking them in!¡± Liu Liangcai pinched the space between his eyebrows and said angrily, ¡°What jinx? The gossip mentioned that the Zhou family has declined, but why should Brother Zhou¡¯s girl be blamed for it?¡± ¡°That second and third son of the Zhou family took all the money to splurge in the city. They were not cut out for business and yet, they insisted on opening a shop like others. In the end, they lost a lot of money. Which family wouldn¡¯t decline in this case?¡± ¡°Also, how did Big Brother Zhou become a fool? It¡¯s all because his adoptive mother smashed him on the head with a wooden basin. As for the third son of the Zhou family who fell down the mountain today, all the more she shouldn¡¯t be blamed for the accident!¡± ¡°I was there. It was Zhou Fuchun who refused to listen to my advice and insisted on climbing the steep cliff to pick fruits. That¡¯s why he lost his footing and fell.¡± In fact, most of the villagers knew what Liu Liangcai said to be true, but they still blamed Zhou Xiaoli for all unfortunate events. This was because when Zhou Xiaoli was born, there was a rainbow in the sky and the sky shone brightly. At that time, it was considered to be an auspicious omen. However, Lai Jinniang didn¡¯t want Zhou Xiaoli to have a good reputation, so she complained that Zhou Xiaoli was a jinx and a burden to the family. Humans would admire people with higher status than themselves and even respect them for it. However, they could not bear to see people like themselves, leading a better life than them. With Lai Jinniang¡¯s disdain, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s reputation as a jinx began to spread bit by bit. Most people forgot that when Zhou Xiaoli was born, the sky had shone brightly. Speaking of this, Zhou Xiaoli suddenly remembered that the birthday of this body was actually the same as the one she was supposed to reincarnate in! However, Zhou Xiaoli did not think too much about it. That was because Liu Yuanyuan, who was originally in the courtyard, ran out of the house with Lin Xiujuan¡¯s protection and bumped into Zhou Xiaoli, who was at the door. Seeing that it was Zhou Xiaoli, Liu Yuanyuan immediately pinched her nose and distanced herself. ¡°As expected of a jinx. She had just moved in next door and caused me to be scolded by my father!¡± she thought to herself. Then, her expression became even more unpleasant towards Zhou Xiaoli. She fiercely glared at Zhou Xiaoli and ran out of the house. In the courtyard, Liu Liangcai and Lin Xiujuan were still arguing about Liu Yuanyuan being led astray when they saw Zhou Xiaoli standing at the door. The two of them immediately shut their mouths. Liu Liangcai hurriedly walked to the door and said apologetically, ¡°It¡¯s Little Li. How is it? Has your room been tidied up? Your aunt sprained her waist just now, so I haven¡¯t had the time to help you.¡± Thinking of something, he immediately turned around and said, ¡°Mommy, quickly go to the kitchen and take some millet for Little Li to bring home to cook porridge with.¡± Lin Xiujuan had a nasty expression on her face and when she heard this, her expression darkened further. ¡°Our family isn¡¯t a wealthy family. Our family of four has to eat as well. Why would we have surplus food for any Tom, Dick, or Harry!¡± she said in a sour tone immediately. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s expression remained unchanged, but she was feeling a little uncomfortable in her heart. However, they were indeed indebted to Uncle Liu. Moreover, her mother¡¯s body could not go through any more challenges. Thinking of this, she suppressed her discomfort and smiled. ¡°Uncle, there¡¯s no need to trouble you. We¡¯ve already tidied up the room.¡± As she spoke, she took out the other half of the processed duck meat and said, ¡°Uncle, I¡¯m very grateful that you took in our entire family.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how else to repay you. This is a wild duck I just got. We kept half of it. This other half is a token of our family¡¯s appreciation.¡± Liu Liangcai immediately refused, but Zhou Xiaoli insisted again and again. Liu Liangcai was afraid that Zhou Xiaoli would feel bad, so he finally accepted. He turned to Lin Xiujuan and said, ¡°Look, look, you¡¯re still unwilling to give it to her. Little Li has already given you duck meat. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and take it.¡± Lin Xiujuan¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw the duck meat. Although her family did not lack food, meat and fish were rare to come by. She did not take Liu Liangcai¡¯s reproach to heart and immediately went forward to take the duck meat. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s gaze casually fell on Lin Xiujuan¡¯s face. Suddenly, an illusion appeared again. In the illusion, Lin Xiujuan was walking into the kitchen with the duck meat. Just as she reached the kitchen door, she was pooped upon by a group of birds flying over her head. The illusion ended there and at this very moment, Lin Xiujuan had taken the duck meat from her and was walking to the kitchen. Then, the images in the illusion played out one by one. Just as Lin Xiujuan reached the kitchen door, a group of birds suddenly flew over her head, and Lin Xiujuan¡¯s cries were heard soon after. ¡°Ah, this damn bird!¡± As expected, the birds pooped all over Lin Xiujuan¡¯s head. Zhou Xiaoli was in a daze. She removed her gaze from her and quickly rejected Liu Liangcai¡¯s good intentions of giving her food. She hurriedly bade farewell and returned home. After the two incidents of her having illusions, Zhou Xiaoli guessed that she had the Heavenly Eye. In her previous life, she had heard her master talk about it as he was preaching the Way. In the human race, there would be a kind of person with extraordinary talent and born with the Heavenly Eye. Once the Heavenly Eye was opened, they could see people¡¯s future and foretell their luck. Chapter 6 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios However, she had yet to grasp how to trigger the Heavenly Eye. Moreover, she seemed to have lost all her strength the first time it was triggered, so much so that she fainted. Furthermore, from the recent events and how she¡¯s now feeling exhausted, it seemed that the activation of the Heavenly Eye would consume all her energies. ¡°Sis, look, we caught a lot of bugs.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun held a few green grasshoppers in their hands and happily showed them to Zhou Xiaoli. They were not afraid of it at all. Zhou Xiaoli came back to her senses and couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Quickly feed it to the ducklings then.¡± The two little fellows were obviously very happy as they carried the grasshoppers in their hands and ran into the alley. Zhou Xiaoli also returned to the kitchen and began to prepare dinner. As the saying goes, ¡®A clever housewife can¡¯t cook without rice¡¯. The family¡¯s current conditions were limited. No matter how superb Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s culinary skills were, she could not cook anything delicious with nothing. Looking at the empty kitchen, Zhou Xiaoli did not know what to do. Just as she was thinking about what to do, a voice suddenly came from the courtyard. When she came out of the kitchen, she saw Liu Liangcai¡¯s youngest son, Liu Fengfeng, at the door and looking into the courtyard. Zhou Xiaoyu stared at Liu Fengfeng with her round eyes and asked, ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± As she spoke, she hid her small hands behind her back with a vigilant expression. Due to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s reputation as a jinx, the children in the village either did not play with them or ganged up to bully them. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoyu subconsciously became vigilant when she saw Liu Fengfeng. Of course, Liu Fengfeng was also very vigilant. He turned his head and did not speak to Zhou Xiaoyu. When Zhou Xiaoli started walking towards him, he was startled like a frightened bird. He suddenly rushed over and placed something in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand before shouting, ¡°My father gave it to you.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed out of the courtyard. Because he was in a hurry, he bumped into a young man who had just walked past the door. Liu Fengfeng rubbed his head and cried out in pain. When he looked up and saw the young man he knocked into, he suddenly rushed home as if he had seen a ghost. The young man was not angry, but he twitched his nose suddenly and subconsciously turned to look at Zhou Xiaoli, who was standing at the door. Zhou Xiaoli happened to look at him coincidentally. When their gazes met, Zhou Xiaoli was stunned and instinctively had goosebumps all over her body. It was an instinctive fear. The young man had a pair of amber eyes. They were very beautiful, but they reminded her inexplicably of the cat that squatted by the pond in Immortal Taiyi¡¯s residence and had grabbed her with its claws. While Zhou Xiaoli was in a daze, the young man had already removed his gaze and left. After she entered this body, many of her memories had automatically set off when she came into contact with humans. However, the original body did not seem to have any memories of this strange young man. Thinking about it, the original owner of this body was considered to be a jinx and did not interact much with the villagers. It was normal that she did not remember anything about that young man. Zhou Xiaoli looked away and closed the door. She looked at the thing that Liu Fengfeng had given her. It was a small bag. When she opened it, there was a small handful of coarse salt inside. ¡°Sis, Sis.¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun ran to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s side. They raised their hands and said happily, ¡°Sis, look what Brother and I found.¡± As Zhou Xiaoyu spoke, she raised the mushrooms in her hand to Zhou Xiaoli. Zhou Xiaoli instantly recognized the mushrooms as edible! Her eyes lit up as she asked, ¡°Where did you find them?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu pointed at the yard happily. ¡°It¡¯s on that broken log. We saw it when we were catching bugs. There are many mushrooms growing on it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but praise them. ¡°You guys are awesome.¡± With coarse salt and mushrooms, she could make mushroom duck soup which was extremely good as well. Zhou Xiaoli rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen. Soon, the fragrance of duck soup wafted out. The two little fellows stopped catching bugs and leaned against the kitchen door as they sniffed the fragrance in the air. They couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Sis, it smells so good.¡± Zhou Junjun nodded his head like a chick pecking at rice. Perhaps it was because of her proximity to the fire, but Zhang Lan¡¯s pale face turned a little red as well. She smiled at Zhou Xiaoyu and said, ¡°Your sister will be done soon. Go clean up the dining table with Daddy.¡± The two little fellows responded and jogged out of the kitchen. ¡ª- Children from poor families grow up quickly. Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun were very sensible at such a young age. Although they craved the meat in the pot, they knew to let their mother have the best. Zhou Xiaoyu said, ¡°Sis, I¡¯ll have the soup only. Let mother have the meat. It¡¯s good for your health.¡± Zhou Junjun nodded repeatedly in agreement. Zhang Lan immediately understood what Zhou Xiaoyu meant. Her eyes turned red as she shook her head and said, ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t like meat. You guys eat it. I¡¯ll save my portion for you guys too. You can eat it tomorrow.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu shook his head. ¡°Mother, eat.¡± Zhang Lan refused to eat no matter what and insisted on sharing the meat in her bowl with her three children. Zhou Xiaoli immediately said, ¡°There¡¯s still duck meat left. Let¡¯s eat it together. Mother, you eat it too. Don¡¯t push it around anymore.¡± ¡°As the saying goes, we can eat wherever we are at. We¡¯re at the foot of such a huge mountain and there¡¯s the sea in front of us. Why wouldn¡¯t we be able to find food?¡± ¡°This is our first meal after leaving the Zhou family. We have to eat our fill. It¡¯s also a sign of a good start. From now on, we will eat our fill every meal.¡± ¡°Besides, Mother, don¡¯t you know how to weave fish baskets? Father chopped a lot of bamboo today and placed them in the courtyard. You can weave a fish basket tomorrow and we¡¯ll take it to the riverside. We will definitely be able to catch a lot of fish.¡± After hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, Zhang Lan immediately perked up. ¡°That¡¯s right. I can make baskets and sell them for money.¡± Before she got married, she learned how to weave from her father. When she was in the Zhou family, she had also used this craft to earn a lot of money for the Zhou family. Naturally, Zhou Xiaoli would not let Zhang Lan make baskets to sell for money. It was fine to make a basket to catch fish, but if she were to make several baskets to sell for money, it would consume too much of her energy. Zhang Lan¡¯s body could not take it. However, after hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, everyone no longer refused and ate their fill. This was their first meal after leaving the Zhou family. It was also their first full meal in all these years. When they were in the Zhou family, it was a rare occurrence for their family to eat their fill, let alone have meat. Their family did not even have the chance to have meat soup. After dinner, Zhang Lan looked better. Since it was still early, she called Zhou Yu to chop bamboo sticks for her. Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun went to the courtyard to catch worms again. They even said that they wanted to catch a few large earthworms as bait to catch fish. Zhou Xiaoli was quietly making the talismans needed for the Qi Gathering Formation. After the sky darkened, the family went to bed early after a busy day. The five of them squeezed together in the single bed in the room. Although the bed was small, it was a warming sight. With the sound of insects outside the window, they quickly entered dreamland. Chapter 7 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After everyone fell asleep, Zhou Xiaoli took advantage of the moonlight streaming in to check the pulses of her family members secretly. There were five techniques in metaphysics, with one of them being the ¡®Mountain Doctor¡¯s Fate Divination¡¯. In her previous life, she often heard Immortal Tai Yi preach the Way and so, she had more or less dabbled in these techniques and knew a little about medicine. The whole family was either sick, mute or a fool. She had to take a good look to know what was going on. After taking Zhang Lan¡¯s pulse, Zhou Xiaoli frowned slightly. Zhang Lan¡¯s physical condition was really terrible. It was a classic consequence of not having proper rest after giving birth. Based on memory, she recalled that her grandmother, Lai Jinniang, used to order Zhang Lan to work. Even after giving birth, she was ordered to work before finishing her confinement period. As time passed, her liver and kidneys weakened which resulted in deficient energy and blood. As a result, the body became weak. In addition, her body was injured when she gave birth to her third sister, Zhou Xiaoyu. That was why Zhang Lan often felt pain and her entire body was heavy and weak. After having a rough understanding of Zhang Lan¡¯s condition, Zhou Xiaoli went to check on Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu was not born a fool. Instead, he turned into a fool due to a heavy blow to his head. As expected, Zhou Yu¡¯s pulse showed that his mental capacity was as such due to a blood clot in his brain which could not be dispersed. When the blood clot disperse, Zhou Yu might return to normal. Next were Zhou Junjun and Zhou Xiaoyu. Other than being malnourished, there were no major problems with their bodies. As for Zhou Junjun, although he was six years old, he couldn¡¯t speak. However, he wasn¡¯t born a mute. When he was four years old, he knew how to say ¡°mother¡±, but after Lai Jinniang hit and scolded him once, he did not speak anymore. This should be a psychological problem caused by shock. Now that they had left the Zhou family, perhaps he could be coaxed to speak again. After understanding the physical condition of everyone in the family, Zhou Xiaoli quietly set up a Feng Shui formation in the room. As she was tidying up the room today, she had used the existing furniture to set up a Feng Shui formation that would be beneficial to the family. In addition, she had carved a qi-gathering talisman tonight. Although the material was average, the effect was still acceptable. A simple qi-gathering Feng Shui formation could not immediately heal their bodies, but living in the room could keep the family¡¯s spirits up and help both their physical and mental health. After doing all this, Zhou Xiaoyu lay down in peace. She thought about how to earn money in the future and dreamt. The night passed uneventfully. The next day, Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan woke up at dawn, accompanied by the crowing of chickens and barking of dogs. On the other hand, the three children were still asleep. When Zhou Xiaoli and the others woke up, Zhou Yu had filled the water vat with water while Zhang Lan had cooked taro millet porridge. The millet was secretly sent over by Liu Liangcai early in the morning and could last them for a day. Although the whole family did not say anything, they were grateful to him for it. However, Zhou Xiaoli did not approve of Zhang Lan getting up to cook. ¡°Mother, you need to rest more. I can get up to cook.¡± However, Zhang Lan did not think much about it. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just cooking porridge. I can still do it. If I lie on the bed and do nothing, I¡¯ll feel terrible.¡± Knowing Zhang Lan¡¯s thoughts, Zhou Xiaoli did not continue the topic. She only told her not to overwork herself, but in her heart, she thought of how she could quickly earn money to treat Zhang Lan¡¯s illness. The family sat in the courtyard and ate the simple porridge. Zhang Lan had already made plans for Zhou Yu to create a vegetable field in the courtyard. Zhou Xiaoli, on the other hand, was drinking the coarse porridge. Her gaze swept across the courtyard, and just as she saw the roof, her vision blurred, and an illusion appeared again. In the illusion, it was a rainy night with lightning flashing and rumbling thunder. A strong wind blew and overturned the roofs of many houses. As for their house, the roof had been in disrepair for a long time and was entirely lifted up by the strong wind. Their family was in a sorry state on this rainy night. Zhang Lan had also caught a cold from being caught in the rain and became bedridden. The scene disappeared in a flash. After experiencing it twice, Zhou Xiaoli was certain that the illusion was something that would happen in the future. In her illusion, Zhang Lan cried and said that they had only moved into this house for six days. In other words, the storm would come in five days. It was not too late to reinforce the house now. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoli finished the porridge in one gulp and immediately said, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s not tidy up the courtyard today. Father and I will go to the riverside to cut some thatch to dry. We have to repair the roof first.¡± Seeing that Zhang Lan was thinking over her words, Zhou Xiaoli added on. ¡°Mother, the weather will change soon in this season. No one has lived in this house for a long time. If it rains heavily suddenly, the house might leak.¡± Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan nodded repeatedly and praised Zhou Xiaoli for being so thoughtful. The thatch had to be dried before the roof could be repaired. This matter could not be delayed. Zhou Xiaoli instructed Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun to keep an eye on Zhang Lan at home and not let her work for too long before leaving with Zhou Yu. They first went to Uncle Liu¡¯s house to borrow a sickle. As soon as they arrived at Liu Liangcai¡¯s house, the door opened before they could knock. Lin Xiujuan and her daughter were each holding a basin of clothes and standing at the door. When they saw Zhou Yu and his daughter outside, the smiles on their faces instantly faded. ¡°How unlucky!¡± Liu Yuanyuan blurted out. Lin Xiujuan didn¡¯t say anything, but she didn¡¯t stop Liu Yuanyuan from talking nonsense. Liu Liangcai glared at Liu Yuanyuan. ¡°I just told you yesterday. Have you forgotten all about it?¡± Liu Yuanyuan immediately shut her mouth, feeling wronged. Liu Liangcai then looked at the duo and asked, ¡°Little Li, why are you looking for me?¡± It was then Zhou Xiaoli told him about their request to borrow their sickle. Liu Liangcai said, ¡°That¡¯s it? Wait here. I¡¯ll get your aunt to get it for you.¡± With that, he asked Lin Xiujuan to go into the house to get the sickle. Thinking of the violent storm in her illusion, Zhou Xiaoli decided to warn him about it as well. ¡°Uncle Liu, it¡¯s raining heavily this season. You should take some time to repair the roof.¡± Liu Liangcai nodded with a smile. At this moment, Lin Xiujuan had already taken out the sickle. When she heard this, she said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about our house. Just take care of yourselves. You don¡¯t even have food to eat and yet you¡¯re worried about someone else¡¯s house. You¡¯re really magnanimous.¡± With that, she carried the wooden basin and pulled Liu Yuanyuan away. Liu Liangcai sighed. ¡°Little Li, your aunt is just that kind of person. She has an unforgiving mouth, but her heart is not bad. Don¡¯t take what she said to heart,¡± he explained. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and nodded. She thanked Liu Liangcai and brought Zhou Yu to the river. ¡ª- The river, named the Little Clear River, runs beside the Boyu Village and goes straight to the sea. The villagers in the surrounding villages would wash their clothes by the river usually. When Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu came to the river with the sickle, there were many women there washing clothes. Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yuanyuan had just arrived as well. The sound of the women beating the clothes with the clothes rod, the gurgling of the river, and the laughter of the women entwined into a beautiful folk song by the river until Zhou Yu and Zhou Xiaoli arrived. Chapter 8 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Sigh, isn¡¯t that the Zhou family¡¯s jinx and her silly father?¡± ¡°Who else could it be?¡± ¡°I heard that their family was chased out by the Zhou family. Where did they stay last night?¡± ¡°I heard she¡¯s staying with the Liu family.¡± ¡°Liu family?¡± The village women who were washing clothes saw Zhou Yu and his daughter from afar and started to openly gossip about them. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this Mrs. Lin? Mrs. Lin, did you really take in the eldest son of the Zhou family and let them stay in your second uncle¡¯s courtyard?¡± Lin Xiujuan didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Ah, no way. Mrs. Lin, what were you thinking? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being jinxed by them? You¡¯re really bold!¡± The old woman continued. ¡°From now on, I won¡¯t dare to get close to your family. I don¡¯t want to be tainted by bad luck.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡­ When Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yuanyuan heard those women¡¯s words, they immediately felt that their words were very ear-piercing. Liu Yuanyuan glared at Zhou Xiaoli and beat her clothes angrily. Lin Xiujuan wasn¡¯t any better. She immediately scolded the old woman who cursed her family. ¡°Pfft, what unlucky? You¡¯re the unlucky ones. Your entire family is unlucky!¡± ¡°My man is loyal. He helped Zhou Yu because he had helped him before. This is a good deed. It¡¯s loyalty. What do you know?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re afraid of being jinxed? Alright, we¡¯ve used the water in the Little Clear River. Don¡¯t use it anymore!¡± As she spoke, she deliberately slapped the water with the clothes rod. The old women pursed their lips. Although they were angry, none of them said anything. Lin Xiujuan was famous for being shrewish in Boyu Village. In terms of quarreling, not many people could beat her at it. Zhou Xiaoli acted as if she did not hear the conversation between the old women. She led Zhou Yu straight to the reeds in front of them. The reeds here were very lush. After finding a location at random, the two of them started cutting the reeds. Zhou Yu used to cut the reeds for the family when they were still living with the rest of the Zhou family, so there was no need for Zhou Xiaoli to keep an eye on him. As they wanted to prepare more thatch, the two of them cut reeds for a longer time than usual. They cut reeds from morning till noon. The women who were washing clothes by the river had also changed by then. During this period, Zhou Yu carried the thatch back home twice. When he returned, he would carry the last load back. However, Zhou Xiaoli waited for a long time but Zhou Yu did not return. Zhou Xiaoli was worried that something would happen to Zhou Yu, so she stopped cutting reeds. She stood up, and used some weeds to tie the remaining thatch together. Then, she prepared to go home. Just as she picked up the thatch, she realized that there was blood beside the grass patch. Following the blood trail, she saw a rabbit. The rabbit was covered by the grass. If one did not look carefully, they would not have noticed it. The rabbit seemed to be injured and was lying motionless inside the grass. Zhou Xiaoli walked up to the rabbit and picked it up. She found a hole in the rabbit¡¯s neck, and its body was still warm. It seemed that it had just died. It was a stroke of good luck. Everyone in the family needed nourishment. Moreover, the rabbit skin should be able to sell for a few coins too. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoli wrapped the rabbit with thatch and hid it behind the pile of thatch that she had just tied. She picked the bundle up and walked towards the village. As soon as she walked into the village, she heard the laughter of children from afar, and the word ¡°idiot¡± from time to time. Zhou Xiaoli immediately guessed what had happened, and she could not help but to quicken her pace. When she got closer, she realized that Zhou Yu was surrounded by the children in the village. He was in the squatting position to gather the scattered thatch. Some of those brats stomped on the thatch, while others deliberately threw it far away. Zhou Xiaoli was about to rush forward to stop him when a man¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°Move aside.¡± The children suddenly screamed and scattered like frightened birds. After the children ran away, Zhou Xiaoyu saw the strange young man from last night again. Same as last night, his amber eyes were emotionless. ¡°Well, thank you.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was stunned for a moment before thanking him. The young man had wanted to leave, but after hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice, he stopped and raised his head to look at her. He pursed his thin lips and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need. They¡¯re just blocking my way.¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoyu called out to Zhou Xiaoli and jogged over with Zhou Junjun. The two little fellows ran to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s side. When they saw the young man, they were somewhat afraid of him. Zhou Xiaoyu tugged at Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s clothes nervously. She looked at the young man timidly and whispered, ¡°Sis¡­¡± The young man did not say anything else. He only nodded at Zhou Xiaoli and walked out of the village. Zhou Xiaoli withdrew her gaze from him and said to the two little fellows, ¡°Alright, help Dad to pick up the thatch quickly. We¡¯re going home.¡± The few of them tidied up the thatch and rushed home. After setting the thatch in a pile in the courtyard, Zhou Xiaoyu followed closely behind Zhou Xiaoli and spoke to her in a childish voice. ¡°Sis, he¡¯s so scary.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was confused. ¡°Who? Who are you afraid of?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu then continued. ¡°He will eat children.¡± Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli was even more confused. Zhang Lan happened to hear their conversation and said, ¡°Third Sister should be talking about Wei Chiyu who lived at the end of the village.¡± After hearing his name, some vague memories of the young man came to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s mind. They were all bits and pieces that she heard from others such as he was vicious and had a bad reputation. ¡°He doesn¡¯t walk around the village often so you probably don¡¯t know him.¡± Zhang Lan then asked, ¡°Did you meet him?¡± Thus, Zhou Xiaoli briefly told Zhang Lan what just happened. Zhang Lan nodded and said, ¡°We should thank him.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu blinked and asked, ¡°But, Sis, Cousin Anfu said that he¡¯s a bad person. He sets fires and eats children.¡± Zhou Junjun nodded, affirming his sister¡¯s words. The cousin that Zhou Xiaoyu was talking about was Lai Jinniang¡¯s eldest grandson. He had mentioned this at home, and Zhou Xiaoli had some impression of him. It was said that Wei Chiyu was the child of a relative of the Lu Family. He had been fostered in the Lu Family since he was young. He was rebellious and refused to be disciplined. When he was unhappy, he set fire to the newly harvested wheat of the Lu Family. Just a few days before Zhou Xiaoli entered this body, he captured the youngest son of the Lu family and asked them to give him twenty taels of silver. Otherwise, he would eat the child. At that time, he had tied the child to the rack and nearly lit a fire. That frightened many children in the village. Although Zhou Xiaoli had only met the young man twice, she felt that it was inappropriate to judge a person¡¯s character based on these comments. Hence, she smiled and asked, ¡°Then let me ask you this. Everyone outside says that I¡¯m a jinx. Do you think so too?¡± The two little fellows immediately shook their heads furiously. ¡°No, no, Sis is not a jinx.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°See, if what others say about me is wrong, would what they say about others be right then?¡± Chapter 9 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Hearing this, the two little fellows widened their eyes and thought about it seriously. After a moment, they shook their heads. Only then did Zhou Xiaoli continue on.¡±Therefore, it¡¯s wrong to only listen to what others say. You have to make your own judgment. Look, did he help Father chase away those children who bullied Father today?¡± The two little fellows nodded repeatedly. Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t we also thank him for helping us? So, the next time we see him, we have to thank him, understand?¡± ¡°Got it, Sis.¡± ¡ª- After educating the two little fellows, Zhou Xiaoli took out the rabbit she picked up today. The two little fellows were immediately attracted by the rabbit. Zhang Lan¡¯s heart ached for her eldest daughter. It was because she had experienced those prejudices herself that she was able to relate to him. However in the blink of an eye, she was also attracted by the fat rabbit. Her eyes turned red from happiness. ¡°My daughter is not a jinx. She¡¯s clearly blessed.¡± Zhou Xiaoli understood Zhang Lan¡¯s feelings. Everyone in the village said that her daughter was a jinx. As a mother, she must have felt terrible over the years. At this moment, she felt like she needed to vent some emotions. The two little fellows nodded in agreement. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°Mother, this rabbit¡¯s fur is not bad and should be worth some money. When we go to the market tomorrow, we can sell it there and buy some food.¡± Zhang Lan nodded repeatedly. She thought of something and said, ¡°Coincidentally, my fish basket is ready. We can go to the river in the afternoon to set up a fish basket. If we catch any fish, we can sell them at the market tomorrow.¡± Zhang Lan felt much more energetic as she spoke about her plans. There was also some hope in her heart and she only felt that there was something to look forward to in life after all. When the two little fellows heard Zhang Lan¡¯s words about the fish basket, they began to share more with Zhou Xiaoli excitedly. They even said that the little ducklings ate the insects that they caught this morning happily. Zhou Xiaoli went to take a look. Those ducklings were indeed much more energetic than yesterday. After receiving Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s praise, the two little fellows became even more energetic. They held hands and ran to catch insects again. Looking at the two children¡¯s cheerful backs, Zhou Xiaoli thought that she could make bamboo dragonflies for them to play with after cooking. ¡ª- Zhou Xiaoli had scraped out all the oil from yesterday¡¯s duck soup and had only added salt and mushrooms to it. It was quite light, but since they hadn¡¯t been able to fill their stomachs for a long time, it was a rare delicacy. Zhou Xiaoli felt a little indigestion today, so she took the duck skin that she had left out to dry all morning, and ground it so that the whole family could drink it. At noon, they ate wild vegetables stir-fried with duck oil. They shredded some duck meat and ate it with millet porridge. The family was quite satisfied with lunch. In the afternoon, Zhou Yu cleared out an empty space in the courtyard and spread the thatch in the courtyard to dry. Zhou Xiaoli went to the riverside to set up a fish basket. The bait was two small earthworms. When night fell and the family was about to sleep, there was a knock on the door. When they opened the door, they found Liu Liangcai standing outside. Zhou Xiaoli immediately said, ¡°Uncle Liu, you¡¯re here. Father and Mother are in the room. Do have a seat in the room.¡± Liu Liangcai entered the courtyard, but did not enter the house. ¡°Your uncle doesn¡¯t have much money either. There are 20 copper coins here. Go to the market tomorrow and buy some food.¡± he lowered his voice and handed a small gray cloth bag to Zhou Xiaoli. Afraid that Zhou Xiaoli wouldn¡¯t want it, Liu Liangcai added. ¡°Don¡¯t refuse me. I¡¯m not giving it to you for free. Just take it as a loan from me. When your family is doing better, you can return it to me then. Alright, there¡¯s nothing else. Your aunt is still at home. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± Without waiting for Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s refusal, he then hurried out of the door. The 20 copper coins felt heavy in her hand. Seeing how their family¡¯s current situation was, Zhou Xiaoli would not be pretentious that they don¡¯t need it. She took the money and silently remembered this favor done for their family. Zhou Xiaoli got out of bed early the next morning. She first went to the river to collect the fish basket. She had a good harvest of two large carps. Crucian carp soup could strengthen the spleen and stomach as it was very nutritious. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoli immediately decided to save one for their family to make soup and nourish their bodies. The other one was to be sold at the market with the rabbit skin. The market was to be held in Dazhuang Village. It was a small market formed by the villagers of the surrounding villages to facilitate communication among the villages. Dazhuang Village was not far from Boyu Village; it was only a 15-minutes¡¯ walk away. Although the market was not held on a big scale, it was quite lively as villagers were exchanging supplies. Most of them were bartering. Zhou Xiaoli found a spot and brought out the carp. The carp was still alive, and so, an old granny came over to ask about it soon. She said that her daughter-in-law had just given birth and she wanted to buy the carp to make stew for her daughter-in-law. Zhou Xiaoli had already inquired about the prices of goods before coming. So she said, ¡°Auntie, carp is sold at 12 copper coins per pound. This fish is a little more than two pounds, so I¡¯ll charge two pounds for it. What do you think?¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not inflate the price and even gave her a discount. More importantly, she had walked throughout the market earlier and only Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s fish was alive and kicking. The old lady was naturally satisfied and said with a smile, ¡°Good, good. Little girl really knows how to do business.¡± As she spoke, the old lady put down her basket and opened it. There were eggs inside. She then asked, ¡°Can I use eggs to exchange for it?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Sure. The current price of eggs is three copper coins for two eggs. 24 copper coins would be for 16 eggs.¡± Before the old lady left home, her family had already calculated the prices for her, so she knew how many eggs she would need to barter for two pounds of fish. She was more surprised that Zhou Xiaoli managed to figure it out so quickly. After she had counted out the eggs and handed them to Zhou Xiaoli, she said to Zhou Yu, ¡°Your little girl is really amazing.¡± Zhou Yu did not understand, but looking at the other party¡¯s expression, he knew that it seemed to be a good thing, so he smiled at the old lady. After sending off the granny, Zhou Xiaoli got up. She emptied the water from the small wooden bucket and prepared to go to the market to see if there were any fur stalls. At this moment, an old man came to her stall. He pointed at the rabbit skin and asked, ¡°Are you selling this rabbit skin?¡± Zhou Xiaoli immediately nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± The old man squatted down and checked the rabbit¡¯s skin. ¡°This rabbit fur is still intact and whole.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve cleaned this rabbit skin very well. I guarantee that you won¡¯t suffer a loss.¡± The old man could not help but look at Zhou Xiaoli in surprise. ¡°Did you clean the rabbit skin yourself?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± The old man smiled and praised Zhou Xiaoli for her ability. Throughout the entire process, Zhou Xiaoli had a sweet mouth by affectionately calling him uncle, but the old man just smiled and watched. He looked at Zhou Xiaoli, the little girl who had been talking to him, and Zhou Yu, who stood at the side in a daze. The old man could not help but take a few more glances at Zhou Yu. After seeing Zhou Yu¡¯s dull face, the old man instantly noticed that Zhou Yu was a fool. He could not help but feel sympathy for this smart and sweet-tongued girl in front of him. Chapter 10 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios He said, ¡°You had cleaned the fur very well and you had also saved me the trouble of skinning it. However, it¡¯s not as valuable as rex rabbit fur. I can¡¯t give you much for it. If this rabbit skin was sold by someone else, I would have given 70 copper coins for it at most.¡± ¡°But seeing that it¡¯s not easy for a young lady like you, I¡¯ll buy it at the highest price in the market. I¡¯ll give you 80 copper coins. How about that?¡± Since she could sell it for more money, there was naturally no reason for her to reject it. Zhou Xiaoli immediately thanked him sweetly and politely sent the old man off. After collecting the items, she brought Zhou Yu straight to the grain store. ¡ª- The current price of grain was 20 copper coins per hopper. Zhou Xiaoli estimated that one hopper was about 12 pounds. It was not particularly expensive. Millet and wheat were slightly cheaper in comparison to rice. It was sold at 14 copper coins per hopper. Looking at the copper coins in her hand, Zhou Xiaoli decided to buy a hopper of rice, millet, and wheat each. After buying the food, the two of them went to the seasoning section to buy some salt. After hearing the price of salt, Zhou Xiaoli was shocked. She had known long ago that salt was a precious thing in ancient times, but she did not expect it to be that expensive. One pound actually cost 120 copper coins. The key was that the salt in question was not even refined salt. They were literally so poor that they could not afford to eat salt. In the end, Zhou Xiaoli put her foot down and spent 16 copper coins to buy two ounces of salt. When she went out, she happened to meet a man who was selling oil, so she bought two ounces of canola oil which cost her 14 copper coins. Two ounces of canola oil would be enough for them to use for a few days. After buying these, the two of them went straight to the pharmacy There was a small pharmacy beside the market. It was opened by an unlicensed doctor in Dazhuang Village who sold some ordinary herbs. If Zhang Lan wanted to recover completely, she had to go to the county to get the expensive medicinal herbs. However, she could not afford them now. However, they could grab some medicine first to nurse her body back to health. When they arrived at the pharmacy, Zhou Xiaoli immediately told the old man about the medicine needed. After the doctor heard the prescription, he could not help but marvel. ¡°This is a prescription to warm up blood and qi of the body. This prescription is really amazing.¡± Zhou Xiaoli only smiled and nodded. Fortunately, Zhou Yu was a fool and she did not need to explain the origin of this prescription to him. When she returned home, she only needed to tell Zhang Lan that this was the medicine that the doctor gave. They spent a total of 20 copper coins for three days¡¯ worth of medicine. With that, they spent all 80 copper coins that they had earned from selling the rabbit fur. As for the eggs exchanged for the fish, Zhou Xiaoli did not intend to sell them. She planned to bring them home to nourish the bodies of Zhang Lan and the two little fellows. In the end, she only had six copper coins left and it was only because Uncle Liu had given her 20 copper coins last night. Otherwise, they would not have enough money to spend. After sighing, the two of them rushed home. They reached home when it was close to noon. Zhang Lan and the two little fellows had already stewed the carp according to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s instructions. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu had returned, Zhou Xiaoyu ran out of the kitchen happily and held Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand. ¡°Sis, Sis, look, brother, mother, and I ate fish together.¡± Zhou Xiaoli pinched Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun¡¯s cheeks and praised them. ¡°Amazing.¡± The two little fellows jumped up and down happily after being praised. After Zhou Xiaoyu entered the kitchen and did some simple cooking, a fresh and delicious fish soup was served. The milky white soup looked very tempting. ¡°Smells good.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun smelled the fragrance and started to swallow their saliva in anticipation. ¡°Sis¡¯ cooking is delicious.¡± Zhang Lan also agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Your sister¡¯s cooking is getting more and more delicious.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and thought, ¡°How can this be considered a delicacy? When I earn enough money to buy proper ingredients, I¡¯ll show them what a true delicacy is.¡± Although Zhou Xiaoli felt that this food would damage her reputation as a ¡®Little Divine Chef¡¯ in the Immortal World, the others did not think so. There was a ¡®nose¡¯ on the wall. On the other side of the wall. Wei Chiyu leaned against the one-meter-high wall and sniffed the air which was filled with the umami smell of fish soup. He couldn¡¯t help but glance in the direction of Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s courtyard. Then, he lowered his head and bit the hard steamed bun in his hand. At the same time, in the Liu family. Liu Fengfeng leaned against the wall and smelled the fragrance coming from next door. He craved it a lot. ¡°Mother, it smells so good. I want to eat it too.¡± Lin Xiujuan was washing vegetables and was annoyed by Liu Fengfeng¡¯s nagging. ¡°Look at how useless you are! Did I not give you food or drink?¡± She said angrily. After being scolded, Liu Fengfeng started to cry. At this moment, Liu Yuanyuan, who had gone to look for Zhou Guihua to do embroidery, returned home. As soon as she entered the door, she gasped and asked, ¡°Mother, what are you cooking? Why is it so fragrant?¡± Lin Xiujuan snorted. ¡°What can I do? Vegetables with noodles. Our family isn¡¯t a rich family. We can¡¯t eat meat every day.¡± The last few sentences carried with it a tinge of sourness. Liu Yuanyuan immediately knew that the fragrance came from next door. She could not help but be shocked at this knowledge. ¡°Where did they get meat from every day?¡± Lin Xiujuan was also puzzled. ¡°Who knows?¡± Ever since Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family moved in next door, she had been worried that they would come to their house every day to freeload. Unexpectedly, not only did her concern not happen, but they even ate meat every day for the past few days. Just as Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yuanyuan were puzzled about it, Zhou Xiaoli appeared at their door. ¡°Auntie, this is the carp I caught from the river yesterday. I made soup and brought a bowl for your family.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s calm voice rang out. A trace of embarrassment appeared on Lin Xiujuan¡¯s face as she was caught badmouthing them in action. However, she quickly put on a smile. ¡°Aiyaya, thank you for thinking of our family.¡± Zhou Xiaoli only nodded indifferently and did not reply. After pouring the fish soup into the Liu family¡¯s bowl, she bade farewell and left. When she was almost at the door, she could still hear Liu Yuanyuan¡¯s words of shock. ¡°In this season, most of the big fish in Little Clear River should have been caught and yet, she managed to catch such a big carp in one night?¡± Then, Lin Xiujuan said nonchalantly, ¡°Maybe it was blind luck.¡± ¡­ Zhou Xiaoli did not deliberately eavesdrop on their conversation. She opened the door and entered their house. She served the Liu family fish soup not because she wanted to please Lin Xiujuan, but because she wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble. They were now living in their uncle¡¯s courtyard and were just separated by a wall. The fragrance of the meat dishes wafted towards their house every day so if they did not share, it was hard to guarantee that they would not be dissatisfied and cause unnecessary trouble. ¡ª- After the meal, Zhou Xiaoli prepared the medicine for Zhang Lan and started to process the rabbit meat from last night. One portion was cooked and soaked in the vegetable oil bought, to preserve it. The other half was made into smoked meat so that it could be preserved for a longer time. Their fish basket was filled with fish over the next two days. Hence, Lin Xiujuan was tempted and urged Liu Liangcai to put a fish basket in the river as well. But strangely, they had only caught a palm-sized fish after two days. Lin Xiujuan was furious. Liu Liangcai did not think much of it and said, ¡°That¡¯s normal. Fish are not that easy to catch. I¡¯ll go out to sea in August. I¡¯ll definitely catch a lot then.¡± Chapter 11 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Lin Xiujuan was still brooding over it. ¡°That¡¯s really strange. Tell me, how do they always catch big fishes then?¡± Liu Liangcai snorted. ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? Catching fish with a fish basket is all based on luck. That¡¯s because Little Li is lucky. Everyone said she¡¯s a jinx but look what happens! In my opinion, Little Li is clearly very lucky.¡± Looking at the fish soup given to them, Lin Xiujuan didn¡¯t say anything else. Liu Fengfeng was young and simple-minded. He was happy when there was good food. At this moment, he was semi-lying on the table and eating happily. He did not forget to praise Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Sister Xiao Li¡¯s fish soup is delicious.¡± Liu Yuanyuan rolled her eyes at him and said angrily, ¡°You¡¯ve only eaten her cooking a few times and you¡¯re already calling her ¡®Sister Xiao Li¡¯? How useless.¡± Liu Fengfeng did not care about Liu Yuanyuan¡¯s scolding at all. He drank the fish soup heartily. Liu Yuanyuan was very depressed about Liu Fengfeng¡¯s ¡®betrayal¡¯. She stopped eating and put down her bowl and chopsticks. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m done eating. I¡¯m going to look for Guihua and the others to do handkerchief embroidery.¡± With that, she took the sewing basket and left. At the same time, the Zhou family had just finished eating as well. Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu were tidying up the dried thatch in preparation to repair the house. The storm in her illusion should happen tonight. Watching the father and daughter duo climb up to the roof, Zhang Lan repeatedly reminded them to be careful. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. We¡¯ll be careful.¡± Zhou Xiaoli answered while explaining to Zhou Yu what to do. Zhou Yu had never worked on the roof before, and Zhou Xiaoli was afraid that he would fall off again. As such, most of the repairs were done by Zhou Xiaoli while Zhou Yu assisted from the side. At this moment, Liu Liangcai was about to go out to work. When he saw the father and daughter on the roof, he could not help but say, ¡°Ah, Little Li, why are you repairing the roof now? I¡¯m on my way to work at the Wan family, so I can¡¯t help you. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a hurry to do the repair as well. Why don¡¯t you come down first? I¡¯ll help you repair it tomorrow morning.¡± Naturally, Zhou Xiaoli declined. The storm was coming tonight, and they could not wait until tomorrow. Her gaze swept across the empty courtyard of the Liu family and she could not help but ask, ¡°Uncle Liu, didn¡¯t you cut thatch for the roof?¡± Liu Liangcai shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s right, I didn¡¯t. I¡¯ve been so busy these few days that I didn¡¯t cut the thatch.¡± Zhou Xiaoli thought for a moment. ¡°How about this? Father and I cut a lot of thatch, and we can¡¯t use it all. Why don¡¯t you take some to use? There are many thunderstorms in this season. You should repair the house today so that you won¡¯t panic when the time comes.¡± Their area does have a lot of rainfall, so there was no harm in strengthening the roof. Looking back at Zhou Xiaoli, a little girl who was not even as big as his Yuanyuan, and yet she was already sensible enough to climb up the roof and repair the house. Just looking at her made one¡¯s heart ache. Hence, Liu Liangcai said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Anyway, it¡¯s not a bad thing to repair the roof. How about this? I¡¯ll get Zhu Zi to tell Steward Niu that we won¡¯t be working this afternoon. I can help you repair your roof as well.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xiujuan ran out of the kitchen and said in disbelief. ¡°Dad, what nonsense are you talking about? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that Steward Niu is in charge of your work this time. He hates people who laze and report being sick. Today is the last day. If you take leave this afternoon, the work that you have done over the past few days will be in vain.¡± ¡°Besides, even if you¡¯re afraid that a storm will break the roof, just take a look at the sun today. It¡¯s so strong so there won¡¯t be a storm tonight for sure! If you want to repair it, you can repair it tomorrow after this job is done.¡± After hearing Lin Xiujuan¡¯s words, Liu Liangcai hesitated. Indeed, Steward Niu was not as easy-going as Steward Wan. On the contrary, he was very harsh and many villagers had their salary deducted by him for various reasons such as not doing their work well or for applying for leave. The taxes they paid to the Imperial Court every year were extremely high. Without this salary, it would not be easy for their family to survive through this winter. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°Little Li, your aunt is right. We¡¯re not in a hurry. The house can be repaired anytime. Come down first. There¡¯s still time to repair it tomorrow.¡± Zhou Xiaoli naturally could not tell him that there was going to be a heavy rainstorm tonight. Putting aside whether he would take her words for it, she could not explain it even if she tried. In the end, she could only give up. Only then did Liu Liangcai rush out to work. Lin Xiujuan had finished washing the pots and bowls by then and went to the field to weed. Only Liu Fengfeng was left at home to guard the house. After a while, Liu Fengfeng ran to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s house and looked inside. Zhou Xiaoyu, who was feeding the ducklings in the yard, called out to him in a childish voice. ¡°Do you want to play with us and the ducklings?¡± Liu Fengfeng nodded at the door and jogged in. ¡°Can we play with the bamboo dragonflies later too?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu nodded. ¡°Of course. Sis said that it would be more fun to share toys with our friends.¡± Zhou Junjun nodded in agreement. Liu Fengfeng was instantly happy. ¡°Then I¡¯ll share my little wooden horse with you.¡± As he spoke, he took out a palm-sized wooden horse and said proudly, ¡°Father made this for me.¡± ¡°This little wooden horse is so beautiful. Brother and I will be friendly to you in the future.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu said happily as she took the little wooden horse. With that, the three children ran out of the house with their toys to play. Seeing this, Zhou Xiaoli, who was on the roof, could not help but smile. Liu Fengfeng was about the same age as Zhou Junjun, and he was only six years old this year. The world of children was not that complicated. Over the past few days, Liu Fengfeng, who had gotten delicious food from Zhou Xiaoli several times, was no longer as afraid of her as before. In addition, Zhou Xiaoli made bamboo dragonflies for Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun to play with, which made Liu Fengfeng extremely envious. After Zhou Xiaoyu generously invited him to play together, the three children naturally played well together. Zhou Xiaoli no longer paid attention to them. She turned around and immersed herself in her work. This house had not been inhabited for a long time, and many parts of the roof needed to be filled in with new thatch. They have a lot to do. At that moment, the three little fellows who were playing outside the door suddenly stopped. It turned out that Zhou Junjun had accidentally bumped into a passerby. This passerby was none other than Wei Chiyu. When Liu Fengfeng saw who it was, he was terrified and shouted, ¡°Xiaoyu, Junjun, run! Run!¡± With that, he rushed back to the courtyard. However, Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun did not listen to him. On the contrary, not only did Zhou Xiaoyu not run, he even walked towards Wei Chiyu. After Zhou Junjun steadied himself, he gestured a few times at Wei Chiyu. ¡°My brother is apologizing to you.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu translated in a childish voice. This was the first time that the children in the village were not afraid of him. Wei Chiyu could not help but to ask, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of me anymore?¡± He remembered that the first time he met these two little fellows, they were still hiding behind their sister in fear. Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun looked at each other. It was obvious that they were still a little flustered, but they did not run away. Zhou Xiaoyu nodded and said, ¡°S-Sis said that Big Brother helped Father last time. We have to thank Big Brother. We can¡¯t run away when we see Big Brother. It¡¯s impolite.¡± Chapter 12 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Hearing Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s words, Wei Chiyu subconsciously looked towards the house and saw Zhou Xiaoli on the roof. His eyebrows twitched. Hence, he turned around and said to Zhou Xiaoyu, ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu tilted her head. ¡°But Sis said that Big Brother scared away the bad children who bullied Father away. No matter what, you helped Father. I should still thank you for it?¡± The corners of Wei Chiyu¡¯s lips curled up imperceptibly. ¡°Okay, you should listen to your sister.¡± With that, he walked into the Zhou residence. Liu Fengfeng, who was hiding at the door, froze in fear. When Wei Chiyu passed by him, he immediately ran out. ¡°Zhou Xiaoyu, aren¡¯t you afraid of him? Everyone in the village says that he eats children!¡± Liu Fengfeng was terrified. Zhou Xiaoyu pouted and blinked. ¡°Did you see him doing that?¡± Liu Fengfeng shook his head. ¡°Then how do you know it¡¯s true?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu continued. This time, Liu Fengfeng was stunned by the question. His little head felt like it could not comprehend the question. Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s childish voice sounded again. ¡°Sister said that the person who believes the rumors without a doubt is a little fool.¡± Wei Chiyu, who heard the little girl talking from outside the house, could not help but twitch his lips. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Hearing someone talking, Zhou Xiaoli turned around and saw Wei Chiyu standing below and looking up at her. The sunlight shone through the gaps between the thatch and landed on half of his face. Before Zhou Xiaoli could say anything, Wei Chiyu walked over and said, ¡°Let Uncle Zhou come down. I¡¯ll do it.¡± It was clearly a young man¡¯s voice, but it sounded mature. After a long time, Zhou Xiaoli recognized it to be a standard low masculine voice. When Zhang Lan heard the voice, she put down the needlework in her hand and supported herself against the wall as she walked out of the house. ¡°It¡¯s Little Wei.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded at Zhang Lan and quickly climbed onto the roof. Zhou Xiaoli was not a pretentious person. Coupled with the fact that repairing the roof was really not an easy task, she immediately thanked him for his generosity. With Wei Chiyu¡¯s help, the repair was done at a much faster speed than before. It was still early when they finished repairing the roof of their house. There was still a lot of thatch left in the house as well. Looking at the Liu family¡¯s house, Zhou Xiaoli decided to help them strengthen their roof as a form of repayment. She then told Zhang Lan of her thoughts. After hearing it, Zhang Lan nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s true. No matter what your aunt does, your Uncle Liu treats us really well. Neighbors should help each other.¡± Originally, Zhou Xiaoli did not want Wei Chiyu to help repair Uncle Liu¡¯s house. However, before she could speak, Wei Chiyu had already carried the ladder to the Liu Family. After Zhou Xiaoli informed Zhang Lan, she and Zhou Yu carried the thatch and rushed over. Liu Liangcai¡¯s house had been repaired before. They only needed to reinforce the weak spots now. Therefore, by the time Liu Liangcai returned home from work, they were almost done. Seeing Zhou Xiaoli on the roof, Liu Liangcai cried out in shock. ¡°Aiyaya, Little Li, why are you so stubborn? Come down quickly, come down quickly.¡± As he spoke, he put down his tools and was about to call Zhou Xiaoli down when he saw Wei Chiyu¡¯s head appear from behind. He could not help but exclaim in surprise as well. ¡°Ah, Little Wei, you¡¯re here to help too?¡± Wei Chiyu only nodded and didn¡¯t say anything. Zhou Xiaoli was already used to it. Wei Chiyu didn¡¯t seem to like to talk much. They had been repairing the roof together for some time but he didn¡¯t open his mouth to talk at all unless it was necessary. Zhou Xiaoli could only smile and say to Liu Liangcai. ¡°My family¡¯s house has been repaired, and there¡¯s still a lot of thatch left. I saw that it was still early, so I wanted to help Uncle Liu to repair your house as well. Wei Chiyu happened to pass by, so he also came to help.¡± After Zhou Xiaoli finished speaking, Wei Chiyu also moved over from his area and said softly. ¡°Done.¡± It turned out that while they were talking, he had already reinforced the last section. The two of them climbed down from the roof. Liu Liangcai thanked them profusely. At the same time, Lin Xiujuan had returned from the field. When she saw the two of them coming down from her roof, she hurriedly ran home. Liu Liangcai hurriedly smiled and said, ¡°Mummy, we have to thank Little Wei and Little Li. They¡¯ve already repaired our roof. Hurry and get two bowls of water.¡± Lin Xiujuan pursed her lips and wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn¡¯t. She turned around and walked into the kitchen unhurriedly. Wei Chiyu said that there was no need to thank him and left. Seeing this, Zhou Xiaoli also said, ¡°Uncle Liu, there¡¯s no need to trouble yourself. Mother is still waiting for me at home to brew medicine. I¡¯ll leave first.¡± With that, Zhou Xiaoli bade farewell and left. After leaving, Zhou Xiaoli called out to Wei Chiyu, ¡°Hey! Wei Chiyu, wait a moment.¡± Wei Chiyu turned around and quietly waited for her to walk over. When Zhou Xiaoli arrived in front of Wei Chiyu, she realized that he was a head taller than her. Hence, she took a step back and raised her head slightly to look at him. After thanking him, she said, ¡°We have a lot of rain here. I still have some thatch left at home. Why don¡¯t you take it home and strengthen your roof as well?¡± Although Zhou Xiaoli did not know why Wei Chiyu had come to help her suddenly, she never liked owing favors. Since he had helped her, she wanted to give him a heads-up as well. After hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, Wei Chiyu¡¯s amber pupils moved. He pursed his lips and spoke up after a while. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make a difference whether I repair it or not.¡± Zhou Xiaoli had a strange look on her face, but she didn¡¯t say anything else. After all, they weren¡¯t that familiar with each other, so after a polite goodbye, Zhou Xiaoli returned home. ¡ª- A vegetable field had already been cleared in the courtyard. As the saying went, ¡®Radish in the first, vegetables in the second, and cabbages in the eighth and third season.¡¯ At this time of the season, there were many vegetables suitable for planting. There were beans, cucumbers, and spinach growing in their courtyard now. In this world, there were many types of vegetables available. Moreover, as ironware was easily available, the people were used to using large iron woks to stir-fry vegetables. However, they did not have an iron wok at home now, and they were still using a cauldron. When they earned sufficient money, they had to buy a large iron wok at the market. It was getting late. At this moment, Zhang Lan and the two little fellows had started cooking porridge in the kitchen. By the time Zhou Xiaoli finished washing up, the porridge was cooked. She made a few simple vegetable buns, which were basically two flat breads placed together with spinach in the middle. In order to make it delicious, Zhou Xiaoli added some beaten egg to each bun. She learned this recipe from the Internet and heard that it was a local specialty of Henan. The cooking method was simple and yet, delicious. Just as they were about to start eating, Zhou Xiaoli thought of something. In the end, she took a vegetable bun and a bowl of porridge next door. Chapter 13 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios On the west side of their courtyard was the Lu family¡¯s old courtyard. After Wei Chiyu fell out with the Lu family, he lived alone in this courtyard. It could barely be called a courtyard anyway. It was a dilapidated courtyard owned by the Lu family many years ago. The walls had collapsed, and they could see the full situation of the courtyard clearly without opening the door. There were two half-collapsed houses in the courtyard. The condition was so dilapidated that they were no longer habitable. The only thing that was still intact in the courtyard was a pigsty. At this moment, Wei Chiyu sat on the wall of the pigsty, chewing on a steamed bun. He looked up and saw Zhou Xiaoli standing outside the courtyard. Wei Chiyu was slightly stunned and jumped down from the wall. Zhou Xiaoli looked at Wei Chiyu¡¯s pigsty again. ¡°No wonder Wei Chiyu answered me the way he did when I asked him to repair his roof today,¡± she thought. With this simple pigsty, there would not be a difference whether it was repaired or not. While she was thinking, Wei Chiyu arrived at the door. Zhou Xiaoli removed her gaze from the pigsty and revealed her purpose for coming. ¡°Well, thank you for today. I don¡¯t know how to thank you but I made a few buns tonight. Would you like to try them?¡± Before Wei Chiyu could refuse, the fragrance of porridge and buns wafted into his nose, and his stomach growled. He looked at the hard steamed bun in his hand and pursed his thin lips. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± With that, he entered the courtyard. Zhou Xiaoli was confused, not knowing what he was going to do. After a while, Wei Chiyu walked back to her. The steamed bun in his hand was gone and replaced with a fat pheasant. He used his other hand to take the food that Zhou Xiaoli brought over and handed the plump pheasant to her thereafter. Zhou Xiaoli did not take it, but looked at him in confusion. Wei Chiyu: ¡°I don¡¯t know how to cook.¡± Just as Zhou Xiaoli was feeling more confused about his actions, Wei Chiyu added on. ¡°The rice you cooked is very fragrant.¡± With that, Zhou Xiaoli instantly understood what his actions meant. Was he asking her to cook for him? At this moment, Wei Chiyu said, ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten in a long time.¡± For some reason, these words made Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s heart ache for him. She couldn¡¯t help but think of the dried out steamed bun he had in his hand when he walked out just now. Wei Chiyu was only 13 or 14 years old. In modern times, he would still be considered as a child. Her heart softened. She sighed and compromised. ¡°Alright, but it¡¯s too late today. We will cook it tomorrow.¡± Wei Chiyu blinked his amber eyes and nodded seriously. Only then did Zhou Xiaoli reach out to take the pheasant from Wei Chiyu¡¯s hand. However, just as she met Wei Chiyu¡¯s gaze, an illusion appeared before her eyes again. In the illusion, it was a stormy night. Wei Chiyu sat in a corner of the pigsty and his entire body was soaked by the rain. He was like a pitiful kitten abandoned in the rain, thin and helpless. As a gust of wind blew, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The entire straw roof of the pigsty was then lifted by the wind. At the same time, the thick poplar tree beside the pigsty was knocked down by the wind and it smashed into the pigsty. Wei Chiyu couldn¡¯t dodge in time and the tree landed on his leg. The scene ended there. As Zhou Xiaoli had stared at him for a long time, Wei Chiyu called out to her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Xiaoli coughed. ¡°Ah, no.¡± After taking the pheasant, she felt a little awkward and changed the topic hurriedly. ¡°This pheasant is quite fat.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°Not bad. It¡¯s enough for six people to eat.¡± He had counted in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family as well. Thinking of the illusion she had just seen, Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips. ¡°Well, what I mean is that it should be very troublesome to deal with this pheasant.¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s amber eyes were calm as he looked at Zhou Xiaoli, waiting for her to continue. Zhou Xiaoli continued. ¡°So, you should come to my house.¡± Wei Chiyu was stunned by her words. Zhou Xiaoli spread her hands and said helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s such a big pheasant. Do you want me to kill it alone?¡± Wei Chiyu instantly understood Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s meaning and felt a little ashamed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it through.¡± Just like that, Zhou Xiaoli invited Wei Chiyu into the house to clean the pheasant. The entire family welcomed Wei Chiyu¡¯s arrival. After seeing the fat pheasant, the family felt embarrassed by the gift. Wei Chiyu was very straightforward. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be polite. I won¡¯t be entering the city for the next few days. If I can¡¯t sell it, I don¡¯t know how to cook it either. It would spoil if left as it is.¡± Although that was the case, it could be considered that they had a wild pheasant to eat for free. Zhang Lan and the others were not comfortable with that idea. After dinner, they began to clean the pheasant. In fact, it was not difficult to clean the pheasant, but Zhou Xiaoli deliberately delayed the process for more than two hours. Zhang Lan was a little confused at the time required. ¡°It¡¯s only delicious when it¡¯s cleaned thoroughly and there¡¯s no fishy smell.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could only explain with a smile. Wei Chiyu, on the other hand, did his work in silence. He did not show any dissatisfaction at all, as if he was fully at Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s disposal. Finally, the pheasant was cleaned. At this time, Zhou Xiaoli looked up at the sky and said, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s getting dark. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll rain heavily tonight.¡± Zhang Lan had just finished her medicine. She was sitting at the entrance of the room to weave a fishing net. After taking a few days of medicine, Zhang Lan¡¯s body was much better than when she first came out of the old Zhou family courtyard. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoli did not restrict Zhang Lan from working anymore. After all, if she continued to lie in bed, Zhang Lan¡¯s mood would only worsen. If she was in a bad mood, it would affect her physical recovery. When she heard Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, she also looked up at the sky. ¡°Yes, it seems to be cloudy.¡± Zhang Lan had already heard from Zhou Xiaoli that Wei Chiyu lived in a simple pigsty. She couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Little Wei, it¡¯s raining heavily tonight. Is your house okay? Why don¡¯t you stay here tonight?¡± Wei Chiyu had just poured out the dirty water used to clean the pheasant when he heard her words. ¡°Auntie, just call me Chiyu. It¡¯s fine even if it rains. I¡¯m used to staying there.¡± he said. Hearing the last sentence, Zhou Xiaoli could not help but frown. She made a prompt decision for him. ¡°Just listen to my mother and don¡¯t go back tonight.¡± Then, without waiting for Wei Chiyu to refuse, she made the arrangements. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s decided. Brother Jun, Father, could you spread the remaining thatch in the room.¡± Zhou Junjun nodded heavily and happily pulled Zhou Yu along to lay the thatch with Zhou Xiaoli. Just like that, Wei Chiyu¡¯s lodgings were arranged. This was the first time someone had made a decision for him, but he did not feel uncomfortable with it. At that moment, as he stood in the courtyard and looked at Zhou Xiaoli getting busy, his eyes could not help but deepen. At the same time. In the Liu family¡¯s house on the right, Liu Liangcai was praising Zhou Xiaoli then. ¡°Little Li is such a sensible girl that it makes one¡¯s heart ache. She¡¯s only 10 years old, but she already knows how to climb up the roof to repair the house. We should take a few eggs to thank that girl tomorrow.¡± Lin Xiujuan, who had been forced to listen to his ramblings, was a little unwilling when she heard that they had to give up their precious eggs. ¡°What¡¯s so important about repairing the roof? I¡¯ve already told her that we¡¯re not in a hurry. I think she¡¯s stubborn and inflexible. Why would she do something unnecessary? Although she¡¯s doing it out of kindness, I¡¯m not grateful to her,¡± she muttered. Chapter 14 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Just as Lin Xiujuan complained, muffled thunder could be heard from outside. ¡°Thunder?¡± Liu Liangcai said. He got off the bed and went to the door to look outside. ¡°Mommy, get up quickly and keep the things in the courtyard into the house. It¡¯s really going to rain.¡± Hearing this, Lin Xiujuan hurriedly jumped off the bed and said in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s going to rain?¡± The two of them hurried to collect the things in the courtyard and put them into their rooms. The rumbling thunder became more and more intense, accompanied by heavy rain and flashing thunder from time to time. The storm came quickly and fiercely, accompanied by a strong wind. The sound of the thunderstorm was terrifying. Zhou Xiaoli had already laid out the thatch then. Fortunately, she had asked Zhou Yu to extend the bed a few days ago as she felt that the bed was too cramped for their family. Using wooden boards, he widened the wooden bed so that their family could sleep better if they squeezed and laid horizontally. After everything was settled, everyone listened to the storm outside the house and laid on the bed. Zhang Lan was super thankful. She kept sighing and rejoicing at the same time. ¡°Fortunately, your sister is considerate and that¡¯s why we had repaired the house first. Otherwise, we would have to spend the night in the rain tonight.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu was already sitting on the bed. She held her little face and nodded her head in admiration. ¡°Sis is the best!¡± Zhou Xiaoli tapped the little fellow¡¯s nose. ¡°You¡¯re the sweet one.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu giggled for a while. ¡°No, Second Brother thinks so too.¡± Zhou Junjun nodded in agreement. The few of them stayed in the same room. However, they did not feel uncomfortable even though it was cramped. On the contrary, with the sound of the rain outside the house, they felt at ease and warm. Although it was common for families in the countryside to allow boys and girls to mingle, the traditional thinking remained that males and females should nonetheless maintain a prudent distance. Wei Chiyu listened to the sound of the rain outside the house and felt a strange feeling in his heart, as if those raindrops were smashing into his heart instead. With that, he suddenly began to worry again if his stay in the Zhou family would affect Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s reputation. In any case, he tossed and turned the entire night and could not sleep well. However, as the other key person, Zhou Xiaoli slept soundly. As a carp with a modern mindset, she did not take the traditional thinking that males and females should keep a prudent distance, seriously at all. It was just a few children sleeping together. What was the big deal? The sudden storm lasted for almost the entire night and it only gradually stopped at dawn. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family was well-prepared, so they were not flustered on this stormy night. The others in the village were different. That night, many people¡¯s roofs were swept away by the wind. Their houses were filled with water and they did not sleep the entire night. There were also many houses that had collapsed from the howling wind. Those who did not manage to escape in time were buried under the houses. Due to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s help in strengthening the house, the members of the Liu family survived the storm and had a peaceful night. Looking at the miserable state of the others, Liu Liangcai was filled with emotions. ¡°Look, look, it¡¯s all thanks to Little Li. I knew it. That girl is very lucky!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a few eggs to the Zhou family to thank her later.¡± This time, Lin Xiujuan didn¡¯t say anything else. She was a stingy person, but she was not the kind of person who did not know what was good for her. This time, it was indeed thanks to Zhou Xiaoli that they were not drenched. She gritted her teeth and endured her heartache. She went into the house to get three eggs and sent them to the Zhou family to express her gratitude. Zhou Xiaoli naturally refused to accept it. ¡°Little Li, keep it. It¡¯s not easy for your aunt to give this to you,¡± Liu Liangcai joked around. ¡°You have no conscience. Do you think I¡¯m stingy? If I hadn¡¯t been diligent, thrifty and helped you to save up bit by bit, perhaps you would have stayed on the hill at the village entrance with no food and roof over your head.¡± Lin Xiujuan glared at Liu Liangcai and said angrily. Liu Liangcai hurriedly tried to smooth things over with a smile. ¡°How can that be? In the entire Boyu Village, who doesn¡¯t know that I, Liu Liangcai, have a virtuous wife?¡± After Liu Liangcai¡¯s coaxing, Lin Xiujuan¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s more like it.¡± Then, she stuffed the eggs into Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ve given it to you, so just keep it. Don¡¯t blame me for being too straightforward. It doesn¡¯t sound good but take these eggs to nourish your mother. Let her recover quickly and support this family.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not easy for a little girl like you to be working outside and what¡¯s more, to get married in the future. Besides, it¡¯s not right for you to stay in someone else¡¯s house.¡± As soon as she said that, Liu Liangcai pushed Lin Xiujuan. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about! Little Li, don¡¯t listen to your aunt¡¯s nonsense. You can stay in this courtyard for as long as you want.¡± Zhou Xiaoli naturally wouldn¡¯t stay in Uncle Liu¡¯s courtyard forever, so she immediately thanked him. ¡°Uncle Liu, we¡¯re very grateful that you let our family stay here for the time being. How can we stay here forever?¡± ¡°Auntie is right. We have to have our own house. My mother has taken medicine recently and is recovering. When we raise some money, we¡¯ll build a house immediately.¡± Liu Liangcai nodded. ¡°Your family has to build a house, that¡¯s for sure. After all, your brother, Little Jun, will have to start a family in the future, but there¡¯s no hurry. Building a house is a big deal. Take it slow, take it slow.¡± With their family¡¯s situation, it would not be easy to earn enough money to build a house. Liu Liangcai chuckled and sent Lin Xiujuan home. He said a few more words to Zhou Xiaoli for her to not take Lin Xiujuan¡¯s words to heart before rushing home himself. Although his house had been reinforced, it also took a lot of damage after last night¡¯s storm. Most of the thatch laid on the roof had been swept away by the wind. He had to cut some thatch to repair the house. Almost every house in the village had to be repaired so if he was late, it was likely that he would not have any reeds to make thatch from. ¡ª- Worried about Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s reputation, Wei Chiyu got up early in the morning and left the Zhou family compound. His residence had been destroyed by a big tree. While he was shocked by what could have happened to him, he also took the kindness shown by Zhou Xiaoli and her family to heart. At this moment, he was with Zhou Yu to cut reeds to make thatch. After the rainstorm, the weather for the next two days was very good. The land dried up, and it was a good time for them to enter the mountain soon. She wanted to earn money quickly. Zhou Xiaoli thought back to her previous life. When she was a carp, she had often heard Immortal Taiyi preach the Way and from that, she also learnt a lot about Feng Shui. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoli decided to walk around the mountain to see if there was any suitable wood to make a compass. After breakfast, Zhou Xiaoli took an ax, a basket on her back, and went out on the excuse that she would be digging for wild vegetables. It had just rained, and there were many mushrooms growing in the mountain. As soon as the land dried, many villagers went up the mountain together to harvest mushrooms and wild vegetables. Coincidentally, when Zhou Xiaoli went out, she bumped into Liu Yuanyuan and Zhou Guihua, who were also going up the mountain to pick mushrooms. Chapter 15 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios They had been waiting for their friends from the village. They were chatting and laughing as they headed up the mountain together. Knowing that they did not like her, Zhou Xiaoli knew her place and did not approach them. She quietly followed behind them instead. ¡°How unlucky. Why did I meet this jinx when I¡¯m out?¡± Zhou Guihua complained with disdain. Liu Yuanyuan looked back and pursed her lips. ¡°How rude. No matter what, you¡¯re her aunt and yet, she didn¡¯t even greet you. How rude of her.¡± Zhou Guihua had a look of rejection and disdain on her. ¡°Don¡¯t. I can¡¯t take it. It¡¯s good that she doesn¡¯t come over. Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s walk faster and not with her. With a jinx like her following us, we probably won¡¯t be able to find a single mushroom.¡± Lu Huahua held Zhou Guihua¡¯s arm with a look of disdain. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Don¡¯t let her come over. I don¡¯t want to be tainted by her.¡± ¡°Just a few days ago, she was very close to that ingrate, Wei Chiyu!¡± Zhou Guihua snorted and pursed her lips. ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? They¡¯re all the same; people who have a father but don¡¯t have a father to raise them. Birds of a feather flock together.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Instantly, there was a burst of laughter. As they spoke, they quickened their pace and soon pulled away from Zhou Xiaoli. Zhou Xiaoli did not care about this at all. She walked slowly along the small path in the mountain. Making a compass required quality wood. In order to find suitable wood, Zhou Xiaoli left the path into the mountain and headed deep into the mountain. There were many villagers picking wild herbs and mushrooms halfway up the mountain. The village chief¡¯s wife, Liu Yan, saw Zhou Xiaoli walking deeper and deeper into the mountain. She couldn¡¯t help but shout out to her. However, perhaps due to the distance or the strong wind in the mountain, Zhou Xiaoli did not hear it. ¡°Look at this child. Why is she walking faster and faster even when I have called out to her? She even dares to enter the deep mountains alone.¡± Liu Yan said worriedly. At this moment, Zhou Guihua and the others were also digging for wild vegetables nearby. Seeing this, they said, ¡°Auntie Liu, stop shouting. That jinx must have pretended not to hear you on purpose. Her life or death has nothing to do with us.¡± Liu Yan sighed. ¡°You can¡¯t say that. It¡¯s very dangerous deep in the mountains. If she were to encounter tigers or bears, would she be able to stay alive?¡± Zhou Guihua snorted again. ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t worry about her. I know that jinx the best. She specializes in jinxing others and not herself. She won¡¯t die that easily!¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli had already disappeared into the mountain. Liu Yan shook her head and did not say anything else. ¡ª- Naturally, Zhou Xiaoli was no fool. This was her first time entering the deep mountain, and she had been making marks along the way. Few people would come this deep into the mountain. Wild vegetables, mushrooms, and so on were everywhere. Before she could find the kind of wood she was looking for, she had already dug up a lot of ginger. Ginger was mostly used as Chinese medicine then and was relatively expensive. Only rich families would use it as condiments. Therefore, it was a good thing. Zhou Xiaoli dug some wild herbs and mushrooms up while walking further in to find suitable wood. Finally, her hard work paid off. She found a Chinese bishopwood tree which was a special wood used to make the compass. Best of all, the size and thickness of the tree were also suitable to make a compass. After putting down the basket on her back, Zhou Xiaoli took out her ax and began to cut the tree. The sound of a tree being cut down rang out in the forest. The sound woke Wei Chiyu up, who was lying on a tree while waiting for his prey to fall into his trap. He pinched the space between his eyebrows. His eyes were filled with sleepiness and a hint of impatience from being woken up abruptly. He looked towards the voice and saw Zhou Xiaoli chopping at a tree. Just as he was wondering why Zhou Xiaoli had come this deep into the mountain to cut down trees, he was interrupted by a sound. As someone who hunted in the mountains all year round, Wei Chiyu instantly became vigilant when he heard the noise. Zhou Xiaoli, who was focused on chopping the tree down, noticed the sound as well. She couldn¡¯t help but stop, and pricked up her ears as she vigilantly observed her surroundings. It seemed to be the sound of an animal running, but there were also sounds of collision and grunts. Gradually, the sounds got closer and closer. Amidst the various sounds, Zhou Xiaoli captured the sound of wild beasts. It was the cry of a wild boar! In the blink of an eye, and with two roars, two wild boars darted out of the bushes one after another. The direction they were flying toward was where Zhou Xiaoli was. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was about to be pounced on by the wild boars, Wei Chiyu, who was on a tree a little further away, turned pale with fright. Just as he was about to jump down, he saw Zhou Xiaoli move. She quickly ran to the cliff at the side, grabbed the hanging vines, and climbed up nimbly. The two wild boars crashed straight into the cliff. Perhaps they had crashed into the cliff with great force, the two wild boars only managed to get to their feet after a long time. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli had already used the vine to climb onto a protruding rock on the cliff. She sat on it and looked down. One of the two wild boars was very strong and big, while the other was of a much smaller size. After they got up, they roared and began to fight again. From the looks of it, it was most likely that the two wild boars were fighting to mark their territory. Seeing how ferocious they were, Zhou Xiaoli could not help but sigh. No wonder the hunters who went up the mountains said that they were more afraid of encountering wild boars than wolves. If they encountered a wolf, they might be able to scare it away with their skills. However, the wild boar would not know fear. Their movements were quite loud. Zhou Xiaoli had managed to cut the tree down mid-way, but the wild boars thereafter knocked it down completely. This saved Zhou Xiaoli a lot of effort. Finally, after a few rounds, the smaller-sized wild boar was defeated. It laid on the ground, injured and did not move another inch. The big one was also seriously injured, but it noticed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s existence by then. After circling around, it guarded the cliff and refused to leave. Man and pig stared at each other for a while. Zhou Xiaoli realized that the wild boar had no intention of leaving. Not only that, it was also lying there in wait, as if it had all the intentions in the world to wait for Zhou Xiaoli to come down. Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and looked around. Then, she noticed a large rock beside her. The rock was not one with the cliff wall, but was embedded in it. It looked like it was about to drop. As such, Zhou Xiaoli came up with a plan. She climbed up the vine to the rock. Before Zhou Xiaoli could lure the wild boar under the rock, the wild boar followed her of its own accord. After confirming the location, Zhou Xiaoli found a sturdy vine and tied it to her waist. With that, she began jumping up and down on the rock. With a loud bang, the rock under her feet loosened. With another jump, it fell. At the same time, Zhou Xiaoli fell and hung on the stone wall eventually. As for the wild boar below, as it was injured and could not react fast enough, the rock landed directly on it. In an instant, a tragic roar rang out. The wild boar struggled a few times and gradually stopped moving. After confirming that there was no movement from the wild boar, Zhou Xiaoli climbed down calmly along the vines. Chapter 16 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The wild boar lying under the rock was hit in the head. Its entire head was split open and it was no longer breathing. On the other hand, the slightly smaller wild boar did not seem to be dead as it was still breathing. Worried that the wild boar would wake up again in a while, Zhou Xiaoli did not hesitate to raise her ax and cut the wild boar¡¯s life short. Only then did she calmly wipe the blood off the ax and continue to chop for the wood she needed. Throughout the entire process, Zhou Xiaoli remained calm and composed in the face of danger. Wei Chiyu saw how skillfully and efficiently she had slaughtered the wild boar. It was only after getting the wood that she wanted that Zhou Xiaoli went to look at the two wild boars. These two wild boars were very big. Even the small one probably weighed more than a hundred kilograms. How was she going to get them back herself? For a moment, Zhou Xiaoli squatted beside the wild boars in worry. ¡ª- At the same time, when the family saw that Zhou Xiaoli had not returned for a long time, they began to panic. By noon, Zhou Xiaoli had not returned home and Zhang Lan finally could not sit still anymore. Zhou Yu supported her as they made their way to the Liu family next door. After listening to Zhang Lan¡¯s description, Liu Liangcai also frowned and said in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Little Li went up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables and hasn¡¯t returned yet?¡± Zhang Lan nodded with red eyes and was extremely anxious. ¡°What should we do? I heard that there have been a lot of wolves on this mountain recently¡­¡± Towards the end, her tears fell uncontrollably. Liu Liangcai quickly comforted her. ¡°Sister Zhou, don¡¯t be anxious. Little Li is very lucky so nothing will happen to her. I¡¯ll help you ask around.¡± As he spoke, he called Liu Yuanyuan over. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to the mountain today? Did you see Little Li?¡± Liu Yuanyuan shook her head nonchalantly. ¡°No.¡± Looking at his daughter¡¯s attitude, Liu Liangcai frowned. ¡°Really?¡± Seeing that her father did not trust her, Liu Yuanyuan¡¯s expression turned ugly. ¡°No means no. She has such a strange temper and doesn¡¯t even talk to us. She went up the mountain alone. How would I know?!¡± she said angrily. Liu Liangcai: ¡°If you don¡¯t know, so be it. Why are you throwing a tantrum? I think you need to be disciplined again.¡± Seeing that her precious daughter was scolded, Lin Xiujuan immediately stood up for her. ¡°Alright, alright. Why are you throwing your temper at your daughter? There are so many people on the mountain today. Why don¡¯t you go outside and ask around?¡± Liu Liangcai sighed and left. After some questioning, he finally learned from the village chief¡¯s wife that Zhou Xiaoli had entered the deeper part of the mountain. Upon hearing that Zhou Xiaoli had gone deep into the mountain, Zhang Lan¡¯s vision turned black and her legs went soft. ¡°My Li¡¯er, why, why did you go deep into the mountain!¡± The village chief¡¯s wife quickly comforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your girl might be back soon.¡± ¡°At the very least, we¡¯ll organize some people to search in the mountains. It¡¯ll definitely be fine.¡± That being said, it was already past noon, but Zhou Xiaoli was still nowhere to be seen. The villagers were all discussing this, but there were very few who were really concerned. There were even a few who were gloating. ¡°The jinx of the Zhou family has jinxed everyone around her. Had she finally jinxed herself this time?¡± ¡°Hmph, I think that¡¯s the case. After jinxing so many people, it should be her turn by now.¡± ¡°In my opinion, the Zhou family should set a firecracker off to celebrate. The jinx is finally gone, haha.¡± ¡­ Those voices were getting nasty. The village chief, Zheng Heping, frowned when he heard them and roared, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about! No matter what, the Zhou family¡¯s girl is still a member of our village. Is it appropriate for you to say that?¡± After being criticized by the village chief, those people shut their mouths. At this moment, the village chief said, ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s organize a few strong men and search in the mountains for her. Who¡¯s willing to go?¡± As soon as these words were spoken, everyone else instantly fell silent. No one made a sound. At this moment, Liu Liangcai ignored Lin Xiujuan¡¯s disapproving expression and raised his hand. ¡°Village Chief, I¡¯m willing to go.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± The village chief nodded and asked, ¡°Who else would go?¡± This time, no one stood up. Helpless, the village chief could only call out names. However, some of the people who were called out refused on the pretext that they were not feeling well, while others refused because their families were too busy. In any case, no one was willing to go. The village chief was a little angry. ¡°Alright, I didn¡¯t know that the people in our Boyu Village were so cold-blooded!¡± After the village chief¡¯s scolding, some villagers were dissatisfied and started to defend themselves. ¡°Village Chief, you can¡¯t blame us. There are so many wild beasts in the mountains. Who would dare to enter?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. I went to my parents¡¯ house a few days ago and heard that wild wolves have been rampant in the mountains recently. If we go into the mountains now, aren¡¯t we sending ourselves to the wolves?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Village Chief. Our family consists of the old and young. We¡¯re counting on the men in the family to work. If anything happens in the mountains to them, our family will starve to death.¡± ¡­ One after another, they all said that they had their own difficulties and were extremely pitiful. The village chief waved his hand helplessly and did not say anything else. In the end, only the village chief¡¯s two sons, Liu Liangcai, and Zhou Yu entered the mountain with their weapons. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli was using vines and wooden sticks to make a stretcher in preparation to bring the two wild boars down the mountain. Crush! At this moment, the sound of leaves being crushed came from behind. Zhou Xiaoli instantly picked up the wooden spear beside her. She had just made and sharpened it with an ax as she was afraid that some wild beasts would be attracted by the smell of blood. Therefore, after hearing the sound, she turned around and was prepared to throw it in the direction from which the sound came from. At the same time, she saw a black figure. After discovering that it was in fact a person, she forcefully changed the direction of her hand mid-throw. With a swoosh, the wooden spear stabbed deep into the ground beside the tree. A young man also walked out from behind the tree. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± Seeing Wei Chiyu, Zhou Xiaoli heaved a sigh of relief. She walked over and pulled out the wooden spear from the ground. ¡°Why are you here? You didn¡¯t even make a sound and I almost injured you by accident.¡± Wei Chiyu glanced at Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s injured hand and did not answer her question. Instead, he asked, ¡°Do you need help?¡± Zhou Xiaoli glanced at the stretcher that had not been properly tied up, and back at her bleeding hand. She pursed her lips and said, ¡°Yes.¡± Wei Chiyu didn¡¯t say anything else. He squatted down and started tying up the stretcher. Zhou Xiaoli wanted to help, but Wei Chiyu refused. She could only stand to the side and watch. ¡°You seem to be very skilled at it.¡± Wei Chiyu raised his head to look at Zhou Xiaoli and hummed in agreement. Just as Zhou Xiaoli thought that this guy wouldn¡¯t say anything else, he said, ¡°I often carry my prey down the mountain.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Oh.¡± Wei Chiyu wasn¡¯t lying. He was indeed skillful. In a short while, the stretcher was tied up. The two of them worked together to put the two wild boars on the stretcher and prepared to go down the mountain. The weight of the two wild boars was not to be underestimated. Zhou Xiaoli tried to pull them, but she could not move them at all. Even though Wei Chiyu had some strength, it was quite strenuous for him to pull the stretcher as well. Zhou Xiaoli began to wonder if she should pull the wild boars one by one, but she was worried that the other one would be devoured by wolves in the wild. Just as she was feeling conflicted, Wei Chiyu also caught a prey in his trap. It was a fox. Chapter 17 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Zhou Xiaoli stood still and waited while Wei Chiyu went to get the prey in his trap. At this moment, a faint shout suddenly came up the mountain. Listening carefully, the voice seemed to be calling out her name. Zhou Xiaoli suddenly realized that she had been out for a long time. Zhang Lan and the others must have been waiting anxiously at home. She immediately raised her hands to cup her face and yelled as a reply. Liu Liangcai and the others, who were looking for Zhou Xiaoli anxiously, were pleasantly surprised when they heard Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s response. Liu Liangcai: ¡°It¡¯s Little Li, it¡¯s Little Li!¡± The three of them did not stop and quickly followed the direction of Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice. When they saw that Zhou Xiaoli was unharmed, they all heaved a sigh of relief. After Liu Liangcai walked over, he scolded with concern in his voice. ¡°Are you injured? Girl, why did you run into the deep mountain alone? What if you encounter wild beasts? It¡¯s so dangerous. It¡¯s really worrying.¡± Knowing that Liu Liangcai was worried about her, Zhou Xiaoli was not angry at all at being reprimanded. Instead, she quickly apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, uncles. I have caused you all to worry. I¡¯m fine. I just wanted to pick more wild vegetables. Who knew that I would accidentally get lost?¡± Thinking of the difficulties that Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family faced, Liu Liangcai could no longer bear to blame her. He sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine.¡± ¡°Sigh! Poor girl. She was only 10 years old, but she was already carrying the burden of raising a family,¡± he thought. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± At this moment, the village chief¡¯s eldest son, Zheng Yonggui, noticed the stretcher behind Zhou Xiaoli and exclaimed in surprise. ¡°I was picking wild vegetables when two wild boars suddenly rushed out. They seemed to be fighting for territory, so they started fighting fiercely.¡± Zhou Xiaoli hurriedly explained. ¡°Then, they accidentally bumped into a cliff and were smashed to death by the rocks that fell from the cliff. I was just thinking how can I get them down the mountain when you appeared.¡± In order not to arouse their suspicion or let her family worry, Zhou Xiaoli deliberately concealed the process of how she killed the wild boars. Liu Liangcai, Zheng Yonggui, and the others were shocked. Liu Liangcai¡¯s eyes widened and he was so shocked that he could not speak properly. ¡°You mean, you picked up two wild boars?¡± The wild boars in the mountains were ferocious and very difficult to hunt. Even the hunter in the next village, the Sandfish Village, who had hunted for most of his life, had only hunted a wild boar once and was injured by it. Even till this day, he still had a limp. Zhou Xiaoli picked up a wild boar with no difficulty, two in fact! Zheng Yonggui and Zheng Yongfu were also shocked. On the other hand, Zhou Yu did not quite understand the concept of two wild boars. He only held Zhou Xiaoli tightly, as if he was afraid that he would lose Zhou Xiaoli. At this moment, Wei Chiyu walked over with a fox in his hand. The fox was red and its fur was glossy. It was very beautiful. Just by looking at it, they felt that it was worth a lot of money. However, the smell was a little unpleasant. ¡°Eh, what¡¯s that smell? Who peed their pants?¡± Before they saw Wei Chiyu, they smelled the scent. They pinched their noses and looked around for the source. Then, they saw Wei Chiyu walking over with the fox. Liu Liangcai: ¡°Ah, why is Little Wei here?¡± ¡°I just met him. He was also hunting in this area.¡± Zhou Xiaoli explained. Everyone in the village knew that after Wei Chiyu fell out with the Lu family, he hunted alone for a living. Therefore, they did not find it strange that he was also hunting here. ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Liu Liangcai chuckled. ¡°Aiya, let¡¯s not talk anymore. Quick, let¡¯s go down the mountain. Your mother is anxious.¡± As he spoke, he packed his things and prepared to leave the mountain. With the addition of the four strong men, they took turns carrying the wild boars. The two wild boars were easily carried down the mountain. Zhang Lan had been waiting at the village entrance because she was worried about Zhou Xiaoli. Lin Xiujuan and the village chief¡¯s wife, one worried about her man and the other worried about her two sons, accompanied Zhang Lan to wait at the village entrance. Liu Yan supported Zhang Lan and comforted her from time to time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. You have to take care of yourself. This family is still counting on you.¡± Zhang Lan wiped the corners of her eyes and nodded. ¡°Thank you, Auntie. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Lin Xiujuan exclaim. ¡°Ah, is that them?¡± Liu Yan hurriedly covered her eyes with her hand to block out the sunlight. She looked into the distance and said loudly. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it them! Look, they¡¯re coming down the mountain. Don¡¯t worry.¡± The last sentence was directed at Zhang Lan. As the three of them spoke, the five of them had arrived at the village entrance. Seeing Zhang Lan and the others from afar, Zhou Xiaoli quickened her pace and practically jogged over. ¡°Mother!¡± ¡°Slow down, slow down.¡± Zhang Lan hurriedly reached out to catch Zhou Xiaoli, who was running over. She looked around and was relieved to find that other than being a little dirty, she was not injured. Then, her expression turned serious as she slapped Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s butt. ¡°Why are you so disobedient? I told you not to go deep into the mountain when you left home this morning. Why are you so disobedient? Tell me, if anything happens to you, how will Mother live¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but lower her head in guilt. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sorry for making you worry. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± she whispered. Lin Xiujuan was unhappy that her man had to delay his afternoon work in order to enter the mountains to find her. As such, she complained unhappily. ¡°Little Li, it¡¯s not that I want to criticize you, but why are you so insensible? Why did you run into the deep mountain for no reason? Do you know how much farm work my family has postponed in order to find you?¡± At this moment, Liu Liangcai and the others carried the wild boars over and he spoke up for Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Alright, stop scolding her. Little Li didn¡¯t do it on purpose. It didn¡¯t take us much time.¡± ¡°Moreover, Little Li even picked up two big wild boars on the mountain!¡± Liu Liangcai continued. When Liu Liangcai and the others carried the two wild boars down, they had already attracted the attention of many people. At this moment, when they heard that Zhou Xiaoli was the one who found them, it immediately caused a huge commotion. Lin Xiujuan looked at the two wild boars and widened her eyes in disbelief. ¡°What? Did you say that these two wild boars were found by the girl from the Zhou family?¡± she exclaimed. The onlookers were also in disbelief. Liu Liangcai nodded affirmatively. ¡°Of course. Why would I lie to you? If you don¡¯t believe me, ask the Yonggui brothers. They were with me.¡± The two brothers, Zheng Yonggui and Zheng Yongfu, nodded repeatedly. Then, they told everyone what Zhou Xiaoli had told them. Seeing that the two sons of the village chief had also said so, everyone believed that it was the truth. Lin Xiujuan looked at the two wild boars and her eyes widened. ¡°My god, these two wild boars looked like they weighed more than a hundred pounds each. If they¡¯re sold in town, they¡¯ll be worth a lot of money!¡± she muttered softly. Then, she looked at Zhou Xiaoli with a complicated expression. This wretched girl was too lucky. Chapter 18 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios She would occasionally take a look around her second uncle¡¯s old courtyard, but she had not seen a single duck. However, this girl picked up an entire nest as soon as she moved in! They both fished in the same river, but their family didn¡¯t catch anything. That wretched girl got a full harvest instead. And now, when she went up the mountain and lost her way, she even managed to find two fat pigs for free! What kind of lucky streak was this? After this incident spread in the village, not only did Lin Xiujuan think this way, but the other villagers who knew about this also discussed it behind her back. ¡°Hey, do you guys think that little jinx from the Zhou family got lucky? These wild boars are so difficult to hunt and yet she found two as soon as she entered the mountain? What kind of luck did she have?¡± ¡°Heh, you don¡¯t say. It¡¯s really possible. Has the jinx become a lucky star?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Have you heard of ¡®Terminal lucidity¡¯? It¡¯s said that when a person is about to die, their mind will suddenly recover as if nothing had happened.¡± ¡°But not long after, they would take their last breath and die! In my opinion, this is probably the case for her and she¡¯s dying.¡± ¡°This Zhou Yu family is so lucky this time. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be long before they suffer!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say. It¡¯s possible.¡± ¡­ They gossiped that the Zhou family would suffer a big misfortune soon, but when they saw the two fat pigs, they were still jealous of them. Liu Liangcai and the others carried the wild boars straight into Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s house. Wei Chiyu had left them without a word after leaving the mountain. Zhou Xiaoli guessed that he had probably gone to sell the fox skin, so she did not pay much attention to him. Liu Liangcai and the village chief¡¯s two sons had contributed greatly towards carrying the two wild boars down the mountain. She had to thank them for being willing to enter the mountain to look for her when she was in danger, although she did not really encounter danger. However, she still had to be grateful for their help. Thus, Zhou Xiaoli suggested that they cut the smaller wild boar and give them half of the wild boar to split between the two families. Lin Xiujuan, who was just upset at Zhou Xiaoli for wasting her man¡¯s time, instantly beamed when she heard that her family could get a big piece of wild boar meat. However, the village chief¡¯s family and Liu Liangcai refused. However, they could not resist Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s plea to accept it. In the end, under Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s insistence, they all accepted it with a smile. After all, wild boar meat was a good thing. It was much more expensive than ordinary pork and it was said that the officials and rich ladies in the city liked it. However, they also felt that taking that much of the meat was akin to taking advantage of a little girl. Thus, Liu Liangcai and the village chief expressed that they would help Zhou Xiaoli process the two wild boars. If she had to process these two wild boars herself, she would probably be half-dead from exhaustion. Zhou Xiaoli accepted their offer happily. The weather was hot, so she was afraid that the meat would not be fresh after being left for too long. Liu Liangcai and the two sons of the village chief made a prompt decision. They dug a hole at the entrance of the village, erected a rack, and boiled water to slaughter the pigs! Even Lin Xiujuan, the village chief¡¯s wife, and her eldest daughter-in-law helped. They removed the hairs and washed the pig offal. They were all very busy. Usually, the village would only see pigs being slaughtered during the new year. Therefore, the liveliness attracted the attention of many villagers. Adults and children alike surrounded them in a circle. After hearing that the village chief¡¯s family and the Liu family could take a huge portion of the wild boar, many villagers regretted it. If they had known earlier, they would have gone to the mountains to help find Zhou Xiaoli and they too, would also have a share of the wild boar meat. However, it was too late for regrets. Other than being jealous and envious, there was nothing else they could do. However, there would always be some greedy people who did not want to let go of this opportunity. Just as they were busy working, the Lu family¡¯s daughter-in-law, Mrs. Bao, Lai Jinniang, and a few other women whom they are friends with, gathered together and approached them. When Lai Jinniang heard that Zhou Xiaoli had picked up two big wild boars, she was overjoyed. She was about to run to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s house to get them to give her the wild boars. Her husband, Zhou Dashan, shouted at her to come back. ¡°Don¡¯t you find it embarrassing?! You chased them out of the house when I wasn¡¯t at home. You had no idea how the neighbors had gossiped behind my back about this!¡± Now, you even planned to ask them to give you the wild boars. Did you have any thoughts of my dignity?!¡± Lai Jinniang, who had been scolded, turned back resentfully, but she was not convinced. After entering the house, she muttered softly, ¡°You¡¯re so shameless! Didn¡¯t you want to chase their family out long ago? Now you¡¯re blaming me. If you truly couldn¡¯t bear to chase them out, you would have brought their family back home a long time ago.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯ve become a bad person while you¡¯re the good person who values friendship and loyalty. Aren¡¯t you happy?¡± Back then, when they settled in Boyu Village, the villagers who had fled here together knew that their eldest son, Zhou Yu, was abandoned at the roadside and they had brought him back even though they barely had anything themselves. Therefore, they praised the Zhou family for saving an abandoned baby under such difficult circumstances. The village chief of Boyu Village had even praised them in person. It was also because of this that they could quickly integrate into Boyu Village. It was also because she wanted to maintain this reputation that she had tolerated her eldest son¡¯s family for so many years. Otherwise, she would have chased that family of nuisances out long ago. Hearing Lai Jinniang¡¯s mumbling, Zhou Dashan instantly glared at her. ¡°What did you say?¡± Lai Jinniang immediately shut her mouth and ran out of the door. She bumped into Madam Bao, the matriarch of the Lu family, who was gossiping about this on the street. Bao Meifang said, ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t we have a share of the wild boar meat? If you ask me, we should split it equally. Moreover, as Zhou Yu¡¯s mother, you¡¯ve suffered hardships in bringing him up. He should be filial to you and give your family a bigger portion of the wild boar meat too!¡± In an instant, Lai Jinniang found a ¡®confidant¡¯. After some discussion, the small group of old women walked over. ¡°Village Chief! I suggest that we distribute these two wild boars to the villagers of our village!¡± Bao Meifang¡¯s voice was rough to begin with. Almost everyone present heard her shout, and the surroundings instantly fell silent. At that moment, the village chief was standing at a corner, smoking a pipe while chatting with the villagers with a smile. Hearing this, he frowned in disbelief. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Village Chief, this wild boar was picked up by the girl from the Zhou family on the mountain. It should belong to everyone in the village. How can their family pocket it for themselves?¡± Bao Meifang continued shamelessly. The old women at the side quickly chimed in. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Village Chief, a large area of the North Mountain belongs to our village.¡± ¡°That wild boar is a beast living on the mountain. Everything on the mountain should belong to all of us villagers, so it should be distributed to us.¡± What a shameless speech. Zhou Xiaoli was impressed. Bao Meifang and the others used the pretext that it is for the common good of the entire village to gain benefits for themselves. Therefore, other than Lin Xiujuan, no one else stood up against them and said that they were shameless. On the contrary, many people nodded in agreement. The village chief and Liu Liangcai, who was slaughtering the pigs, were so angry that they laughed. Chapter 19 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The village chief held back his anger and did not curse out loud. He pointed at Old Madam Bao and the others. ¡°Look, what kind of twisted logic is this? This wild boar was picked up by the Zhou family¡¯s daughter. Why is it yours now and why should it be shared with you?¡± ¡°So, according to what you said, in the future, whatever our villagers pick on the mountain will have to be distributed to all villagers?¡± Then, he waved his hand. ¡°Alright, alright. Don¡¯t be here picking bones out of an egg. You¡¯re talking nonsense. It must be busy at home right now. Go home and work.¡± Those old women obviously wouldn¡¯t leave if they didn¡¯t achieve their goal. They used all their skills to make a scene, and were utterly shameless. Moreover, after these old women started fussing, many villagers joined them. It was clear that they would not stop until they were given pork. For a moment, there was no end to the argument. The village chief¡¯s family and Liu Liangcai¡¯s family were full of anger. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli stepped forward and said, ¡°It¡¯s not impossible if you want me to share the pork with everyone.¡± A clear voice that¡¯s unique to a young lady rang out, which was especially prominent amidst the commotion. Instantly, everyone looked at her. Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, Old Madam Bao and the others naturally thought that Zhou Xiaoli was afraid of them, and had a complacent expression on their faces. Liu Liangcai quickly stopped Zhou Xiaoli in a low voice. ¡°Little Li, don¡¯t be afraid of them. Uncle and the village chief are here. We can¡¯t let them succeed. This wild boar can be sold for a lot of money and your family is in urgent need of money.¡± Even Lin Xiujuan, who had never liked Zhou Xiaoli, spoke up for her. Zhou Xiaoli deeply felt that the only reason she did so was that she was afraid that she would not be able to get that much pork should they split it equally with the other villagers. Lin Xiujuan placed her hands on her waist and was instantly in her shrew mode. She was famous in the village for being shrewish. As soon as she spoke, it was priceless at how she scolded the others. ¡°Pfft! Why are you so shameless? How old are you? Aren¡¯t you ashamed to snatch a young lady¡¯s things, huh?¡± ¡°Everyone in our village knows how difficult the situation is for the eldest son of the Zhou family.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no place for them to live in and no food to eat. Her mother is sick and her father is stupid. They were hoping that this wild boar could be sold for money to live but you wanted to snatch it away. Do you want to force the little girl to her death?!¡± After being scolded by Lin Xiujuan, many people felt guilty. However, Bao Meifang and Lin Xiujuan had never gotten along and often quarreled with each other. Hence, coupled with the fact that she was a shameless person to begin with, Bao Meifang was able to fight back despite Lin Xiujuan¡¯s suppression. She opened her mouth and spat. ¡°Ms. Lin, don¡¯t talk nonsense! Of course you won¡¯t say anything. Your family got such a big piece of pork and you¡¯re pretending to be a good person. You¡¯re the shameless one!¡± ¡°You¡¯re shameless!¡± ¡°You¡¯re shameless. Your entire family is shameless!¡± ¡­ The two of them exchanged insults. ¡°I think the eldest son of the Zhou family still has the final say in this matter. Madam Lin, don¡¯t interfere blindly.¡± At this moment, a voice sounded from the crowd which instantly attracted the attention of Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. The girl from the Zhou family has already said that they¡¯re willing to share. You¡¯re from the Liu family and you don¡¯t have any connections to them, so don¡¯t interfere!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It still depends on Miss Zhou. Miss Zhou, you do the talking.¡± Those people were certain that Zhou Xiaoli was a pushover, and so she would not dare to disobey them. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Zhou Xiaoli was stubborn, and super stubborn at that. If one should cross her, it¡¯s clear that the other person would give way first! Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Zhou Xiaoli pretended to be afraid and looked at them timidly. She had a small round face and her almond-shaped eyes were soft. At this moment, she deliberately put on a pitiful look which instantly made the enemy let down their guard. Everyone felt that this person would be easy to bully and manipulate. Wei Chiyu, who had just returned from outside, happened to see this scene. He couldn¡¯t help but recall the scene when he was on the mountain and saw how she had calmly dealt with the two wild boars. In comparison to the girl pretending to be pitiful in front of him¡­ The corner of his mouth twitched. This girl actually had two faces! On the other hand, Liu Liangcai and the village chief immediately stepped up to support Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Little Li, don¡¯t be afraid of them. With Uncle Village Chief around, just say what you think!¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. She bit her lip and said, ¡°If you want my pork, I can give it to you, but I have a condition.¡± Madam Bao did not care at all. ¡°What condition? Tell me!¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°Aunts, I heard from you that everything on the north side of the mountain belongs to all the villagers of Boyu Village.¡± ¡°In other words, be it the trees, grass, or animals on the mountain, they should all belong to the villagers. Is that what you mean?¡± ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s what I meant.¡± Bao Meifang and the others crossed their arms, their faces full of pride. They felt that they had Zhou Xiaoli in their hands, but they did not know that they had in fact, fallen into the trap that Zhou Xiaoli set out. Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± Then, she tapped her chin and said softly, ¡°Yes, then we¡¯ll do as you say. I think that all the villagers¡¯ families have to split anything that we pick from the mountain equally.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason that only our family has to split, right? Therefore, my condition is that everyone must be treated equally and split all things in their house equally. With that, I will agree to share the wild boar with everyone.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice was neither loud or soft, and it did not sound domineering, but everyone present heard it clearly. As soon as these words left her lips, the village chief smiled. ¡°Miss Zhou is quite smart,¡± he thought. He immediately clapped his hands and said, ¡°Yes, I think Miss Zhou is right. There¡¯s a balance to everything. If you want to split the pork equally, then take out everything in your family and share it equally with everyone else!¡± As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned. At this moment, someone raised an objection. ¡°But Village Chief, the wild vegetables and mushrooms we picked aren¡¯t worth sharing. Besides, we¡¯ve already eaten them. How can we split them now?¡± The village chief snorted coldly and said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll convert it all into cash and split it equally.¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli was smiling in her heart, but she did not show it on her face. ¡°I think Uncle Village Chief¡¯s idea is good. Let¡¯s convert it into cash for ease of calculation.¡± she said in a harmless tone. ¡°Oh, right, don¡¯t try to hide it. You have to take them all out, or it won¡¯t be fair. Eh, Grandma, you¡¯re here too.¡± Chapter 20 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Zhou Xiaoli looked at Lai Jinniang and exclaimed in surprise. Then, she smiled harmlessly and said, ¡°Grandma, I remember that last year, when I went up the mountain with the younger cousins, we found bird¡¯s nest. Second Uncle took it to the city and sold it for more than ten taels of silver! Don¡¯t forget to count it in.¡± When those people heard that it was more than ten taels of silver, they instantly looked at Lai Jinniang enviously. ¡°Ah, Mdm Lai, is what your eldest granddaughter said true? Your family found bird¡¯s nest?¡± ¡°Then you have to take it out and we¡¯ll split it equally.¡± ¡­ The villagers known for being lazy and greedy for small gains seemed to have entered heaven at this moment. All of them found Zhou Xiaoli pleasing to the eye and greedily wanted to share more things with others. However, those families who had once found good things from the mountain now wondered if anyone else knew of their findings and if they could hide it for themselves. At the same time, they thought about coveting other people¡¯s finds. Lai Jinniang, who was ¡®sold¡¯ by Zhou Xiaoli, turned pale. Lai Jinniang was anxious and kept denying it. ¡°You, you, what nonsense are you talking about? There¡¯s no bird¡¯s nest. It¡¯s not that easy to get something as precious as bird¡¯s nest. We don¡¯t have it, no!¡± However, the more anxious she was to deny it, the more the people around her felt that something must be up. Some pouted in disdain. ¡°Why, Madam Lai, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to share it with everyone? You were most enthusiastic when we were talking about sharing the pork.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. It can¡¯t be that you can¡¯t bear to part with your own things, right?¡± ¡­ At this moment, Lin Xiujuan snorted and said, ¡°Aiyo, Mdm Bao, don¡¯t just talk about Auntie Lai. Your family found a lot of good things from the mountain as well.¡± ¡°From what I know, your man set a trap on the mountain and caught a yellow wolf last winter. You have to know that yellow wolf fur is the most valuable in winter. Your family must have sold it for at least ten taels of silver too.¡± Old Madam Bao¡¯s face turned green. She regretted showing off in front of Mrs. Lin in the past! However, it would be impossible for her to cough out this money now! ¡°This happened a year ago. The money has long been used up for my son, Wen, to pay school fees!¡± She immediately shouted. None of them were willing, but the notorious lazy hooligans in the village who wanted to take advantage of her were unwilling to give up. They immediately started arguing. Most of the villagers in Boyu Village had been born and raised here for generations. Being so close to the huge mountain, many families had obtained good things in the mountain in the past. As they quarreled, they started to expose each other¡¯s finds. Even the things that the previous generations had obtained from the mountain were revealed. In any case, they were willing to get money from others if they could but at the same time, they were unwilling to let their own family cough out any. Looking at this farce, the village chief cut in at the right time. ¡°Look, look, isn¡¯t it ridiculous! Tell me, isn¡¯t it ridiculous to want to split the resources in the mountains equally?! It¡¯s simply nonsense!¡± ¡°The person who made this suggestion should be charged with inciting trouble and destroying the relationship between neighbors!¡± The village chief had a certain reputation in the village. Now that the village chief was angry, those people shut up. The village chief continued, ¡°How shameful it is? That you all are already at an old age and yet, you¡¯re not even as open-minded as a ten-year-old girl. You are all getting worse as you age!¡± ¡°Miss Zhou just told me that she was lucky to be able to pick up two wild boars. God took pity on her family and gave them a way out.¡± ¡°In order to thank the heavens, she generously offered to use the remaining half of the wild boar to treat everyone to a meal. I saw that the girl was kind-hearted and even said that she can take our share of the pork to treat everyone.¡± ¡°Hmph! From what I see now, forget it. It would be a waste to let some people eat it! This wild boar was picked up by Miss Zhou, so it belongs to Miss Zhou. Let¡¯s see who dares to take it!¡± They were just short of being criticized by the village chief individually. Bao Meifang and the other old women did not dare to say anything more about distributing the pork. When the surrounding villagers heard that they could have had a free meal, they looked at Bao Meifang and the other women unkindly. They started to criticize them in return. The hooligans in the village did not manage to take advantage of the situation and even ¡°lost¡± a free meal. And so, they immediately verbally attacked Old Madam Bao and the others. They were hooligans to begin with. So their words were unpleasant and as they scolded, their emotions went up and they even wanted to hit someone to vent their anger. After being criticized like this, Old Madam Bao and the others could not raise their heads and could only flee. However, not long after they left, the rest of the villagers suddenly heard a few cries of surprise and screams. Everyone looked over and saw a wonder! It turned out that as they were running away, someone tripped over a rock which caused that person to pounce on the person in front. The person in front then pulled the person beside her. Then, as they pushed and pulled, all of the ladies fell! Coincidentally, they fell into the feces pit at the entrance of the village! Because Bao Meifang and Lai Jinniang were at the front of the group, they were pressed into the feces pit by the ladies behind them. The two of them struggled for a long time before standing up from within the pit. However, there were things hanging from their hair and faces. Hmm¡­ It was indescribable. Moreover, Zhou Xiaoli deeply suspected that there was a very high chance that some of it may have entered their mouth¡­ Instantly, she did not feel like having dinner. This turn of events happened too unexpectedly, and the surrounding people did not react in time. In the end, someone could not help but laugh out loud. Only then did the rest of the crowd burst out laughing as well. Bao Meifang and the others felt even more embarrassed at it. They were angry and embarrassed. One by one, they hurriedly tried to crawl out. However, their bodies were covered in feces and it was very slippery. Moreover, the feces pit was deep. Not only did they not manage to crawl out, they became even more miserable when doing it! ¡°Ah!¡± The few of them screamed in the feces pit. ¡°Help! Help! Come and pull us out!¡± Bao Meifang tried to ask for help from the people around her. However, the people around her avoided them for being smelly. They covered their noses and hid far away. No one was willing to help. Seeing Bao Meifang in such a miserable state, Lin Xiujuan felt relieved. The Lu family and the Liu family were constantly at odds with each other. One of the reasons was this feces pit. The Liu family had a piece of land at the entrance of the village and the Lu family dug a feces pit beside their land to make compost. That was their territory and so, it was their freedom to do whatever they wanted. However, what happened was that the Lu family members were very lazy. They dug a feces pit but did not take good care of it. They threw feces into the pit but did not cover it up with soil. Moreover, they had dug a deep pit. Since it was right beside their land, they could easily fall into the pit if they were not careful. More importantly, the Liu family had a young son. If they had brought him to the field, it would be very dangerous for him. For this reason, Lin Xiujuan often talked to the Lu family about this. She told them to cover it with soil to make the compost properly. Otherwise, they can also surround it with a fence to make it safer. However, not only did Bao Meifang not listen, she even said boastfully that this was her family¡¯s feces pit. She could do whatever she wanted and no one else could interfere! Chapter 21 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Her words infuriated Lin Xiujuan. From then on, the two of them were even more at loggerheads. Now, Bao Meifang had actually fallen into the feces pit she dug. Lin Xiujuan could finally vent her anger. She pinched her nose and stood far away as she laughed the loudest. ¡°Hahaha, aiya, evil has its retribution. It¡¯s just not the time for it yet! Bao Meifang, you reap what you sow!¡± Many villagers around them covered their mouths and laughed. One can¡¯t blame the villagers for adding insult to injury. It was just because Bao Meifang had offended so many of them because of this feces pit. When Bao Meifang dug the pit, it was purposely dug beside the roadside to maximize her space, but that made the already narrow road even narrower. This was a busy road used by many villagers. It was fine if they walked, but if they were pushing their cart through, one of the wheels might accidentally fall into the pit. The villagers often went to her house to raise their opinions on it, but this old woman was unreasonable. Therefore, she could not blame others for rubbing salt into the wound. It was only because she had done too many evil things herself. Bao Meifang and the others struggled in the feces pit for half an hour, but no one went to pull them up. In the end, the village chief¡¯s wife sent her eldest daughter-in-law to find the families of those old women to pull them out. After soaking for so long in the pit, they felt that their entire bodies were marinated. They could be considered as walking ¡®biochemical weapons¡¯ and even their families did not dare to approach them. They probably wouldn¡¯t dare to go out on the streets for the time being. Today¡¯s ¡®feces pit retribution¡¯ would also become fodder for the villagers to laugh at. ¡ª- Wei Chiyu, who had witnessed the entire process, laughed. He knew how difficult it was to deal with this Bao Meifang. This time, she failed to gain an advantage over Zhou Xiaoli. As for Zhou Xiaoli, she had only said a few words in a pitiful tone the entire time. Suddenly, he thought of a game he had seen on the mountain a few days ago. Two tigers were competing for territory then. One of them was incomparably ferocious and domineering while the other was clumsy as they fought. At first glance, everyone felt that the clumsy tiger would definitely lose. However, the end result was the opposite. After the powerful tiger got the lead, it began to reveal its flaws. The ¡®clumsy¡¯ tiger suddenly turned on it and nimbly bit it at a vital point. Could this be to play dumb to take advantage of someone? In an instant, Wei Chiyu felt as if he had been enlightened. ¡ª- It was still very troublesome to slaughter the two wild boars. It was not until evening that they were finally done. The village chief said that no one could take these two wild boars. However, Zhou Xiaoli still divided the smaller wild boar into three portions and sent two portions to the village chief¡¯s family and the Liu family respectively. When she saw Zhou Xiaoli bring the pork over, Lin Xiujuan, who had a dark expression on her face, instantly beamed with joy. Zhou Xiaoli shook her head helplessly as she looked at her. Then, she and Zhou Yu brought the pork to the village chief¡¯s house. At this moment, the village chief was sitting in the courtyard and smoking a pipe. When he saw Zhou Xiaoli coming over with the meat, he immediately stood up and said, ¡°Child, why are you so honest? I already said that I don¡¯t want it. Why did you send it over?¡± When Liu Yan heard the voice, she also walked out of the house. ¡°Aiyaya, child, why did you send it over again? You can keep and sell it.¡± Even though the village chief¡¯s family said that Zhou Xiaoli was a kind person for doing so and that she shouldn¡¯t have, they were nonetheless very satisfied with her gift of meat. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Village Chief, don¡¯t reject and listen to me first. You have to keep the pork. Let¡¯s not talk about how Brother Yonggui and Brother Yongfu carried the pigs down the mountain; they also helped me slaughter and process the meat. They did a lot of work.¡± Then, she said in embarrassment, ¡°Also, I have a request to make to Uncle Village Chief. I¡¯m planning to build a house, but there¡¯s no man in charge at home. I¡¯m young and don¡¯t know much about building houses.¡± ¡°I thought of Uncle Village Chief. You are highly regarded in the village, so you must know many good contractors. When the time comes, can you introduce them to me?¡± The village chief knocked on his tobacco pipe and said with a straight face. ¡°Look at you, child. As the village chief, how can I not help you when you come to me for help? Or do you not trust me as the village chief and think that I won¡¯t help you properly if you don¡¯t give me some gifts?¡± Zhou Xiaoli hurriedly waved her hand. ¡°No, no, I trust Uncle Village Chief the most. Uncle Village Chief is the most credible in our entire Boyu Village. However, my mother has taught me since I was young that I can¡¯t think that it¡¯s only right for others to help just because I¡¯m weak.¡± ¡°Moreover, next month is the autumn harvest. Building a house is a big deal and it will cause trouble for Uncle Village Chief. Moreover, in the future, my family will still rely on the Village Chief¡¯s help. This pork is a gift from my entire family. You have to accept it.¡± Since Zhou Xiaoli had said so, the village chief naturally could not refuse any longer. He paused for a moment and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll accept it first.¡± As he spoke, he glanced at his wife. Liu Yan smiled and took over the pork. ¡°Look at this child. Auntie will accept it without hesitation.¡± Then, she asked her eldest daughter-in-law to bring the pork back into the house and said, ¡°Don¡¯t stand on ceremony with us. If you need any help in the future, feel free to look for your uncle.¡± Zhou Xiaoli thanked them politely. Her aim of building a connection with the Village Chief has been achieved, so she bade farewell and left. After Zhou Xiaoli left, the village chief could not help but nod and praise her. ¡°The daughter of the eldest son of the Zhou family is cleverer than Old Zhou¡¯s two sons.¡± After getting the pork, the whole family was very happy. Liu Yan smiled and said, ¡°Of course. Old Zhou¡¯s two sons always come empty-handed when they come to you for help. This young lady looks smart and speaks nicely.¡± Zheng Heping could not help but nod. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s smart and can see things through.¡± When he reprimanded Madam Bao and the others earlier, he said that Zhou Xiaoli was grateful to the heavens and wanted to treat the villagers to a meal. Actually, that was not the case. At that time, he was the one who suggested that she should treat the villagers to a meal. The reason was that he was afraid that the villagers would be jealous of Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s luck and cause trouble for her family behind his back. However, as soon as he mentioned it, he saw the young lady¡¯s troubled expression. She immediately expressed that she did not agree with this method. She said, ¡°Uncle Village Chief, greed can never be satisfied. Not only would this not remove their sense of jealousy, but they will become even more greedy because they have gained from it.¡± ¡°Moreover, I was the one who found the wild boars. The ones who carried it down the mountain were Brother Yonggui, Brother Yongfu and Uncle Liu. What does this have to do with others? Why must I give it to them to eat and to be deemed as wrong for not giving it to them?¡± At that time, he thought that the Zhou family¡¯s daughter was unwilling to share it with the villagers. She was being selfish and greedy at such a young age. Unexpectedly, what Bao Meifang and the others did next made him see how shameless they were. Zhou Xiaoli seemed to be right. ¡ª- Chapter 22 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Zhou Xiaoli had just returned home after delivering the pork when she saw someone standing at their door. After seeing who it was, Zhou Xiaoli was confused at first, but then she slapped her forehead. That¡¯s right, Wei Chiyu had also helped her a lot. She hadn¡¯t thanked him yet. Since he had disappeared after they went down the mountain, Zhou Xiaoli had almost forgotten about him. And now, he had to come looking for her in person; that was a terrible mistake on her part. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoli immediately said, ¡°You came at the right time. I was about to go to your house to thank you. Do you like any particular cut of meat? I¡¯ll cut it out for you.¡± With that, Zhou Xiaoli was about to cut the meat. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± Wei Chiyu stopped Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Take the rest of the meat to the county city and sell it. I can always look for more prey myself.¡± As he spoke, he took out a small, black ceramic bottle from within his clothes and handed it to Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°This is for you.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was confused. ¡°What is this?¡± Wei Chiyu pointed at Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s a medicine for wounds. I just got it from Doctor Feng.¡± So, the reason for his disappearance after coming down the mountain. Was it to go to Dazhuang Village to buy medicine? Zhou Xiaoli was stunned. She looked at the abrasions on her hand. She then waved her hand and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need, no need for it. It¡¯s just minor abrasions from the bark of the tree vine. It¡¯s fine.¡± Wei Chiyu pursed his lips and explained, ¡°It¡¯s useful. I use it often.¡± Zhou Xiaoli wanted to say that it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t believe him that the medicine would be useful, but when she looked up and saw the other party¡¯s amber eyes looking at her with utmost seriousness and sincerity, she swallowed her words of rejection. She reached out to take the medicine bottle. ¡°Then, thank you.¡± Wei Chiyu: ¡°Yes.¡± Neither of them spoke again, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward. Zhou Xiaoli blinked and glanced at the man standing in the courtyard. ¡°Um, you really don¡¯t want pork?¡± Wei Chiyu shook his head. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah, alright.¡± Zhou Xiaoli rubbed the medicine bottle and looked around to ease the awkwardness that had suddenly appeared. However, she was muttering in her heart. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t he leaving yet?¡± she thought. Immediately after, in order to prevent her toes from getting injured from clenching at the dirt ground, Zhou Xiaoli thought of Granny Wang in her previous life. Granny Wang was a social butterfly and she had taught her an all-powerful phrase to start conversations. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Wei Chiyu shook his head again. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Then, shall we eat at my place?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He answered without any hesitation. Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°¡­¡± She had no doubt that this guy was waiting for her to ask this question. She then thought about how Wei Chiyu was living alone at such a young age, and how he had to risk his life on a daily basis to go hunting in the mountains. She looked at the medicine bottle in her hand again. Moreover, he must have been injured often during his hunts. Sigh! What a pitiful person. While Zhou Xiaoli was deep in her thoughts, Wei Chiyu had already entered the courtyard and started working. Zhou Xiaoli was speechless. ¡°¡­ Seems like he has made himself comfortable at home,¡± she thought. Zhang Lan and the two little fellows were quite enthusiastic about Wei Chiyu¡¯s arrival. Especially Zhou Xiaoyu. Wei Chiyu, who went hunting in the mountains every day, was her idol. And she had many questions for him. ¡°Big brother, are there really big tigers on the mountain?¡± ¡°Big brother, have you ever fought a tiger?¡± ¡°Wow, big brother, you must be very powerful. You must know martial arts which are powerful!¡± ¡°Big brother, can you teach me? I want to hunt too. This way, Sis won¡¯t have to work so hard.¡± ¡­ Wei Chiyu chopped firewood as he replied to Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s questions. He was not annoyed at all. In the end, it was only when Zhang Lan called Zhou Xiaoyu away that Wei Chiyu was able to escape from the incessant questioning. Once it was quiet, he couldn¡¯t help but look into the kitchen. Through the window, he could vaguely see Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s figure moving busily in the kitchen. The fragrance of food wafted out together with the steam. For some reason, this made him feel very peaceful and comfortable. After a busy period, it was finally time to eat. No special ingredients were used, just vegetables, steamed buns, and porridge. However, Wei Chiyu ate it all heartily. After the meal, Zhou Xiaoli sent Wei Chiyu off. Once she returned home, she began to think about how she would make the compass. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhang Lan¡¯s exclamations suddenly came from the kitchen. Zhou Xiaoli was so frightened by it that she hurriedly put down her work and rushed into the kitchen. Zhang Lan was hugging Zhou Junjun and wiping her tears. Startled, Zhou Xiaoli asked worriedly, ¡°What happened? What happened?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu was excited. ¡°Sis, Sis, Second Brother spoke, Second Brother spoke!¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Really?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu nodded and said with affirmation. ¡°It¡¯s true. Second Brother and I were washing the dishes just now and Second Brother suddenly called out to Mother. Mother heard it too.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s gaze fell on Zhang Lan. At this moment, Zhang Lan¡¯s hands were trembling from excitement as she hugged Zhou Junjun. ¡°My dear Brother Jun, call me Mother again. Call me again.¡± Zhou Junjun stared at Zhang Lan nervously. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli went forward and pulled Zhang Lan up. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be agitated. You are scaring Brother Jun, let Brother Jun take his time.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Zhang Lan wiped her tears, but there was an excited smile on her face. ¡°I won¡¯t force you anymore. It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡± Zhou Xiaoli walked to Zhou Junjun¡¯s side, squatted down, and rubbed Zhou Junjun¡¯s head. ¡°Brother Jun, don¡¯t be afraid. Relax, take it slow. There¡¯s no hurry.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice was as soft as a feather. ¡°Sister.¡± Suddenly, a slightly awkward voice rang out. His voice was soft, but it entered Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s ears. She was stunned. ¡°Brother Jun?¡± Zhou Junjun moved his mouth and called out again, ¡°Sister.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Zhou Xiaoli looked excited. When Zhang Lan heard her son speak again, tears immediately welled up in her eyes. ¡°Did you hear that? Did you hear that? He spoke, he spoke! Our Brother Jun is not a mute, no.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded heavily. ¡°That¡¯s right, he¡¯s not!¡± Now that Lai Jinniang was gone and Zhou Junjun was no longer terrorized by her every day. Furthermore, she had coaxed him to speak up these days. Coupled with the mental and physical effects of the qi-gathering formation in their room, Zhou Junjun finally opened his mouth to speak again. Although he was not sure of the correct pronunciation and could only say some simple words for now, it was enough to make his family happy! Zhou Junjun walked to Zhang Lan¡¯s side and reached out to wipe the tears on Zhang Lan¡¯s face. ¡°Mother, no, cry.¡± Zhang Lan nodded vigorously and hugged Zhou Junjun. ¡°Mother didn¡¯t cry. Mother is happy, Mother is happy.¡± At this moment, she was extremely glad that she had listened to Zhou Xiaoli and left the Zhou family. It might really be the right choice. Even Zhou Xiaoyu would say, ¡°I¡¯m so happy now. I¡¯m no longer hungry. I have meat to eat and won¡¯t be beaten by granny.¡± Their family was chased out of the Zhou family, but they were living much better than before! After leaving the Zhou family, her eldest daughter, who was despised as a jinx, became extremely lucky. With just one trip up the mountain, she earned enough money to build a house. Zhang Lan also felt that her body was getting better and better every day, and her energy level was higher. Now, Brother Jun has also spoken! The huge stone weighing in her heart was finally gone. She was genuinely happy. ¡ª- Chapter 23 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios On the other side, Wei Chiyu sat on the wall of his house. He looked at the starry sky and listened to the laughter coming from next door. He waited until the light next door went out and the voices died down before he jumped down from the wall. The next day. Due to the successive happy events at home, everyone in the family slept very well. Zhou Xiaoli woke up early in the morning. While she and Zhang Lan prepared breakfast, Zhou Yu carried the one and a half wild boar onto the pushcart. The cart was brought over from Liu Liangcai¡¯s house after they slaughtered the wild boars yesterday. Liu Liangcai left it for Zhou Xiaoli to use since she was going to the county to sell pork the next day. After breakfast, Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu both pushed on the cart to sell the wild boars in the county. After instructing the two of them to be careful, Zhang Lan suddenly thought of something and stopped them again. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± With that, she entered the house. After a while, she walked out with a fishing net. ¡°I just made it yesterday. You can sell it when you go to the county as well.¡± Looking at the well-made fishing net, Zhou Xiaoli was amazed by Zhang Lan¡¯s dexterity. Zhang Lan smiled. ¡°You know how to praise your mother to make her happy. Fish net is not a rare item and the fishermen who often go fishing know how to make it too.¡± Fishermen and fishing. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s heart skipped a beat from excitement. As she was a carp spirit in her previous life, fishes and prawns loved her scent the most. This was also one of the reasons why she could catch fish every time she set the fish basket in the Little Clear River. Zhou Xiaoli asked, ¡°Mother, would the villagers from our village go fishing?¡± Boyu Village was considered a village that was relatively far from the sea. Because of the Little Clear River, there were many fertile fields in their village. Most of the villagers farmed rather than fished. The original host of the body rarely interacted with outsiders, and the Zhou family had fled to this place in the past. The entire family did not know how to swim, and so, they had never gone out to catch fish. As such, Zhou Xiaoli wasn¡¯t too sure about this, so she asked. Zhang Lan nodded. ¡°They would. It¡¯s usually in September or October. That¡¯s when it¡¯s in between harvest periods and basically, every family will go fishing to supplement their family¡¯s income.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s keep this net for ourselves.¡± Zhou Xiaoli had taken charge of all the matters in the family recently, so Zhang Lan listened to her. Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, she agreed. ¡°Alright, then hurry up and leave so you don¡¯t have to rush on the road.¡± Only then did Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu push the cart out of the door. As soon as she went out, she met Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yuanyuan. The two of them were at their door, and were talking to a woman with slanted eyes. It was unknown what they were talking about, but Liu Yuanyuan hid behind Lin Xiujuan coquettishly, her eyes shining and her face had a shy expression on it. When Zhou Xiaoli pushed the cart out of the house, the three of them looked over. Zhou Xiaoli also noticed them. The middle-aged woman couldn¡¯t help but stare at the tall pile stacked on the cart. Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips. Fortunately, before she left the house, she had covered the wild boar with a cloth. Zhou Xiaoli knew that Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yuanyuan didn¡¯t like her getting close, so she didn¡¯t go forward to greet them. She only nodded politely at them and pushed the cart away. Zhu Mingfeng couldn¡¯t help but pursed her lips. She followed Lin Xiujuan into the courtyard and said, ¡°Hmmph, I remember that the last time I came, the courtyard beside your house was deserted?¡± Lin Xiujuan smiled and said, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s like this. It¡¯s because my man was loyal¡­¡± Hence, Lin Xiujuan told her about Zhou Xiaoli and her family¡¯s stay at her second uncle¡¯s house. Zhu Mingfeng didn¡¯t seem to care about this and she replied casually, ¡°Oh, I see. Your husband is a good person.¡± Then, she snorted and narrowed her eyes as if she was stirring up trouble. ¡°Just that, the girl didn¡¯t look to be a smart girl. She saw you and didn¡¯t even know that she should greet you as a sign of respect.¡± Lin Xiujuan, who originally didn¡¯t feel anything, felt that something was indeed amiss after hearing Zhu Mingfeng¡¯s words. She was a little unhappy and began to feel that Zhou Xiaoli was indeed rude to her. Just then, Zhu Mingfeng continued to ask. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s in the cart they were pushing? It looks like it¡¯s full!¡± Lin Xiujuan had yet to recover from her unhappiness and said casually, ¡°Oh, it should be the wild boar.¡± Zhu Mingfeng¡¯s eyes lit up at the mention of a wild boar. ¡°A wild boar? How did she get it?¡± ¡°Well, it was yesterday¡­¡± Lin Xiujuan briefly explained what happened yesterday. ¡°Aiyaya, she managed to find it by chance?¡± Zhu Mingfeng¡¯s face was filled with disbelief. ¡°She¡¯s too lucky!¡± Then, she thought of something and asked, ¡°Your family helped her so much, and yet she didn¡¯t say anything?¡± At the mention of this, Lin Xiujuan¡¯s unhappiness faded a lot. She smiled and said, ¡°Oh, how can that be? She gave us a big piece of pork, the hind leg in fact!¡± At the mention of the big piece of pork, Lin Xiujuan was really happy. ¡°That¡¯s why I had specially invited you over today. When you leave later, take a piece with you to nourish Brother Kun¡¯s body. He studies all day and must be very tired from studying.¡± As Lin Xiujuan spoke, she led Zhu Mingfeng to the kitchen to see the large piece of pork. Hearing that she was able to bring some home, Zhu Mingfeng was overjoyed. However, when she thought of the two big wild boars, she sighed and said, ¡°Future in-laws, it¡¯s not that I want to criticize you, but you¡¯re too kind. She managed to buy you over with just this small piece of meat?¡± ¡°When no one would help them, you took in their entire family. It could be said that you and your husband had saved their lives. That¡¯s such a big favor done! Such a huge favor is only worth this little piece of pork?¡± ¡°Hmph, in my opinion, if she was sensible, she should have given him an entire boar instead of just this little pork leg. It¡¯s like she¡¯s dismissing a beggar.¡± As soon as she said this, the happy expression on Lin Xiujuan¡¯s face gradually faded. When she looked at the pork again, she no longer have the same joy that she had before. Then, she waved her hand as if to end the topic. ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s just a token of their sincerity. It¡¯s not easy for her family either.¡± Although she said that, Lin Xiujuan took Zhu Mingfeng¡¯s words to heart. Zhou Xiaoli, who was deemed as being insensible for no reason, did not go straight to the county after leaving the house. Instead, she stopped in front of Wei Chiyu¡¯s house. Last night, when Wei Chiyu was at her house for dinner, he had asked her to go to the city together to sell the preys. She thought of how Wei Chiyu often went into the city to sell his catch and that he must be very familiar with it. This was her first time going there, and she was unfamiliar with the place. She didn¡¯t know the market and it was highly likely for her to be tricked. Hence, when Wei Chiyu asked her out, she immediately agreed. She got Zhou Yu to stop the cart and prepared to knock on his door. At this moment, the door opened by itself. Wei Chiyu walked out of the courtyard with a fox in his hand. Zhou Xiaoli looked around but did not see any other prey. She could not help but ask, ¡°Is this the only one that you¡¯re selling?¡± Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°There¡¯s also a pheasant. I¡¯ll bring it to you when I get back.¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°¡­¡± This guy had gotten used to treating her as his chef. She couldn¡¯t help but joke, ¡°You¡¯re really taking me for granted. If you want me to cook, you have to pay.¡± Chapter 24 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Alright.¡± Wei Chiyu agreed without hesitation. As he spoke, he took out a brown money bag from his pocket and stuffed it all into Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hands. ¡°There are about five taels of silver inside. I wonder if it¡¯s enough.¡± The money bag was heavy. Five taels of silver was almost enough to build a house in the village and it could be considered a considerable sum. Zhou Xiaoli had a puzzled look on her face. She had money in her hands but why did it feel like she had made herself miserable for it? She hurriedly returned the money bag to him. ¡°Aiya, I was just joking. My family ate some of the prey too. Let¡¯s consider it even.¡± Wei Chiyu did not take it and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you. I don¡¯t need it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was speechless. Treating money like dirt? ¡°Young man, you have such high self-realization. God, please let me meet such a simple-minded person more often,¡± she thought. However, Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Why would you not need it? You can use it to build a house. Were you planning to stay here forever? Also, if you get married in the future, are you going to let your wife live in a pigsty with you?¡± Wei Chiyu had never thought of starting a family. He was stunned by her words. He muttered, ¡°Start a family?¡± At the same time, the rainy night when he slept ¡®with¡¯ Zhou Xiaoli inexplicably appeared in his mind. Instantly, the tips of his ears turned red. When he realized what he had thought of, he felt so ashamed and frustrated that he wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground. How could he be such a beast? She had helped him, but he had, he had¡­ When he looked into Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s clear eyes again, he subconsciously averted his gaze and stuffed the money back into her hands in a panic. ¡°I-I can earn more.¡± ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Let¡¯s go.¡± After saying that, he threw the fox into the pushcart, pulled the handles from Zhou Yu¡¯s grip and pushed the cart forward¡­ Zhou Xiaoli blinked and quickly followed him. She was somewhat baffled by Wei Chiyu¡¯s sudden panic. She suddenly remembered that this was not the modern world. The people here were very conservative. Wei Chiyu must have been shy when she said that he would marry! Looks like he would be easily embarrassed. Zhou Xiaoli, who felt that she had understood the truth, almost laughed out loud. Noticing that Zhou Xiaoli was secretly laughing behind him, Wei Chiyu felt even more embarrassed. Zhou Xiaoli looked at Wei Chiyu, whose ears were extremely red, but he deliberately kept a straight face and pretended to be calm. Zhou Xiaoli felt like teasing him. However, she immediately remembered that he would feel embarrassed easily. If she scared him away, no one would help her sell the wild boar. For the sake of money, Zhou Xiaoli gave up on teasing him for now. She quickly walked to Wei Chiyu¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Hey, are you really giving me all your money? I¡¯ll really accept it. It¡¯s not too late for you to regret it now.¡± Wei Chiyu shook his head. ¡°A man must keep to his word.¡± Money was Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s favorite. In her previous life, when she was in the lotus pond in front of Immortal Tai Yi¡¯s residence, a lot of fairies would throw money at her as they wished for good luck. She saved them all and buried them under the osmanthus tree at the back of the mountain. Hence, she didn¡¯t feel burdened at all to keep this money. She even said, ¡°Alright, so that you can keep your word as a man, I¡¯ll accept it.¡± Noticing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s delighted expression, the corners of Wei Chiyu¡¯s mouth subconsciously curled up. Then, he said, ¡°I can choose what to eat, right?¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded and said bluntly, ¡°Then I want to eat braised carp for lunch.¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°¡­No.¡± Wei Chiyu was stunned. ¡°Why? You just said that I can choose what to eat.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s small face stiffened. There was no room for negotiation. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to cook carp! Other than carp, you can order anything else.¡± Wei Chiyu pursed his lips and sighed in disappointment. ¡°Alright.¡± Suddenly, Zhou Xiaoli thought of the cat in her previous life who had schemed to ¡®eat¡¯ her. After his ¡®conspiracy¡¯ failed, he sat on the ledge and looked at her with this expression. A fish being stared at by a big cat. Think of the psychological trauma of it! ¡°Wei Chiyu also had a pair of amber eyes. Could it be¡­¡± she thought. Zhou Xiaoli felt a chill run down her spine and shook her head. What was she thinking about? She heard that the cat had stolen the Grand Supreme Elder Lord¡¯s immortal pill and was sent to the mortal world to suffer the woes of reincarnation. She would never meet him in this lifetime. However, the cat had something to do with her being able to cross the Dragon Gate and cultivate a human body. Back then, after he stole the elixir pill, the immortal child deity with the Grand Supreme Elder Lord chased him to the lotus pond where she was in. The elixir pill fell out of his mouth and into the lotus pond. Coincidentally, Zhou Xiaoli saw it. She thought it was fish food, and so she swallowed it. However, she was not thankful to him at all. That thieving cat must have wanted to eat the elixir pill to turn into a human so he can enter the water to catch her. ¡ª- Wenshui County was located southwest of Boyu Village. It was about 20 miles away from Boyu Village. They walked on foot and there was stuff in the cart. As such, their speed was slightly slower. They walked for about an hour and a half before reaching the county. The furthest place Zhou Xiaoli had been to was the market in Dazhuang Village. Therefore, this was the first time that Zhou Xiaoli visited Wenshui County. This county was much livelier than the market in Dazhuang Village. The streets were filled with people and carriages. Shops lined both sides of the road, filled with staff hawking their wares to attract customers. Zhou Yu seemed a little nervous seeing so many people out of the blue. Zhou Xiaoli was worried that Zhou Yu would be frightened and run away again, so she pulled Zhou Yu tightly and followed Wei Chiyu. On the way, Wei Chiyu said that he knew the shopkeeper of a restaurant who collected prey. He was a good person and hence, he always sold his prey to him. The few of them passed through the crowd and walked straight to the restaurant. Seeing that it was Wei Chiyu, the waiter immediately ran to call their shopkeeper. Zhou Xiaoli quietly observed the restaurant. It was located in a relatively prosperous area of the county, and the words ¡®First-grade Restaurant¡¯ hung on the plaque at the entrance. The restaurant was doing very well and there was an endless stream of customers. As Zhou Xiaoli observed the bustling crowd, a middle-aged man in his forties walked out of the restaurant with a smile. As soon as he came out, his gaze fell on the cart behind Wei Chiyu. He smiled and said, ¡°Aiyo, that¡¯s a big cart. You¡¯ve hunted a lot of good things this time!¡± Wei Chiyu shook his head and denied, ¡°It¡¯s not mine, it¡¯s my friend¡¯s. Wild boar, do you want it?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Shopkeeper Wang¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that it was a wild boar. ¡°Of course I¡¯ll accept it. This is good stuff!¡± He could not help but look at Zhou Yu. ¡°Brother, you¡¯re amazing. Wild boars are not easy to hunt!¡± Obviously, he had mistaken Zhou Yu as Wei Chiyu¡¯s friend. Zhou Yu immediately grabbed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s clothes nervously. Zhou Xiaoli patted his hand and said with a smile, ¡°Heh, I was just lucky.¡± Chapter 25 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios When Wang Defu first saw Zhou Yu¡¯s reaction, he felt a little strange. Now that a young lady had stepped forward to take charge, he was even more surprised and puzzled at it. However, he quickly realized why it is so. It turned out that there was something wrong with her father. He could not help but feel a trace of sympathy for this little girl. This young lady was not much older than his son. His son only knew how to be naughty and playful, but this young lady was already taking on the responsibility of caring for the family. Zhou Xiaoli was naturally unaware of the shopkeeper¡¯s thoughts. She smiled and continued, ¡°Shopkeeper, there were originally two wild boars. However, the neighbors helped me greatly to carry these two wild boars down the mountain. Hence, I cut one and shared it with the neighbors but there¡¯s still half of it. Do you want it as well?¡± As she spoke, she lifted the white cloth on the pushcart and let the Innkeeper inspect the wild boars. One and a half wild boar laid on the pushcart. The pigs¡¯ hairs had been scraped clean which revealed its white skin. The pigs looked clean and delightful. When he heard that there was an incomplete pig, Wang Fuhai wanted to refuse initially. However, when he saw the wild boar for himself, he immediately had a good impression of it. He sighed and said, ¡°Alright, seeing that you had cleaned it thoroughly, I would have saved myself a lot of trouble to clean it. Moreover, the meat is quite fresh. I¡¯ll take them all!¡± Zhou Xiaoli was overjoyed when she heard that he wanted it, as it saved her the trouble of going to different places to sell. She quickly thanked him, ¡°Thank you, shopkeeper. You¡¯re really kind.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Wang Defu laughed. ¡°Young lady, you flatter me. We¡¯re businessmen. Isn¡¯t it all about making friends?¡± Wang Defu stroked the beard on his chin as he spoke. ¡°Hmm, how about this? Since you were introduced by Chiyu, we are friends. I¡¯ll give you a good price. How about 80 copper coins per kilogram?¡± The current price of domestic pigs on the market ranged from 36 to 40 copper coins per kilogram. Wild boars were usually twice as expensive as domestic pigs. The price of 80 copper coins per kilogram was indeed very good. Zhou Xiaoli naturally agreed to the price and thanked him. Since the price was agreed on, the shopkeeper called a few waiters over to weigh it. A wild boar and a half weighed a total of 284 kilograms, which would be 22 taels and 720 copper coins. The shopkeeper took a look at the pig offal of the two pigs and decided to take it as well. He gave them 400 copper coins for it. In this era, pig offal was worthless as rich families did not eat pig offal. The market price of a kilogram of pig offal was only about 10 copper coins. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoli had no objections to the shopkeeper giving her 400 copper coins for it. In total, it was 23 taels and 120 copper coins. Wang Defu counted the money and handed it to Zhou Xiaoli. He smiled and said, ¡°If you have any prey moving forward, you can send them to me.¡± Zhou Xiaoli replied with a smile, ¡°Of course, of course. You are an honest and kind person. Shopkeeper, your business will definitely become more and more popular.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Everyone loves to hear flattering words, especially for those who do business. Wang Defu laughed when he heard her words. ¡°Hey, Chiyu, this girl is much better at talking than you.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°Yes, she has a sweet mouth.¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± Wang Defu: ¡°Alright, alright. Thank you for your blessings.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was telling the truth. She had come to this conclusion based on Wang Defu¡¯s appearance. He was a man of riches and honor, especially after he reached middle age. He would have benefactors in his life. As they spoke, the waiters had already carried the wild boars into the kitchen. Wang Defu looked around and saw that there was no other prey, so he asked, ¡°Hey, Chiyu, you don¡¯t have any prey to sell today?¡± Wei Chiyu shook his head. ¡°Next time.¡± Looking at Wang Defu¡¯s attitude, Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but be curious. ¡°Shopkeeper, you¡¯ve collected so much prey already. Would you be unable to sell it? Wang Defu waved his hand. ¡°No, no. Game meat is easy to sell. The wild boar you sent over has already been reserved by Young Master Tan. There¡¯s a wild boar banquet tonight.¡± ¡ª- After leaving First-Grade Restaurant, the three of them went to the leather shop. Wei Chiyu sold the fox skin and received twenty taels of silver. Wei Chiyu often came to the county to do business, so he was very familiar with the county. After selling the leather goods, Zhou Xiaoli asked Wei Chiyu to show her around the county. They went to the pharmacy first where Zhou Xiaoli asked the doctor to take Zhou Yu¡¯s pulse. In fact, she had a rough understanding of Zhou Yu¡¯s physical condition. However, in the eyes of outsiders, she did not have any medical skills. Especially since with Wei Chiyu around, it would be better to follow normal procedure to avoid suspicions. After the doctor took his pulse, Zhou Xiaoli asked, ¡°Doctor, how is my father?¡± The doctor sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not good. You have delayed it too long. There¡¯s a blockage in the cranium and it has never cleared. Taking medicine alone would not solve the issue.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was not surprised. She knew this, so she continued to ask, ¡°Is there a cure?¡± The doctor stroked his beard. ¡°If we use acupuncture, we might be able to clear the clotted blood. However, we have to be very careful with the acupuncture and especially when hitting the cranial acupoint. If we¡¯re not careful, it will make things worse.¡± This was also the reason why Zhou Xiaoli brought Zhou Yu here. She was not very proficient in medicine, so she did not dare to do acupuncture directly. Zhou Xiaoli asked, ¡°Then, doctor, can you treat him?¡± The doctor shook his head. ¡°However, I know someone who should be able to treat it. It¡¯s Master Yuan.¡± ¡°However, Master Yuan has not appeared since six years ago. No one knows where he is now.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and did not insist further. She only asked the doctor to help her keep an eye on any news regarding Master Yuan. She also purchased some medicine for Zhang Lan. It was the same prescription that she wrote earlier, but with two new ingredients. Zhang Lan needed to replenish her qi and blood. If she could include ginseng into her prescription, the effect would be even better. However, the price of ginseng was too expensive. 30 taels of silver for 100 grams of ginseng and what¡¯s more, this pricing is for ginseng of an inferior quality. To get ginseng of a good quality, it would be 80 taels of silver for 100 grams of ginseng. Zhang Lan needed 10 grams of ginseng a day and hence, they would need to spend three taels of silver a day just on ginseng. However, ginseng could be replaced with astragalus and codonopsis. The effect of the two would be the same as ginseng. More importantly, the price would be much cheaper. One could get 100 grams of codonopsis for just seven and a half taels of silver. She spent 11 taels of silver to get seven days¡¯ worth of medicine. Coupled with the doctor¡¯s consultation fee for Zhou Yu, they spent a total of 12 taels of silver. After buying the medicine, Wei Chiyu led Zhou Xiaoli to the grain store. The price of grain in the county was slightly more expensive than in the market. Rice was sold at 21 copper coins per hopper whereas wheat was sold at 15 copper coins per hopper. In the end, they bought five hoppers of millet, 10 hoppers of rice, and 20 hoppers of wheat, as well as a few seasonings and dried goods. A total of one tael of silver. After that, they went to the blacksmith shop and bought an iron wok, a kitchen knife, a pair of scissors, and a hoe. That came to two taels of silver. After buying everything, the three of them bought four crispy biscuits for lunch, and returned home. It was evening by the time they reached home. It took them eight hours to make the entire trip and out of it, four hours were spent on walking. Their feet were sore. This made Zhou Xiaoli extremely eager to get a carriage or at the very least, a donkey cart. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t afford it just yet¡­ Chapter 26 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios When the three of them returned to the village, Lin Xiujuan, Old Madam Ma, who lived next door to the Liu family, and Old Madam Ma¡¯s daughter-in-law were sitting under a tree at the door. They were holding their bowls in their hands while chatting. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli had returned with a cart full of things, Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law widened their eyes, wanting to see what was in the cart. However, Zhou Xiaoli had covered the cart tightly with a cloth, so they couldn¡¯t see anything try as they might. Unwilling to give up, Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law walked over with their bowls. ¡°Eh, isn¡¯t this the daughter of the eldest Zhou son? She¡¯s back from selling the pigs. Aiyo, this is amazing. She bought such a big cart of things. She must have earned a lot of money!¡± As they spoke, the two of them moved closer to Zhou Xiaoli and reached out to lift the white cloth covering the cart. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s brows furrowed, and her face was filled with displeasure. She grabbed their hands and said coldly, ¡°What are you doing!¡± Old Madam Ma did not feel that her actions were wrong at all. ¡°Child, why are you so petty? You¡¯ve already earned a lot of money. Let me see what good things you¡¯ve bought,¡± she said in a self-righteous manner. It was known by all that Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law have bad habits. One loved to gossip about others and was famous for being a ¡®loudspeaker¡¯ in the village. The other was someone who wanted to take advantage of everything and anything. The two of them were most enthusiastic in supporting Old Madam Bao in her demand for them to share the pork equally yesterday. At this moment, they insisted on looking at the things in her cart and it was clear that they wanted to take the chance to take advantage of her. Would Zhou Xiaoli let them have their way? Of course not. ¡°What does it have to do with you as to how much I have earned? What I buy has nothing to do with you as well. Why do you care so much?¡± She retorted immediately. ¡°Aiyaya, look, look, look. This girl is so good at talking back now!¡± Old Madam Ma started shouting. ¡°Yesterday, she was still calling me auntie and acting pitiful. Today, because she had earned a lot of money, she had changed her attitude to one of being snobbish!¡± As she spoke, she placed her bowl on the ground and pulled up her sleeves. ¡°Hmph, let¡¯s see how powerful you can be. You don¡¯t want to let us see but I insist! Let¡¯s see what you can do!¡± As she spoke, Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law moved. One grabbed Zhou Xiaoli, and the other started to pull things out of the cart without any hesitation. At this moment, Wei Chiyu was still supporting the pushcart. When he saw that the two women made a move, he freed one hand and grabbed Old Madam Ma by her arm. When Wei Chiyu returned, he had a straw hat on. Also, Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law were so intent on uncovering the contents of the cart that they did not notice who was pushing the cart. At this moment, Old Madam Ma thought that it was Zhou Yu and was about to scold, ¡°You fool¡­¡± However, as soon as she opened her mouth, her eyes met a pair of amber eyes that carried a hint of dangerous coldness, sending a chill down her spine. Old Madam Ma was so frightened that she stuttered. ¡°De¡­ Demon¡­¡± Because Wei Chiyu had kidnapped the son of the Lu family and threatened to roast him previously, many villagers said that Wei Chiyu must have eaten a lot of people in the past. Behind his back, everyone said that he was a man-eating evil spirit, the reincarnation of a demon. Now that she suddenly met Wei Chiyu face-on, Old Madam Ma was terrified. As for Old Madam Ma¡¯s daughter-in-law, Madam Cui, she did not realize that her mother-in-law was frightened. As she pushed Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu away, she desperately tried to dig out the things on the cart. She kept shouting, ¡°Aiya, Mother, it¡¯s pea filling. Brother Xiang loves it!¡± Brother Xiang was her son. As she spoke, she even pinched a piece of it and placed it in her mouth. She then went to dig for other things. As soon as she found anything that was edible, she would stuff it into her mouth without hesitation. This time, Zhou Xiaoli was really angry. She simply ignored her and pulled Zhou Yu to the side. She allowed her to dig around and turned to Zhang Lan and the two little fellows who had run out of the courtyard when they heard the commotion. ¡°Brother Jun! Go, follow your Brother Chiyu to the county to find the police! Ask them to come to our Boyu Village to catch thieves and bandits!¡± As soon as these words were spoken, Old Madam Ma¡¯s daughter-in-law, Madam Cui, finally stopped pulling things out of the cart. ¡°Thief? Bandit? No, Sister Li, who are you talking about? How can there be thieves and robbers in our village?¡± she said with uncertainty in her voice. As soon as Old Madam Ma heard that they were going to call the police, she couldn¡¯t care less about her fear of Wei Chiyu. She said, ¡°Yes, yes. How can there be thieves and robbers? Don¡¯t joke around.¡± Zhou Xiaoli snorted and said coldly, ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m not joking. Didn¡¯t your mother teach you when you were young that taking other people¡¯s things without permission is considered as stealing and robbing?¡± ¡°What you¡¯re doing now are typical behaviors of a thief and robber!¡± Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law immediately resisted. ¡°No, child, I thought you looked quite smart? We¡¯re all neighbors and we¡¯re just here to take a look. How did we become thieves?¡± Madam Cui nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes, we didn¡¯t steal. We just wanted to take a look.¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not back down and instead, pressed forward. ¡°Look? Is that how you look at the cart? Look at what you¡¯ve done. Let me tell you, this is a crime scene. It¡¯s physical evidence! Also, we all saw you eat the food earlier. We are all witnesses to it. You can¡¯t deny it!¡± On the other side, Wei Chiyu also said, ¡°Brother Jun, come over quickly. Let¡¯s find the police now!¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Zhou Junjun quickly ran to Wei Chiyu¡¯s side. As the two of them spoke, they prepared to head into the county again. Everyone was shocked by the mention of the police. No one noticed that Zhou Junjun could speak. As for Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law, they were now sure that Zhou Xiaoli was serious. They were frightened and hurriedly went to stop her. However, they were also afraid of Wei Chiyu¡¯s reputation as a demon, so they quickly cried out loud and asked the villagers standing around to help speak up. ¡°No, you can¡¯t report it to the police¡­¡± Lin Xiujuan, who had been watching the show, said symbolically, ¡°No, of course not. We¡¯re all neighbors and we would meet often.¡± The other neighbors who were watching the commotion also started to chime in. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re all neighbors. Don¡¯t make it so ugly.¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not back down at all. She seemed to be the domineering one as Old Madam Ma and Madam Cui cried and acted pitiful in front of her. She immediately started crying as well. Pretending to be the victim and weakling? Who didn¡¯t know how to do that? She flung her handkerchief away and covered her mouth as she started sobbing. ¡°I know. My father can¡¯t give me support and so, they can bully us just because there¡¯s no man in charge of my family.¡± ¡°If it were anything else, I wouldn¡¯t have said anything. I¡¯ll just endure it and let it pass. However, my mother¡¯s body is weak and we can¡¯t stop her medication. It¡¯s not easy for a weak woman like me to support the family.¡± ¡°Finally the heavens took pity on me and allowed me to have the money to buy medicine for my mother. However, not only did they open my mother¡¯s life-saving medicine, but they also threw it everywhere. This is not only stealing, but also harming her life in a way. They want our family to die.¡± Chapter 27 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios With Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, everyone looked at the scene again and saw a few torn packets of medicine scattered on the cart. Compared to Old Madam Ma¡¯s dry howls of nothing, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s tears attracted more sympathy from the villagers. Immediately, many villagers felt that Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law had indeed gone too far. ¡°Madam Ma, this is your fault. Why were you so curious about the medicine she bought? Why do you have to go and take a look?¡± ¡­ Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law felt ashamed and resentful after being criticized by the villagers, but they still did not feel that they were in the wrong. Zhou Xiaoli snorted coldly and insisted on reporting the matter to the police. In the end, even the village chief was alarmed. He always had a good impression of this little girl, Zhou Xiaoli and so, even before he knew what had happened, he had sided with Zhou Xiaoli unconsciously. He was worried that her family would be bullied because there was no man in charge. Now that he heard what had happened, he became angrier. He pointed at Old Madam Ma and scolded, ¡°You old woman, what should I say?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fact that you and your daughter-in-law spoiled someone else¡¯s medicine. Now that the Zhou family¡¯s daughter wants to report you to the police, it¡¯s reasonable. Why are you crying?¡± Hearing the village chief¡¯s words, Old Madam Ma and Mdm Cui were completely flustered. They said repeatedly, ¡°Village chief, you can¡¯t report it to the police. We really didn¡¯t do it on purpose. We thought that it was food. We know our mistakes now.¡± ¡°You thought that it was food? Do you think you can open other people¡¯s things just because it¡¯s food?¡± The village chief maintained his poker face. ¡°Besides, what¡¯s the use of apologizing to me? It¡¯s not my medicine that was spoiled,¡± he then said in a matter-of-fact tone. The two of them quickly turned to apologize to Zhou Xiaoli. Zhou Xiaoli listened, but remained unmoved. At this moment, the village chief spoke again. ¡°Since ancient times, it¡¯s only right and proper to repay a debt. Madam Ma, your daughter-in-law spoiled the Zhou family¡¯s medicine, so it¡¯s only right that you compensate her for it.¡± Seeing that the topic has changed to compensation, Zhou Xiaoli immediately said, ¡°Uncle Village Chief is wise. That¡¯s true. If Auntie Ma is willing to compensate me for the medicine, I¡¯m willing to let it go too.¡± Hearing that Zhou Xiaoli had finally relented, Old Madam Ma heaved a sigh of relief and agreed readily. ¡°Alright, alright, compensate. We¡¯ll compensate. Tell me, how much does this cost?¡± Zhou Xiaoli looked at it and said, ¡°One dose of the medicine costs 3 taels and 71 copper coins. You¡¯ve ruined four doses of medicine in total. Hmm, how about this? I¡¯ll suffer some losses, and you can give me 12 taels and 200 copper coins.¡± As soon as these words left her lips, Old Madam Ma almost jumped up. Her eyes widened as she pointed at Zhou Xiaoli and shouted, ¡°You¡¯re extorting me on purpose! What kind of medicine is that? It¡¯s so expensive!¡± She turned around and ran to look for the village chief. ¡°Village chief, you saw it too. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to admit my mistake, but this girl from the Zhou family is black-hearted. She wants to force me to my death!¡± The village chief was also conflicted, but he did not say anything. Instead, he looked at Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhou Xiaoli snorted coldly and said loudly, ¡°What kind of medicine? Let me tell you, there¡¯s 10 grams of ginseng in this medicine! This medicine was put together by the doctor in the county and even the lowest-grade ginseng costs 30 taels of silver per kilogram. 10 grams of ginseng would be 3 taels of silver!¡± ¡°The other medicines add up to 71 copper coins. I asked you for 84 copper coins less, but you turned around and accused me of extortion instead. Who was the one forcing the other party to their death?¡± When she heard that there was ginseng inside, Old Madam Ma felt guilty for a moment, but then she became firm in her stand again. ¡°Don¡¯t try to trick me. Do you think you can get ginseng just because you say so? With your family¡¯s conditions, would you be willing to buy ginseng? You¡¯re lying! I think you¡¯re just trying to extort money!¡± Thinking that she had exposed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s lie, Old Madam Ma was extremely smug. ¡°Heh, that¡¯s right! I¡¯m blackmailing you!¡± Zhou Xiaoli sneered in her heart. She was confident that Old Madam Ma could not differentiate between ginseng and codonopsis, so she straightened her back and fired back in a righteous tone. ¡°This medicine is to save my mother. I¡¯m willing to spend any amount of money to save her. I sold the wild boar for 21 taels of silver today and I used all of it to buy medicine for my mother. Can¡¯t I?!¡± ¡°Since you¡¯ve said so, let¡¯s report it to the police. There must be someone in the government office who recognizes this medicine. When the time comes, we¡¯ll know if it¡¯s real or fake. Just wait to be taken to jail!¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Wei Chiyu grabbed Old Madam Ma and started running. ¡°Let¡¯s just drag her to the police.¡± As he spoke, he pulled her out of the village. Old Madam Ma was completely flustered. She cried and shouted that she did not want to go to the police. Madam Cui pulled on Old Madam Ma¡¯s other hand to stop her from being pulled away and cried uncontrollably. Wei Chiyu acted as if he didn¡¯t see them cry. He said coldly, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see the police, compensate the Zhou family with money then.¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll give it to you, alright?¡± In order not to see the police, Old Madam Ma gritted her teeth and finally agreed. But then she said, ¡°But, my family doesn¡¯t have that much money. Can we take it slow? I¡¯ll gather the money slowly.¡± Slowly? How was that possible? With Old Madam Ma¡¯s character, she would not believe that she would return it all if she allowed them to pay slowly. Zhou Xiaoli immediately refused. ¡°No, you have to give it to me now. My mother is still waiting for the money to use the medicine!¡± Old Madam Ma sat on the ground and slapped her thighs as she cried. ¡°But my family really doesn¡¯t have that much money. Aiyo, is she trying to take my life?!¡± Madam Cui was also extremely flustered. She stood beside Old Madam Ma and cried. ¡°Mother, what should we do?¡± Old Madam Ma, who had nowhere to vent her anger, immediately found an outlet to vent when she saw her daughter-in-law. She got up from the ground and slapped Madam Cui¡¯s face. ¡°You jinx, you prodigal. You know that it¡¯s medicine just by opening one bag. You opened four bags in a row. Do you want to die?! I¡¯ll beat you to death, you prodigal,¡± she scolded. As she spoke, she slapped Madam Chui¡¯s body repeatedly. Old Madam Ma did not hold back at all. She hit Madam Cui until she hugged her head and begged for mercy. The scene was chaotic. ¡°Alright, alright!¡± At this moment, the village chief frowned and stopped Old Madam Ma. He said impatiently, ¡°If you want to discipline your daughter-in-law, go back home and do it behind closed doors. What are you doing on the streets right now?!¡± Old Madam Ma was indignant after being criticized by the village chief again, but she did not dare to scold Madam Cui anymore. The village chief then said, ¡°Your family must compensate. If you don¡¯t have money, then compensate with your valuables!¡± Old Madam Ma wanted to stall for time and not not want to pay at all. She cried and said, ¡°But, but my house doesn¡¯t have anything valuable.¡± At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded from the crowd to expose Old Madam Ma. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s right, Madam Ma, didn¡¯t your family just buy a donkey two weeks ago? If you really can¡¯t pay cash, use the donkey to repay the debt then.¡± Domestic animals like donkeys, horses, and cows were usually very expensive. Ordinary families could not afford them at all and in their village, only the Lu family had a donkey. Two weeks ago, Old Madam Ma¡¯s family had also bought one. They often flaunted it on the streets and were extremely arrogant. Old Madam Wang was the one who exposed her. Two days ago, she carried a small bag of rice to Old Madam Ma¡¯s house as a gift, in hopes of borrowing her donkey. At that time, Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law felt that the rice she had brought was too little. Not only did they not lend their donkey to her, but they had also mocked her for it. It was obvious that she had now exposed her on purpose. When Old Madam Ma heard someone mention her donkey, her eyes widened and she had a bad feeling. Chapter 28 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Indeed, what she was worried about happened in the next second. The village chief said, ¡°Yes, this is also a solution. Madam Ma, if your family can¡¯t fork out so much money at once, use the donkey as compensation to the Zhou family then. Give them two old hens as well.¡± ¡°What!¡± Old Madam Ma jumped up from the ground in disbelief. ¡°You want me to give her the donkey and two old hens?¡± Because she was too astounded at what she heard, Old Madam Ma¡¯s voice turned sharp. At this moment, Madam Cui had also forgotten to cry. Her mind was filled with thoughts that they were going to lose her donkey and hens. The village chief was no longer patient and took on a much harsher tone of voice. ¡°You darn woman, you really don¡¯t know anything! A donkey is worth about 8000 copper coins, and a hen is only worth about 400 copper coins. All of this combined is not even enough to repay the Zhou family¡¯s medical fees!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t even know if the Zhou family would be willing to accept this arrangement, and yet you are the first to object!¡± Zhou Xiaoli said at the right time, ¡°Uncle Village Chief, everyone is very busy. I don¡¯t want to waste everyone¡¯s time.¡± Moreover, we¡¯re from the same village after all and we¡¯ll see each other often. I¡¯m willing to suffer a little loss. I¡¯ll just have the donkey and two hens as compensation.¡± Zhou Xiaoli spoke as if she was a righteous person, but Old Madam Ma was so angry that she almost vomited blood. When the village chief looked at Zhou Xiaoli, his expression became much kinder. When he turned to Old Madam Ma, his expression darkened again. ¡°Listen, listen. She doesn¡¯t even want to argue about it anymore. How old are you? And yet, you¡¯re not even as sensible as a ten-year-old girl!¡± ¡°Everyone is very busy and we don¡¯t have time to argue with you! If you don¡¯t want to give it to them, you can go straight to the police then.¡± Old Madam Ma originally wanted to make a scene to waive the compensation in a shameless manner. At this moment, Old Madam Ma¡¯s man, Zheng Guanghu, finally couldn¡¯t sit still and walked out of his house. When he came out, he first scolded Old Madam Ma with a cold expression. Then, he said to the village chief, ¡°Village Chief, this is indeed that silly woman¡¯s fault. My family is willing to compensate.¡± Only then did the village chief nod in satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s right. As a person, you have to be reasonable.¡± Finally, with Old Madam Ma¡¯s and Madam Cui¡¯s cries, Zhou Xiaoli returned home with a donkey lead in her left hand and two chickens in her right. This farce finally came to an end. Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law, who had been taken on a ride, avoided Zhou Xiaoli like the plague whenever they saw her in the future. They hated her and were afraid of her at the same time. However, at this moment, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were still making a scene in their courtyard. During this period, they also did not fail to curse Zhou Xiaoli. Their yells could be heard clearly even with the Liu family courtyard in between the two families. Zhou Xiaoli, on the other hand, did not care at all. She was enjoying her spoils of war. On her way back home, she was still thinking that it would be good if they had a donkey. Now, the opportunity came knocking on her door and she also got two old hens for nothing. At this moment, Wei Chiyu suddenly leaned over. ¡°Happy?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Zhou Xiaoli patted the donkey and said happily, ¡°With it, it will be much easier to enter the county in the future.¡± After a while, she did not hear Wei Chiyu¡¯s voice. Zhou Xiaoli looked up at him and saw him looking at her. She couldn¡¯t help but raise her eyebrows. ¡°Why? Do you think I went overboard?¡± Wei Chiyu shook his head and said seriously, ¡°No, I think you did the right thing. People like them should be taught a lesson. Otherwise, they¡¯ll think that you¡¯re easy to bully and would dare to do it again. If it were me, I would take more than just the donkey.¡± Zhou Xiaoli looked at the young man in front of her and laughed unconsciously. Wei Chiyu was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°No, no. What you said is just as I thought.¡± Zhou Xiaoli stopped smiling. ¡°It¡¯s just that this is the first time I¡¯ve seen you say such a long sentence. I thought you didn¡¯t know how to say long sentences.¡± After being teased, Wei Chiyu was a little embarrassed. ¡°Yes, is that so? Then I¡¯ll say more in the future?¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh. ¡°Pfft! I didn¡¯t realize that you were so cute.¡± This time, Wei Chiyu¡¯s ears turned red and he kept quiet with a straight face. Seeing this, Zhou Xiaoli leaned in to look at his expression. ¡°Why? Are you angry?¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s sudden approach startled Wei Chiyu and he couldn¡¯t keep a straight face anymore. ¡°Who would praise a grown man cute?¡± he said as he pursed his lips. The more he acted like this, the more Zhou Xiaoli wanted to tease him. She could not help but spread out her hands in mock exasperation. ¡°How old are you? You haven¡¯t even reached adulthood. You can only be considered a boy and not a man. Moreover, girls like cute boys.¡± Wei Chiyu: ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯ll leave first.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and left. His quick footsteps gave people the feeling that he was actually fleeing from the scene. Zhou Xiaoli held back her laughter and shouted, ¡°Hey, no, you¡¯re leaving just like that? Aren¡¯t you staying for dinner? You gave me money before, so I won¡¯t return it even if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s slightly messy footsteps paused. In the end, he said that he would come back later and left the courtyard. Due to the conflict with Old Madam Ma, dinner was delayed for a long time. When they finally sat down to eat, the sky was already dark and by the time they finished eating, the sky was completely dark. Wei Chiyu didn¡¯t stay for long and he left straight after eating. Zhou Xiaoli lit a kerosene lamp and used the weak light to sort out the messy medicine that was dismantled by the Cui family. Four packets of medicine were re-packed into three packets. Zhou Xiaoli did not tell Zhang Lan that it was not ginseng, but codonopsis. Seeing how she re-packed the medicine made Zhang Lan¡¯s heart ache. ¡°Even if the amount doesn¡¯t add up, the medicine would still have some effect. Don¡¯t throw it away; I can still drink it after it is cooked.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mother. I¡¯ll get more medicine after you have finished it. I still have money and besides, we can always earn more.¡± ¡°Look at you, the way you said about earning money, it was as though it is as easy as picking up cabbages.¡± Zhang Lan teased. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and took out the money she had on her. ¡°Dang dang dang. Mother, look, we still have more than eight taels left from selling the pigs.¡± ¡°Why is there still so much money left!¡± Zhang Lan¡¯s eyes instantly widened. She had never seen so much money in her life, especially silver taels. Her hands trembled as she touched the money. The two little fellows ran over and looked at the silver pieces. Their mouths were wide open as they started counting. At this moment, Zhang Lan suddenly thought of something and could not help but ask curiously, ¡°Hey, something¡¯s not right. Didn¡¯t you say that the pigs were sold for 22 taels today and everything was used to buy stuff?¡± Zhou Xiaoli laughed, ¡°Mother, I was lying to them. This is called not revealing your wealth in front of others.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. You¡¯re right.¡± Zhang Lan paused and nodded repeatedly. Her eyes could not help but be filled with pride. ¡°Mother¡¯s Little Li is getting smarter and smarter.¡± Zhang Lan did not know how to count and she believed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words without a doubt. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°Mother, that¡¯s not all. Wei Chiyu will be eating at our house from now on. He even gave me five taels of silver for it.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Zhang Lan was stunned. ¡°That won¡¯t do. Little Wei¡¯s life is also very difficult. How can you ask him for money? You should return it to him tomorrow.¡± Chapter 29 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After thinking for a while, Zhang Lan still felt that it was inappropriate. ¡°No, I don¡¯t feel at ease. Why don¡¯t you return it to him now?¡± As she spoke, she stood up. Zhou Xiaoli hurriedly pulled Zhang Lan back. ¡°Hey, Mother, Mother, don¡¯t be anxious. Listen to me. Actually, Wei Chiyu is richer than us. He sold his fox skin for 20 taels of silver today.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Zhang Lan was shocked. Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Of course, why would I lie to you? Besides, from my understanding of Wei Chiyu, if we insist on returning the money to him, he will definitely be too embarrassed to come to our house to eat. He¡¯s alone and doesn¡¯t know how to cook, so he can only drink water and eat steamed buns every day. How pitiful.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said with certainty. Zhang Lan hesitated. ¡°This¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli patted her chest and said proudly, ¡°Moreover, your daughter¡¯s cooking is so delicious. She¡¯s a master chef. A beautiful chef that¡¯s rare to come by. Five taels of silver is too cheap for her service.¡± Pfft! Zhang Lan was instantly amused by Zhou Xiaoli. She reached out with her hand and tapped Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s nose as she said dotingly, ¡°You¡¯re really boastful to praise yourself like this. Alright, let¡¯s keep this money for now and make more of Chiyu¡¯s favorite foods in the future. If he needs money urgently, we¡¯ll return it to him then.¡± Zhang Lan was used to being careful and she would not bear to take advantage of others at all. She would feel deeply uneasy if she took advantage of others. Zhou Xiaoli responded with a smile. Then, she asked, ¡°Oh, right. Mother, take this money first.¡± Zhang Lan immediately refused. ¡°No, no, I¡¯ve never received so much money before. Besides, I don¡¯t care about money or anything. What if I lose it again? No, no.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better for you to keep it. Also, don¡¯t just think about our family. Think about yourself more. You have to save some money so that you can bring it as part of your dowry in the future. When I recover, I¡¯ll go out and earn more money for you too.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was speechless. ¡°Mother, isn¡¯t it too early to be thinking about dowry?¡± ¡°Not at all, not at all.¡± Zhang Lan stuffed all the money into Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hands and said earnestly, ¡°Others have saved for their daughters since they were born. It¡¯s because I¡¯m not capable of saving up for you.¡± ¡°Women aren¡¯t as comfortable in their husband¡¯s home as they would be at their own home. If you have more dowry with you, you can be more confident in front of your husband¡¯s family.¡± Seeing that Zhang Lan started to delve deeper about marriage, Zhou Xiaoli quickly ended the topic. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep the money first.¡± Anyway, this money would be spent on the entire family. It didn¡¯t matter who had it for now. As they chatted, they talked about the donkey and the old hens. Zhang Lan told Zhou Yu to build a barn for the donkey tomorrow. Zhou Xiaoli nodded as she sat beside the oil lamp to carve her compass. ¡°Yes, and those two hens are still laying eggs. Let¡¯s go to the next market and buy a rooster. We can have chicks in the future then.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun were dozing off on the bed. When they heard this, they immediately raised their heads and their eyes lit up. ¡°Sis, Sis, Second Brother said that chickens lay eggs, and chickens come from eggs. Will our family have many, many chickens in the future?¡± Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Yes, yes, you have an endless supply of chicken.¡± Zhang Lan also smiled until her eyes were just crescents. ¡°I think it¡¯s fine. Oh, right, when the time comes, I¡¯ll cut some cloth and buy some cotton too. It¡¯ll be autumn soon. While I¡¯m feeling better now, we¡¯ll have to prepare winter clothes and quilts for our family.¡± When they were chased out of the old Zhou family courtyard, they had only brought along with them a few pieces of clothing and a set of yellowing quilt. Zhou Xiaoli nodded and memorized everything she said. ¡ª- The next morning, the sky was clear and refreshing. After breakfast, Zhou Yu carried a few pieces of wood to build a straw shed for the donkey. Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun ran to the back of the house to pluck grass for the donkey to eat. As for Zhou Xiaoyu, she left the house with a bag of pastries. As soon as she stepped out of the door, she saw Wei Chiyu walking out of his courtyard with rabbit fur in his hands. Zhou Xiaoli was still curious. ¡°Hey, Wei Chiyu, I thought you didn¡¯t want to build a house. What made you change your mind?¡± When they were having breakfast earlier, Wei Chiyu heard from Zhou Xiaoli that she was going to the village chief to discuss the purchase of land to build a house, and he said that he wanted to tag along. Wei Chiyu glanced at Zhou Xiaoli and said, ¡°I think what you said yesterday makes sense.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was stunned for a moment before she realized that he was referring to the matter of building a house and getting a wife. She almost laughed out loud. Coughing to hold back her laughter, Zhou Xiaoli patted Wei Chiyu¡¯s shoulder in a serious manner, as if she was an elderly giving advice. ¡°Alright, alright. It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve thought it through. Let¡¯s go then.¡± The two of them chatted as they walked towards the village chief¡¯s house. When the two of them arrived, they saw the village chief feeding quails in his courtyard. After hearing their intentions, he smiled and led them into the house. After entering the house, Zhou Xiaoli placed the pastries on the table. ¡°Uncle Village Chief¡­¡± Before she could finish, she was interrupted by the village chief. Zheng He¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°Child, why did you bring something over again? Why? Do you not trust me, the village chief?¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled. ¡°Uncle, you must be joking. Why wouldn¡¯t I trust you? Besides, I didn¡¯t say that this was for you. I bought this for Lingling.¡± Lingling was Zheng Heping¡¯s granddaughter. At this moment, Liu Yan and her eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Wang, walked over with tea. When they heard this, Liu Yan smiled and asked, ¡°What did you buy for Lingling?¡± Zheng Heping explained the purpose of their visit. ¡°Tell me, do you think this girl is sensible or insensible?¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Village Chief, look at what you¡¯re saying. I like Lingling. She¡¯s so sweet to me every time she sees me. That¡¯s why I want to be close to her.¡± Liu Yan had a different reaction from Zheng Heping. Instead, she smiled and took the pastries. She said to Zheng Heping, ¡°Alright, look at how angry you are. You¡¯re scaring Little Li again. She said that this is for our Lingling, so don¡¯t flatter yourself.¡± Liu Yan¡¯s words instantly dispelled the tense atmosphere and everyone laughed. Wei Chiyu quickly took out the rabbit fur and said, ¡°This is for Lingling too, to make a scarf.¡± Liu Yan was stunned for a moment before she laughed. ¡°You brat!¡± ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll thank you on behalf of my granddaughter.¡± Madam Wang, who was standing behind her, hurriedly served tea. She smiled and said, ¡°Come and have tea.¡± Lingling was the daughter of Wang Caiyun and Zheng Fugui. She had once disliked Zhou Xiaoli because of her reputation as a jinx. However, ever since the pork incident, her opinion of Zhou Xiaoli had changed. This time, Zhou Xiaoli even bought some snacks for her daughter to eat. She began to like Zhou Xiaoli. After Liu Yan and Wang Caiyun left them, they got to the main topic of the day. ¡°Is Chiyu going to build a house too?¡± Zheng Heping looked at Wei Chiyu and asked with a smile. Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Zheng Heping nodded in relief. ¡°It¡¯s good to build a house; a shelter from wind and rain.¡± As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper from the box on the table and spread it on the table. ¡°This is the land division map of our Boyu Village. Other than the lands which are considered as fertile fields, the rest are meant for building houses. Take a look and choose a piece.¡± Chapter 30 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Zhou Xiaoli glanced at Wei Chiyu, and the two of them walked over to look at the map on the table. ¡°Our Boyu Village has a large population. The village does not have any more land to use to build houses. The new lands suitable for building houses are basically at the front and back of the village.¡± Zheng Heping continued. Zhou Xiaoli looked at the map for a while and finally chose a piece of land at the village entrance. ¡°This one then.¡± Zheng Heping looked over and nodded. ¡°Yes, this piece of land is fine. This piece of land is not a wasteland so it¡¯s convenient to deal with, and it¡¯s not remote.¡± Then, he said, ¡°However, there should still be crops planted in this field for now. You have to wait for the current owner to vacate the land before you can build a house on it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded, indicating that she understood. The village¡¯s lands for building houses had to be calibrated every three years. For the villagers who were using the land then, they would also get a share of the money should it be purchased by others to build houses. After Zhou Xiaoli confirmed which plot of land she wanted, Zheng Heping looked at Wei Chiyu and asked, ¡°Chiyu, which piece do you want to pick?¡± Hearing this, Wei Chiyu stretched out his finger and pointed at a location on the map. ¡°This one.¡± The place he pointed at was next to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s plot. The village chief immediately nodded. ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re neighbors, you can take care of each other.¡± Then, he took out two credentials from the table. ¡°One piece of land costs four taels of silver. These are the credentials. After paying, you have to take the credentials to the Mayor to sign the deed transfer.¡± ¡°However, it just so happened that I have something to do at the Mayor¡¯s house today. I¡¯ll help you bring this over then.¡± Zhou Xiaoli quickly thanked him. Then, she thought of something and asked, ¡°Village Chief, how big is the land?¡± Zheng Heping: ¡°It¡¯s half an acre.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Zhou Xiaoli asked again, ¡°Can we buy more, like an acre or something?¡± Zheng Heping smiled. ¡°Of course not. The Imperial Court has already planned the size of the land meant for homes in the rural areas. It can¡¯t exceed half an acre.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Zhou Xiaoli felt a little regretful. Half an acre of land was pretty big, but Zhou Xiaoli had wanted to grow more things in the yard. As she spoke, Zhou Xiaoli handed four taels of silver to the village chief and asked, ¡°How much is an acre of land?¡± The village chief said, ¡°Well, that depends on the type of land. The price of an acre of dry land is between 20 and 30 taels. If it¡¯s a paddy field, it¡¯s expensive. An acre of that would be between 50 and 80 taels.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Alright, I understand. Thank you, Uncle.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to stand on ceremony with Uncle.¡± The village chief smiled and placed the credentials and transfer receipt on the table. ¡°Just stamp your handprint on it.¡± ¡­ After the procedures were completed, the two of them left. At this moment, Liu Yan returned after sending the two of them off. She could not help but to ask, ¡°You¡¯re going to the Mayor¡¯s house today? Why didn¡¯t I hear you mention it before?¡± Zheng Heping smiled. Liu Yan instantly understood that her husband was going to make a special trip. She immediately smiled and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll prepare a gift bag for you.¡± ¡ª- On the other hand, Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu coincidentally bumped into Lin Xiujuan who was going to do her farm work, right after they left the village chief¡¯s house. The moment Zhou Xiaoli stepped out of the village chief¡¯s house, a lady sitting at the side of the road immediately looked up. She sighed and said, ¡°Look, look. I heard this morning that the daughter of the eldest son of the Zhou family brought gifts to curry favor with the village chief. So it¡¯s true.¡± As she spoke, she saw Lin Xiujuan standing at the side and clicked her tongue. ¡°The Zhou family is really lucky! Do you know that many people in the village went up the mountain today? They all want to be as lucky.¡± ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s not that easy to get lucky. If you ask me, I think we might as well go to the field and do our work. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± When she heard that Zhou Xiaoli had gone to curry favor with the village chief, Lin Xiujuan started to grumble in her heart again. She was no longer in the mood to chat. After saying that she had forgotten to bring something, she turned around and went home. In the Liu family, Liu Liangcai, who was about to leave, saw that his wife had returned home with a dark expression. He asked, ¡°What happened to you?¡± Lin Xiujuan slammed the shovel on the ground and pursed her lips. ¡°You didn¡¯t see it. The person from next door had just delivered gifts to the village chief¡¯s house!¡± Hearing that it was because of this matter, Liu Liangcai didn¡¯t think to take his wife seriously. ¡°Hey, I thought someone did something to you. If she¡¯s looking for the village chief, she must have done so because she needed to do something.¡± Lin Xiujuan shoved her sleeves down and sat down. She snorted. ¡°You¡¯re really taking it easy. Do you know what Brother Kun¡¯s mother said about us yesterday?¡± ¡°She said we¡¯re stupid. We gave them a place to stay and even did work for them. In the end, we got less than half a pig. What should we be so happy about?¡± ¡°When they came back from the county yesterday, they bought a lot of things. Why didn¡¯t they send some to our house!¡­¡± Only then did Liu Liangcai realize what was bothering his wife. He placed the straw hat on the table and said, ¡°Oh, I was wondering what was wrong with you. So you¡¯re complaining that they didn¡¯t give you enough!¡± Lin Xiujuan, whose inner thoughts had been exposed by her husband, paused for a moment. Her confidence level dipped a little but in the end, she insisted on her viewpoint. ¡°It¡¯s true that they didn¡¯t give us much to begin with,¡± she weakly muttered. Liu Liangcai almost laughed out loud out of anger. ¡°You¡¯re really an old turtle.¡± Lin Xiujuan¡¯s expression turned ugly after being scolded. Just as she was about to flare up, Liu Liangcai hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t get angry. I¡¯ll count it out for you. First of all, I took in Big Brother Zhou¡¯s family but that was because Big Brother Zhou had saved my life first. According to you, it¡¯s a super important favor. We¡¯re even then.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about the wild boar. Hunters would pay about 60 copper coins for us to help them slaughter the pig. What¡¯s more, I didn¡¯t do it alone but let¡¯s still count as 60 copper coins. As for the part of carrying the wild boar down the mountain, the Wan family usually pays 40 copper coins a day for manual labor.¡± ¡°You helped to wash the pig offal, I¡¯ll give you 20 copper coins at most. That¡¯s only 120 copper coins. The price of wild boar meat is much more expensive than a domestic pig. Even if we were to take a discounted price of 35 copper coins for half a kilogram, Little Li gave us meat that weighed almost 50 kilograms. How much do you think that would be?¡± After this analysis, Lin Xiujuan didn¡¯t dare to say anything. ¡°Even with that, you¡¯re still not satisfied?¡± Liu Liangcai was a little puzzled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you usually quite good at calculating? Why didn¡¯t you calculate it for yourself and was instigated by others instead?¡± ¡°Brother Kun¡¯s mother is the same. Why hadn¡¯t I heard any news from before that she was such a troublemaker? If she¡¯s indeed a troublemaker, I have to reconsider Yuanyuan¡¯s marriage carefully.¡± Lin Xiujuan, who had just realized that she was in the wrong and lost her air of arrogance, was immediately unwilling when she heard that she had potentially ruined Liu Yuanyuan¡¯s marriage. ¡°Dad, what nonsense are you talking about? Brother Kun is such a good marriage partner. He¡¯s a known prodigy at such a young age. In the future, he will take the imperial exams and become a scholar!¡± This is a very good marriage that is rare to come by. If my eldest sister wasn¡¯t from the same village as the Chen family and helped to matchmake, would you have such good fortunes to have an imperial scholar as your son-in-law? You actually want to reconsider it? What are you thinking? Your brain must have been kicked by a donkey!¡± Chapter 31 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios When Liu Yuanyuan heard her father¡¯s words, she ran out of the room anxiously. ¡°Father, what are you saying?¡± ¡°Mother, did you hear what Father said?¡± Chen Da Kun was handsome and spoke in a refined and pleasant manner. He was also a student. Ever since she was engaged to him, the sisters in the village had been envious of her. She did not want to break off the engagement at all. Lin Xiujuan patted Liu Yuanyuan. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With Mother around, your father won¡¯t be able to cancel this marriage.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Liu Yuanyuan instantly smiled. She held Lin Xiujuan¡¯s arm and acted coquettishly. ¡°Mother, you dote on me the most.¡± Liu Liangcai frowned and did not say anything else. He picked up the hoe and left. That afternoon. Zheng Heping sent the land deed to Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu. As for the foreman, he recommended Foreman Cao, who had a prestigious reputation in Dazhuang Village. ¡°He¡¯s in charge of building the houses in our area. He¡¯s very skilled and reliable.¡± ¡°As for the salary, it¡¯s 30 copper coins a day which is in line with the standard rates in our village. Is it okay to include lunch for the workers?¡± ¡°Sure, I trust Uncle Zheng.¡± Zheng Heping said, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s settled then. When you¡¯re free on another day, go to Dazhuang Village and look for Foreman Cao to discuss how many houses to build. He would be able to help you calculate the building materials that you would need.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and thanked the village chief before sending him off. The next day. Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu went to Dazhuang Village to look for Foreman Cao. Foreman Cao¡¯s house was beside the well in the middle of the village. It was very easy to find. It was a woman who opened the door for them. After hearing their intentions, she led them in. Upon hearing footsteps, Foreman Cao looked up at Zhou Xiaoli and the other man who had just walked in. ¡°Are you the ones who want to build a house?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. Foreman Cao: ¡°What do you want to build? A wooden house, a straw hut, or¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli shook her head. ¡°Neither. We wanted to build brick houses.¡± Foreman Cao was stunned. He looked at Zhou Xiaoli in surprise. ¡°A brick house?¡± ¡°What about you? Building a brick house too?¡± He looked at Wei Chiyu as he spoke. Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°Yes, the same.¡± Foreman Cao nodded. ¡°Alright, how many rooms do you want to build?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you calculate how many bricks and tiles you need in advance so that you don¡¯t have to waste time and money in buying more or selling the excess away at the end of it.¡± Just as Zheng Heping had said, Foreman Cao could calculate how many bricks and tiles were needed for their houses. Zhou Xiaoli asked, ¡°Uncle Cao, do you have a pen here?¡± ¡°Okay, wait a moment,¡± Foreman Cao said as he took out a charcoal strip from a pile of tools. ¡°Is this okay? We workers use this.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Zhou Xiaoli picked up the charcoal strip. Since there was no paper, she drew it on the wooden board. ¡°I want to build a house with two bedrooms here, and two more rooms on the left and right. One is specially for bathing, and the other as a warehouse.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put the kitchen on the east side. We¡¯ll build just one. I want to use the empty space to grow vegetables. We¡¯ll also build two rooms on the west side. The window has to be bigger on this side as it would be used as a study room.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s put the toilet in the southwest corner. We¡¯ll build a straw shed and a pigpen next to the toilet.¡± Foreman Cao could not help but be shocked. ¡°You want to build so many rooms? And a study room?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°I have a younger brother at home. When he¡¯s old enough, he will be sent to a private school to study.¡± Foreman Cao nodded. ¡°Yes, studying is good.¡± ¡°However, it won¡¯t be cheap to build this house!¡± Zhou Xiaoli was mentally prepared. ¡°How much would it cost?¡± ¡°Just the bricks and tiles alone will cost at least a dozen hundreds of coins. I¡¯ll have to calculate the details first,¡± Foreman Cao said. Then, he asked Wei Chiyu how many rooms he wanted to build. Wei Chiyu¡¯s request was much simpler. ¡°The same as hers,¡± he said. Foreman Cao turned silent for a moment before he took out his old abacus and started to calculate. ¡°According to my calculation, just the bricks and tiles alone will cost 16,000 copper coins, and that¡¯s not including the workers¡¯ salary and furniture.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and asked, ¡°What if we lay tiles on the floor?¡± Engineer Cao was even more surprised. ¡°You want to pave the floor with tiles?¡± One must know that in the countryside, the floor is usually made of mud even for houses built with bricks. Even if the family is slightly richer, they would use mortar or concrete. Almost none used floor tiles. Zhou Xiaoli explained, ¡°I want to lay tiles in the room for bathing. As for the rest, I¡¯ll just use concrete.¡± The reason for doing so was because the floor would turn into mud when water was spilled on the ground, making it damp and uncomfortable. Foreman Cao looked at Wei Chiyu. ¡°And it is the same for you?¡± Seeing that the other party nodded his head, he did a few more calculations. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have to add at least 2,000 copper coins.¡± Seeing that neither of them had any special reaction, Foreman Cao did not say anything else. He thought that they must have had enough money. Only then did he ask, ¡°In that case, when do you plan to start building the house?¡± ¡°The sooner the better. We want to build the house before winter,¡± Zhou Xiaoli said. ¡°Then let¡¯s do it in the middle of next month. It¡¯s going to be the autumn harvest soon so it would not be easy to find workers to build houses now.¡± Foreman Cao suggested. Neither of them had any objections. Foreman Cao asked again, ¡°We need to buy bricks and tiles in advance. Have you thought of where to buy them?¡± Seeing Zhou Xiaoli shake her head, he continued. ¡°I do know a good brick kiln factory. The price is reasonable and the quality is good. I just don¡¯t know if you trust me on it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli immediately smiled and nodded. ¡°Uncle Cao, your reputation precedes you in building houses. Since you said that they are good, there¡¯s definitely no problem for us.¡± After being complimented by Zhou Xiaoli, Foreman Cao was full of smiles. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s fine. Since you trust me, I¡¯ll bring you guys there tomorrow.¡± After agreeing on a time to purchase the bricks, the two of them thanked him and left. ¡°You¡¯re the only one in your house. Do you have to build so many rooms? Won¡¯t they be left empty?¡± Zhou Xiaoli asked Wei Chiyu curiously as soon as they left Foreman Cao¡¯s house. Wei Chiyu said meaningfully, ¡°It will be useful in the future.¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s true. You¡¯ll get married sooner or later.¡± Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but tease Wei Chiyu. However, this time, Wei Chiyu was not as embarrassed as he was the last time. Instead, he looked at Zhou Xiaoli and smiled calmly. ¡°Yes.¡± In fact, Wei Chiyu did not smile often even though the two of them had known each other for quite some time. With this sudden smile, Zhou Xiaoli realized that he was not bad looking after all. His skin was tanned, and his facial features were well-defined as he hunted in the mountains all year round. He had an unruly wildness to him. His facial features were completely different from the Lu family who had flat noses and small triangular eyes. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but ask, ¡°Are you really a relative of the Lu family?¡± Wei Chiyu frowned subconsciously, and his eyes became indifferent, but he quickly returned to normal. He then replied in an indifferent manner. ¡°No.¡± Chapter 32 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Obviously, this topic made Wei Chiyu think of something very unhappy, but he endured it. Zhou Xiaoli tactfully changed the subject and did not continue asking. The two of them chatted as they walked towards the village. Early the next morning, Foreman Cao came to find them and brought them to the brick kiln factory. As they were looking to buy a huge amount, the factory would take some time to make it. Coincidentally, they would not be able to start building the houses until a month later, so they agreed to come back in a month to take the goods. After paying the deposit and signing the contract, they returned home. Next, they had to work hard to earn money! Her compass was not ready yet and so, she could not use it to fool, erm¡­ earn the money of those rich people. Zhou Xiaoli could still earn some money by catching fish using the fish basket, but it would not be sufficient to help them get rich. Thus, Zhou Xiaoli thought of hunting. On the 26th of July based on the lunar calendar, Wei Chiyu suddenly pulled Zhou Xiaoli aside after lunch. ¡°There¡¯s a way to earn money here. Do you want to come?¡± Wei Chiyu went straight to the point without beating around the bush. ¡°What?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was curious. ¡°Have you heard that the wolves on the mountain often came down the mountain recently?¡± Wei Chiyu asked. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard about that. Hasn¡¯t it been quite some time already? Why? Are you going to the mountains to hunt wolves?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was a little suspicious. Wolves were social animals. When there¡¯s one, it¡¯s very likely that there would be a group nearby. ¡°I guess so.¡± Wei Chiyu told him about the bounty notice posted by the mayor. Recently, the wolves on the mountain had caused trouble by coming down the mountain and feeding on the villagers¡¯ livestock. The surrounding villages were impacted severely and it made the villagers live both in fear and anger of the wolves. Many villagers were furious and had formed teams to catch wolves. However, not only did they not manage to catch the wolves, they got injured as well. By doing so, they also angered the wolves and they retaliated. Not only did they hunt the villagers¡¯ livestock, they also wrecked the crops grown. The villagers became terrified. There was really no other way. After the mayor reported the matter to the county magistrate, he posted a bounty. Whoever could solve the wolf problem would be rewarded with 100 taels of silver. Zhou Xiaoli finally understood. ¡°So, you want to go for the bounty?¡± Wei Chiyu shook his head. ¡°Not me. It¡¯s us.¡± Zhou Xiaoli raised her eyebrows. ¡°The two of us? I¡¯m a weak woman. Are you sure you want to work with me?¡± The corner of Wei Chiyu¡¯s mouth twitched when he heard the words ¡®weak woman¡¯ from her. Nonetheless, he said with certainty, ¡°I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ve information on the wolves. I set a trap beside a cliff which was not far from their nest, but I need someone reliable to cooperate with me to set the trap in action.¡± ¡°You¡¯re agile. Hence, you just need to climb up high and cooperate with me.¡± In the end, he added, ¡°When the time comes, we¡¯ll split the bounty and the wild wolves equally. How about that?¡± Fifty taels of silver and a few wild wolves were still very tempting. Moreover, Zhou Xiaoli knew what Wei Chiyu could do, so the rate of him succeeding would be very high. Thus, the two of them hit it off and reached an agreement. ¡ª- In no time, the news that someone from Boyu Village had wanted to go for the bounty spread around like a gust of wind. People in the village continuously discussed this among themselves. ¡°Oh my, is it true? Did someone from our village say that they want to go for the bounty for hunting wolves?¡± ¡°How could it be fake? That day, my niece-in-law went to the mayor¡¯s house to do something. She saw with her own eyes that the demon from the Lu family and that Zhou fool¡¯s daughter came out of the mayor¡¯s house together.¡± ¡°Ah! Then they¡¯re really bold to do so. Aren¡¯t they afraid of dying?¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s for the bounty of 100 taels of silver. I heard that a while ago, quite a number of people teamed up to catch the wild wolves in the mountains.¡± ¡°I know that. I heard that not only did they not manage to catch any, they even angered the wolves such that they all received injuries of different extent. Wolves were known to be the most vengeful.¡± ¡°Most importantly, that little demon from the Lu family actually dared to bring that jinx along. With these two together, they can forget about coming out of the mountain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡­ Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu heard a lot of gossip as they went up the mountain with their weapons. ¡°Hey, did you hear what they said? I¡¯m a jinx. How dare you bring me into the mountains?¡± Zhou Xiaoli joked. Wei Chiyu frowned. ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was stunned. Wei Chiyu: ¡°Just take that they¡¯re farting. You don¡¯t have to take it to heart.¡± Zhou Xiaoli came back to her senses. Was Wei Chiyu comforting her? She couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that. Wei Chiyu was puzzled. ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°I often heard them say that you are a man-eating demon.¡± Wei Chiyu could not help but turn to look at Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Do you think I am?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shrugged. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that they were farting? Actually, I think so too, haha.¡± Wei Chiyu couldn¡¯t help but smile. At this moment, the birds in the forest suddenly flew up as if they were frightened. Then, there was a fishy smell in the air. The ground shook slightly as if something was rushing over. ¡°Quickly climb up the tree,¡± Wei Chiyu called out to Zhou Xiaoli. He grabbed a branch and pulled Zhou Xiaoli up. Just as the two of them climbed up the tree, they saw a pack of wolves running over. However, they had no intention of stopping. Instead, they turned left right at their tree and ran into the dense forest. ¡°Eh? What¡¯s wrong with these wolves?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was confused. Wei Chiyu¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°The wolves seem to be organized when they run in groups.¡± Zhou Xiaoli hugged the tree with both hands and looked in the direction where the wolves ran to. ¡°Why don¡¯t we follow them and take a look?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The two of them climbed down from the tree and quietly approached the direction which the wolf pack had headed for. At first, it was very calm. However, when they finally passed through a purple bamboo forest, they heard howls. Just by listening to the howls, they knew that there were many of them. The two of them immediately lightened their footsteps and approached slowly. Finally, they stopped at the start of the slope. They could see the wolves clearly from here, and it was relatively safe from afar. The two of them climbed up a tree and found a spot with a good view to observe. There were dozens of wolves there, but they did not seem to belong to the same camp and instead, they were in a confrontation stance. The wolf pack led by the gray wolf was larger, while the wolf pack led by the white wolf was smaller in numbers. ¡°Wolves are social creatures. They have a very strong hierarchy and are territorial. Usually, they are led by a wolf king.¡± ¡°However, civil wars like what we are seeing today often break out as multiple wolves want to fight for the position of wolf king,¡± Wei Chiyu said softly. Zhou Xiaoli looked on quietly. ¡°The white wolf seems to be injured. His side seems to be on the losing side.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°The white should be the original wolf king, the leader of the pack. He is probably injured and is at his weakest right now. The gray wolf took advantage of the situation.¡± At this moment, the white wolf king seemed to have sensed something and suddenly turned its head to look over. The man and the wolf¡¯s eyes met. Zhou Xiaoli was stunned. What she saw in its eyes was not ferocity, but a kind of sadness and pleading? How could a wolf show such emotions? Zhou Xiaoli was suspicious. ¡°I want to help it.¡± The words came out almost subconsciously. After saying this, even Zhou Xiaoli was stunned by her own words. Wei Chiyu also looked at Zhou Xiaoli in surprise. Zhou Xiaoli pointed at the white wolf and said, ¡°It seemed to be asking me for help.¡± Chapter 33 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios If anyone else heard this, they would definitely think that there was something wrong with Zhou Xiaoli. However, Wei Chiyu was stunned for a moment before saying, ¡°Give me the bow and arrow.¡± At this moment, the battle between the wolves had reached the climax. The white wolf king¡¯s side suffered heavy casualties. Only four or five wolves were still fighting, and they were almost at their wits¡¯ ends. Although the gray wolf¡¯s pack attacked fiercely, they did not gain much advantage under the white wolf¡¯s desperate counterattacks. Wei Chiyu adjusted his posture and nocked his bow. Just as the gray wolf king launched its final attack on the white wolf king, an arrow tore through the air, whistling as it went. It pierced through the gray wolf king¡¯s chest! Zhou Xiaoli could not help but look at the young man beside her. ¡°Impressive!¡± Zhou Xiaoli praised. The corners of Wei Chiyu¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°So-so.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, another arrow cut through the air, whistling yet again as it went. Another arrow pierced through the gray wolf¡¯s heart. A mournful wolf howl rang out. The white wolf king seemed to understand that someone was helping it. It led the wolf pack and launched a fierce counter-attack. The gray wolf king was killed, and the wolf pack lost its leader. With the help of outsiders i.e. Wei Chiyu¡¯s accurate shooting skills, the white wolf king easily won the fight. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but sigh. The wars happening in the natural world are tragic as well. Just as she was feeling emotional about it, the white wolf king walked straight to the tree where they were suddenly. Wei Chiyu immediately nocked his bow and arrow. Zhou Xiaoli also became vigilant. However, the white wolf king did not attack them. Instead, it howled and nodded at Zhou Xiaoli a few times before looking up at her. Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and asked uncertainly, ¡°It seemed to be telling us something?¡± Sure enough, in the next second, the white wolf king bent its front legs and knelt down. After howling, it stood up and turned to walk forward. After taking a step, he turned to look at Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°It seems that he wants us to follow it.¡± With that, Zhou Xiaoli jumped down from the tree. Wei Chiyu was worried, so he jumped down after her as well. At the same time, he took out his dagger and walked in front of Zhou Xiaoli. The white wolf king did not attack them. Instead, it brought them to a cave. Howl~ The white wolf king let out a short howl at Zhou Xiaoli and looked at a certain spot on the stone wall. Zhou Xiaoli pointed at a cave on the mountain wall with uncertainty. ¡°Here?¡± The white wolf king howled again. Zhou Xiaoli was about to step forward and remove the vines blocking the entrance when Wei Chiyu stopped her. ¡°Let me do it.¡± As he spoke, he suddenly reached out with his hands and lifted the vine curtain. When the vine curtain was lifted, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a wolf cub!¡± The wolf pup¡¯s fur was silver-gray. It was small, furry and looked a little cute. Judging from the color of its fur, it was very likely the white wolf king¡¯s cub. However, when she turned around to look at the white wolf king, she realized that there was no trace of the white wolf king behind her! ¡°Eh, where¡¯s the white wolf? Why has it gone?¡± Wei Chiyu looked at the wolf pup in front of him and frowned. ¡°It seems that it has entrusted his cub to us.¡± Zhou Xiaoli recalled the look in the white wolf king¡¯s eyes when he looked at her, and then she looked at the pitiful little wolf. She couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°It seems so. Let¡¯s bring it home first.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded and reached out to grab the wolf cub. Seeing Wei Chiyu approach, the wolf pup immediately howled. It seemed to be very afraid and even revealed its sharp claws at him. Wei Chiyu, who had almost been scratched by it, retracted his hand and said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s too wild. Let¡¯s kill it. Wolf meat is delicious and the younger ones would be tender too.¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°¡­¡± The little wolf seemed to understand human language. It immediately bristled its fur and bared its teeth at Wei Chiyu. Zhou Xiaoli said helplessly, ¡°We can¡¯t kill it. If it really doesn¡¯t want to come with us, we can only¡­¡± Before Zhou Xiaoli could finish speaking, the wolf pup barked at her in a childish voice and crawled towards her with its short legs. His chubby, furry body coupled with his four short legs made him look adorable as he walked. Obviously, Zhou Xiaoli could not resist the cute little thing. Instantly, her gaze softened. ¡°So cute!¡± As she spoke, she reached out to touch it tentatively. Before Wei Chiyu could say anything, the wolf cub, who had just bristled its fur, took the initiative to rub its head against Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand, seemingly for her to touch. It couldn¡¯t be more obedient in front of her. Zhou Xiaoli immediately made a decision after touching it. ¡°I¡¯ll raise it.¡± Wei Chiyu, who had been treated differently by the wolf cub, looked at it with a meaningful gaze. After carrying the wolf pup, the two of them went to deal with the wolves¡¯ corpses. ¡ª- Under the setting sun, Zhang Lan¡¯s family stood at the door and looked in the direction of the mountain behind them. Zhou Xiaoli had repeatedly promised that nothing would happen with Wei Chiyu around. However, she was still worried. Seeing that it was already evening and the two of them had yet to return, Zhang Lan became a little anxious. Many villagers were still gossiping privately. They said that since it was evening and the two of them had yet to leave the mountain, it is very likely that something had happened to them. It was also said that this was Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s bad luck after getting the wild boars. Perhaps she had already been eaten by the wolves. Just as the villagers speculated, a shout suddenly came from the street. ¡°Look, the demon from the Lu Family and the daughter of the eldest Zhou son are dragging wolves down from the mountain!¡± Instantly, it caused a storm in the village. Many people heard the yell and ran out of their houses to take a look. They swarmed over to the entrance of the village. Sure enough, Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu came down the mountain unscathed. Not only that, the cart that they were pulling behind them was full of the wolves¡¯ bodies! Immediately, cries of surprise and envy rose and fell among the villagers. The two of them entered the village as if no one was around. Many of the people who had previously despised Zhou Xiaoli and ignored her, were now smiling and moving closer to her. ¡°Little Li, how many are there?¡± ¡°Little Li, did you destroy the wolf pack?¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, the wolf meat should be delicious, right?¡± If there¡¯s nothing to gain from, she¡¯s a jinx. If there was, she¡¯s Little Li. These villagers completely showed how mercenary the world was. Zhou Xiaoli answered their questions half-heartedly. Finally, they arrived at their doorstep. Because it was already late, they planned to go to the mayor¡¯s house tomorrow to receive the bounty reward. Therefore, they directly pulled the cart home. The villagers were all gathered outside Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s house. They watched with envy as the cart was pulled into the courtyard. ¡°Ah! Why is there a living one here!¡± At this moment, someone saw the wolf cub following Zhou Xiaoli and exclaimed in surprise. When they heard Zhou Xiaoli say that she had picked it up and wanted to rear it, they were all in disbelief and shock. ¡°These wolves killed a lot of our livestock. Why are you raising this thing?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right.¡± Zhou Xiaoli wanted to say, ¡°You guys are overstepping the boundary. I¡¯ll take care of it if I like.¡± In the end, she only sneered. ¡°I wanted to raise it to guard the house and to prevent people from prying into my things.¡± The villagers who wanted to take the opportunity to ask for the wolf meat immediately choked and laughed awkwardly. ¡°She¡¯s just a child and has simple thoughts. Can a wolf be the same as a dog? One can raise dogs on leftovers, but wolves have to eat meat every meal!¡± ¡°Also, dogs can be raised as guards and would be very useful to the family! What¡¯s the use of raising a wolf? It¡¯s purely a waste of money!¡± Chapter 34 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. The little money you have from the bounty would not even be enough for this wolf to eat a few meals. It would be hilarious if your family had to starve thereafter, that would make people laugh their heads off for sure, haha.¡± This time, even the village chief¡¯s wife, Liu Yan, tried to persuade her. ¡°Little Li, I have to advise you against it this time as well. Although what these aunties have said are a little unpleasant, they are the truth after all.¡± ¡°A wolf is different from a dog as it only eats meat. We can¡¯t afford to raise it. Why don¡¯t you let it go back to the mountains? If it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll sell it then.¡± At this moment, the wolf cub seemed to understand what was said. It suddenly darted out and roared at the old women who said that it was useless. Then, it ran straight to the mountain. The villagers were shocked by the wolf¡¯s roar. They remain in shock and cursed non-stop. ¡°Look, what did I say? It¡¯s an ingrate. It ran away before she even raised it. It will never be loyal enough!¡± ¡­ The surrounding villagers spoke one after another, as if they were gleeful that they had won. Zhou Xiaoli was not disappointed. On the contrary, she felt that the wolf cub would definitely return. Hence, she said, ¡°It¡¯ll be back soon. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± The onlookers looked as if they had heard a joke. They all laughed at Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s whimsical idea of raising a wolf. Now, it was all for nothing. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Seeing that those people were getting more and more outrageous, Liu Yan stopped them. Then, she said to Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu, ¡°Your uncle and I are relieved to see that you¡¯re back safely from the mountain. Alright, I won¡¯t talk anymore. I have to go back.¡± Then, she said to the onlookers, ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Don¡¯t you have to go home and cook?¡± The meaning behind her words was obvious, which is for them to scatter. However, they pretended not to understand and interrupted several times, unwilling to leave. It was obvious that they were coveting the wolves in the courtyard! If the wolf cub hadn¡¯t run away, Zhou Xiaoli wanted to close the door right there and then. Out of sight, out of mind. Just as Zhou Xiaoli was wondering if she should scold the onlookers to send them away, a nimble figure entered her sight. ¡°Little Wolf, you¡¯re back!¡± As if it had heard Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice, the wolf pup ran even faster with its short legs. When everyone heard the sound, they turned around and saw the wolf cub running back with a rabbit in its mouth. When it reached the crowd of villagers, the little wolf cub even slowed down and walked with its head held high and with an air of arrogance. It placed the hare in front of Zhou Xiaoli as if it was asking for credit. Zhou Xiaoli was also stunned. ¡°Did you hunt this?¡± The wolf pup let out a howl and circled around Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s leg, as if answering her question. Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and picked up the wolf pup. She praised, ¡°The wolf pup is amazing!¡± ¡°Howl~¡± The wolf cub cried out, as if responding to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s praises. Liu Yan was shocked. ¡°Why does this wolf seem to understand human language?¡± ¡°It seemed that way, right? When I first saw it, I felt that it was very intelligent.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said proudly. Not only had the wolf pup returned, but it had also brought back prey. Many villagers were envious. With this wolf cub around, doesn¡¯t it mean that the Zhou family would not lack prey every day in the future? What kind of dog shit luck did the Zhou family have! Once a person¡¯s eyes turned red with jealousy, they would burn from it and lose their rationality completely. This is what happened to Old Madam Ma, who had been hiding quietly behind the crowd as she greedily stared at the wild rabbit on the ground. After the previous incident, she did not dare to provoke Zhou Xiaoli anymore. However, she had always held a grudge in her heart against her for stealing her donkey away. Hence, when everyone¡¯s attention was on the wolf cub, she wanted to take away the wild rabbit sneakily. However, the wolf pup immediately discovered her and instantly jumped onto her. Now that the wolf cub was still young, Old Madam Ma was not very afraid. She raised her leg and was about to kick it away. Zhou Xiaoli immediately shouted, ¡°Ah, you have to be careful. I heard from Physician Feng from Dazhuang Village that if you get scratched or bitten by wild wolves and dogs, you will be infected with a ¡®mad dog disease¡¯. Once infected, you will go crazy and bite people. You will also die in a few days.¡± When Old Madam Ma heard this, she was shocked. She stopped in her tracks and turned to run back. The wolf cub chased after her. Old Madam Ma was chased around by the wolf cub until she was in a sorry state. She even tripped over her left foot and fell to the ground. Two of her teeth were knocked out by the fall. The wolf cub jumped onto Old Madam Ma¡¯s back and tore at her clothes. Zhou Xiaoli was also worried that the wolf cub would have bitten Old Madam Ma for real, so she called the wolf cub back. The wolf cub obediently jumped down. However, before jumping down, it peed on Old Madam Ma¡¯s neck¡­ Liu Yan shook her head and sighed. ¡°Old Madam Ma, why haven¡¯t you changed your bad habit?! Wasn¡¯t the lesson last time enough for you?!¡± At this moment, Old Madam Ma could not care less. When she heard Liu Yan mention what happened the other time, she was afraid that Zhou Xiaoli would use the rabbit to blackmail her again. She got up from the ground and ran home without looking back. She even locked the door. Liu Yan shook her head and said to Zhou Xiaoli, ¡°Alright, I think it¡¯s fine as long as this little thing knows how to catch its own prey. If you want to keep it, then keep it.¡± It was just as well that they have a powerful and protective animal guarding the house. They would not be bullied then. With that, Liu Yan went home. The other onlookers were now a little apprehensive of the ¡®mad dog disease¡¯ that Zhou Xiaoli mentioned. Seeing that they couldn¡¯t get any benefits, they reluctantly dispersed. Finally, the world was quiet. The next day. Early the next morning and after breakfast, Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu rode the donkey cart out of the house. They first went to the mayor¡¯s house to collect the bounty. The mayor was shocked when he saw the cart full of wolf corpses. After hearing their story of how the wolf pack had been defeated and would no longer be a threat to the villagers, he praised them for being young and promising. At the same time, he gave Wei Chiyu 100 taels of silver. He casually asked, ¡°How do you plan to deal with the wolves¡¯ corpse?¡± Zhou Xiaoli told the truth and said that they were going to sell it in the county. The mayor said ruefully, ¡°There¡¯s so many of them. I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy for you to sell them all.¡± Wei Chiyu: ¡°I can go to a few more restaurants.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s just a little troublesome to do so.¡± The mayor smiled and changed the topic. ¡°However, I do have a sales channel. The price might not be as high as what the restaurant can offer, but I can take them all at once.¡± Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu looked at the mayor, waiting for him to continue. ¡°Wolf meat can be used to make dried meat. It¡¯s the most convenient to carry around as an army ration. Coincidentally, I know the people stationed in the army north of the Yellow River. I¡¯ll give you fifty taels of silver, and you¡¯ll give me all of the wolves¡¯ corpses. How about that?¡± They could indeed earn more from selling to the restaurants, but with the mayor¡¯s help to sell it, it would also save them a lot of trouble. After all, there were more than 10 wolves. No matter how good the restaurant¡¯s sales were, it could not take in that many at once. They inevitably had to go to several restaurants. In that case, it would not be a bad idea to sell it all to the mayor too. Zhou Xiaoli thought so, but she didn¡¯t know what Wei Chiyu was thinking, so she looked at him. The two of them looked at each other and saw agreement in each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°In that case, thank you for the offer, mayor.¡± Thus, the two of them reached an agreement with the mayor and sold all the wolves to him. The mayor then handed the money to Wei Chiyu. Right then, there was a commotion from outside the door. ¡°Mayor, Sir! Don¡¯t be fooled by them. They did not hunt the wolves at all!¡± Chapter 35 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°What¡¯s going on? Who¡¯s making a racket outside?¡± At this moment, the mayor¡¯s son dragged two men in. Seeing the two of them, the mayor subconsciously frowned. ¡°Sun Er, Wang Gou, it¡¯s you again. What trouble did you get into this time?¡± Sun Er and Wang Gou were from Boyu Village and Dazhuang Village respectively. Both of them were famous in their village for being hooligans. They idled around all day and caused trouble. Sun Er hurriedly said, ¡°Sir, Mayor, look at what you¡¯re saying. We didn¡¯t cause any trouble. We¡¯re here to expose some people¡¯s lies instead!¡± As he spoke, he pointed a finger at Wei Chiyu and Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Sir, they didn¡¯t kill those wolves at all. They took advantage of our absence and pulled our wolves away. Sir, don¡¯t be fooled by them!¡± The mayor clearly trusted Wei Chiyu and Zhou Xiaoli more than these two hooligans. ¡°You mean to say that you killed these wolves? And Young Master Wei and Miss Zhou pulled the wolves¡¯ corpses down the mountain when you left?¡± he said. Just from the rising tone of the mayor¡¯s voice, one could hear his suspicion. ¡°Alright, alright. Go do what you need to do!¡± As he spoke, he was about to chase the two of them away. Sun Er and the other immediately resisted. ¡°You have to believe us, mayor. Everything we say is the truth.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, take a look at the wounds on those wolves¡¯ bodies. Aren¡¯t they bite wounds? We set up a trap and incited the wolves to kill each other.¡± The two of them explained anxiously; their arguments filled with righteous indignation. From how they were acting, even Zhou Xiaoli felt that she had indeed stolen credits from them. The mayor was skeptical, but he obligingly went to investigate the corpses of the wolves. It was as Sun Er and Wang Gou had said. Those wolves were covered in bite wounds. He could not help but be suspicious of the true account of the event. He hesitated upon seeing how sure Sun Er and Wang Gou were of the bite marks on the wolves. Zhou Xiaoli guessed that when she and Wei Chiyu were looking for the wolf cub, the two of them had unintentionally discovered the corpses of those wolves. It was just as Zhou Xiaoli had guessed. Just as Zhou Xiaoli and Sun Er were looking for the wolf cub, Sun Er and Wang Gou found the corpses of the wolves. They didn¡¯t even look carefully before they went off to find something to transport all the wolves down the mountain in excitement. However, just as they found some vines and wooden sticks, they bumped into Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu who were loading the wolves onto their cart. As they were afraid of Wei Chiyu, the two of them did not dare to step forward rashly. After a final discussion, they decided to put on a show today. They were certain that Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu had chanced upon the wolves¡¯ corpse like them, which was why they dared to be so arrogant. After looking at the wounds, the mayor did not know who to believe. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli opened her mouth and asked, ¡°You guys said that you set a trap and made the wolves kill each other?¡± The two of them, who did not know what Zhou Xiaoli wanted to do, looked at each other and nodded. ¡°Ah, right.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Oh, I see. Then the way we hunt is different. Mayor, please take a closer look. Are there many wolves with arrow wounds to their heart?¡± As soon as Zhou Xiaoli stopped speaking, the mayor indeed found arrow wounds on the wolves. Moreover, each arrow was fatal and pierced through the heart. ¡°Yes.¡± The mayor replied. ¡°That¡¯s right. When the wolves were fighting, we didn¡¯t just watch. Several wolves were killed by Wei Chiyu, which was why almost all the wolves were wiped out,¡± Zhou Xiaoli continued. Seeing this, Wang Gou and Sun Er immediately shouted again. ¡°Ah, yes, yes, we used arrows too. We just didn¡¯t think it was necessary to say it, so we didn¡¯t. Mayor, they must have seen the arrow wounds when they pulled the corpses back!¡± These two people were determined to win the argument. There was no evidence to prove who had killed the wolves; that was why they were fearless and pestered the mayor. However, Zhou Xiaoli would not indulge them in it. ¡°Are you saying that you were the ones who shot the arrows at the wolves?¡± Sun Er felt guilty for a moment, but in the end, he nodded stubbornly. ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s me¡­¡± ¡°No, it was the two of us.¡± In the end, he even pulled Wang Gou along in the lie. Zhou Xiaoli nodded thoughtfully, ¡°Alright.¡± Then, she turned to look at the mayor. ¡°Mayor, if someone is lying to get the bounty, what is the punishment for it?¡± The mayor said, ¡°Those who deceive would be sent to the magistrate office and receive 40 strokes of the cane.¡± Hearing that they were looking at 40 strokes of the cane, Sun Er and Wang Gou panicked. However, when they thought about how the other party did not have any evidence too, they remained stubborn. But at this moment, Zhou Xiaoli continued. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s very simple to prove who hunted these wolves.¡± Zhou Xiaoli paused for a moment again before continuing, ¡°As long as we compete in archery skills, we¡¯ll know everything.¡± The mayor nodded immediately. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a good idea. The wolves that were shot had a shot clean through the heart. Not everyone has the ability to do so.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s an empty space behind the house. Let¡¯s compete there.¡± This time, Sun Er and Wang Gou were a little flustered, but they were already pushed into a corner, so they could only brace themselves for it. The rules of the competition were very simple. It was to shoot the target. ¡°Sun Er! You first.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Sun Er was stunned. ¡°What? I told you to go first.¡± After being shouted at by the mayor, Sun Er coughed and stretched his shoulders. He walked forward with the bow and arrow. He posed and aimed repeatedly. He looked imposing but try as he might, he did not release his arrow. The mayor couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Hurry up, why are you dawdling! If the target was a prey, it would have flown away a long time ago!¡± ¡°Ah, yes, right away, right away.¡± Thus, Sun Er concentrated his energy in his core, took a deep breath, nocked the arrow, and wanted to draw the bow¡­ Hey, what¡¯s up? Everyone watched for a long time. They saw that Sun Er¡¯s face had turned red but he was unable to draw his bow. In the end, the arrow didn¡¯t even move, let alone hit the target. The second person to try was Wang Gou. He was not much better. After using all his strength, he managed to draw his bow. However, the arrow flew out and accurately avoided the target. There was no need to compete further for all present to know who was lying. It would be a miracle if these two good-for-nothings could shoot an arrow through the wolf¡¯s heart. However, the mayor had always loved archery and martial arts. Hence, he was very interested in how the competition would result in. In addition, only if Wei Chiyu competed would they be able to shut Sun Er¡¯s mouth. Wei Chiyu took the bow and arrow. He didn¡¯t have so many fancy foreplays. His movements were smooth as water as he nocked the arrow and drew his bow. With a whoosh, the arrow whistled out and hit the bullseye. Everyone was stunned by it. ¡°My goodness, the arrow shot through the target!¡± That was what the mayor¡¯s son shouted out in surprise after running over to check the target. Zhou Xiaoli clapped her hands at the side and whispered, ¡°So cool!¡± As she spoke, she stared at the bow and arrow with a burning gaze. Wei Chiyu was slightly puzzled. ¡°Cool?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good word. I¡¯m praising you.¡± Zhou Xiaoli whispered. Clap! Clap! Clap! At this moment, the mayor clapped his hands and walked over with a hint of admiration in his eyes. ¡°Such mad skills! It¡¯s a pity that you are not at the front line to kill the enemy with your ability.¡± Wei Chiyu immediately said, ¡°You must be joking, mayor. It¡¯s just a small trick that I know how to do. It would only be useful when hunting in the mountains.¡± Although Wei Chiyu said so, the mayor insisted on his opinion. Sun Er and Wang Gou were prepared to escape when they saw Wei Chiyu draw his bow. Unfortunately, the mayor caught them red-handed. ¡°The two of you have nothing to do all day. Since you like to cause trouble everywhere, it¡¯s time for me to teach you a lesson!¡± Chapter 36 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Hence, as the two of them begged for mercy, the mayor tied them up and handed them over to the police to bring them back to the magistrate office. After leaving the mayor¡¯s courtyard, Wei Chiyu handed over seventy-five taels of silver to Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°This is yours.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t stand on ceremony with you.¡± Zhou Xiaoli received the money with a smile. It would be a lie to say that she was not happy to have a bag of money in her hand. After putting the money away, Zhou Xiaoli extended her hand. ¡°Happy working with you.¡± Wei Chiyu looked at Zhou Xiaoli in confusion. ¡°Give me five, just put your palm to mine to celebrate our first successful collaboration,¡± Zhou Xiaoli explained. Wei Chiyu looked at the other party¡¯s small hand. It was slender, but not overly thin and bony. Under her urging, he imitated her and extended his hand palm-up. Zhou Xiaoli hi-fived him. ¡°Happy cooperation.¡± Their palms touched for only an instant before they separated. The remaining warmth lingered on his palm, which made him feel a little itchy. Wei Chiyu¡¯s eyes moved slightly, and his thin lips parted slightly. ¡°Mm, happy cooperation.¡± Then, he asked, ¡°Are you going back to the village?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shook her head. ¡°No, I still have to go to the county to buy some things and order a batch of furniture. What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the county too. Shall we?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Zhou Xiaoli readily agreed. ¡°If so, would you continue taking the reins of the cart?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As the two of them spoke, they turned the donkey cart and headed towards the county. This time, with the donkey cart, they entered the county in a shorter period of time. In about an hour, they saw the city gate. The majestic city towered under the sunlight. It was imposing and yet had an air of ancient simplicity about it. On the top of the wall were three words: Wenshui County. At that moment, there was already a long queue at the city gate. There were two rows of guards at the entrance. They carried large sabers at their waists and diligently checked every vehicle and person entering and exiting the city gate. Soon, it was Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s turn. Because there was nothing on the donkey cart, the guard only took a glance at it before saying, ¡°The entrance fee is seven copper coins.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but be surprised at the amount. ¡°Why? Shouldn¡¯t it be four copper coins?¡± The guard was expressionless. ¡°The lord has ordered that the entrance fee for the donkey cart will now be three copper coins. Pedestrians will pay two copper coins each to enter the city. That¡¯s a total of seven copper coins.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was surprised. How long had it been since she last came to the county? The entrance fee actually increased by one copper coin? However, they did not say anything. After paying the entrance fee, the two of them led the donkey cart into the city. The city was prosperous, and there were many peddlers on the streets. People came and went. It was not possible for them to ride on the cart, so they could only walk slowly with the donkey cart trailing behind them. Due to the delay at the mayor¡¯s house, it was already noon when they arrived at the county. They were famished. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but rub her belly, wondering if she should eat something first. As if he had read Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s mind, Wei Chiyu suddenly said, ¡°You must be hungry. Come, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡± As Zhou Xiaoli was puzzled at his words, Wei Chiyu added, ¡°I eat your cooking every day. Since I don¡¯t know how to cook; let me treat you to a meal this time.¡± With that, he led Zhou Xiaoli into the First-grade Restaurant. When one of the waiters saw Wei Chiyu, he was about to inform the shopkeeper when Wei Chiyu said, ¡°We are here to eat today.¡± The waiter was stunned for a moment before he quickly went forward with a smile and helped them to tie the donkey cart to the stand. Wei Chiyu brought Zhou Xiaoli to the second floor and they sat by the window. Soon, another waiter came up and asked them what they wanted to order. Wei Chiyu asked Zhou Xiaoli, ¡°Do you want to eat anything?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s my first time eating here, so I don¡¯t know what they have. You should order.¡± Upon hearing this, the waiter subconsciously glanced at Zhou Xiaoli. Seeing that both of them were wearing coarse linen clothes, he slacked off a little. Wei Chiyu did not refuse and started to order dishes. He ordered four dishes. They were First-grade Restaurant¡¯s signature dishes ¨C Stir-fried Chicken, Dongpo pork, Eggplant with Sauce, Stir-fried vegetables, and two portions of rice. The waiter was a little surprised. He looked at the two of them and opened his mouth. In the end, he did not say anything and turned to go downstairs. In any case, he was not worried. No one could eat and drink for free in their restaurant. After the waiter left, Zhou Xiaoli drank tea while she observed the restaurant. The restaurant¡¯s business was very good, and there was an endless stream of guests. At this moment, Shopkeeper Wang walked out of a private room with a smile. Coincidentally, he saw Wei Chiyu and Zhou Xiaoli, so he came forward to exchange a few pleasantries with them. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you send any prey today?¡± Wang Defu asked with a smile. ¡°Many of my customers are waiting to enjoy game meat.¡± Wei Chiyu: ¡°I¡¯ll definitely bring some next time.¡± Wang Defu: ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± As they spoke, the dishes they ordered were served one by one. Seeing that the dishes had been served, Wang Defu did not stay any longer and said politely, ¡°Have a good meal.¡± With that, he bade farewell and went downstairs. All four dishes looked pretty good. For Zhou Xiaoli, who enjoyed meat, the first dish she tried was Stir-fried Chicken. It was said that this dish was the signature dish of the First-grade Restaurant. As she chewed on the meat, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes narrowed, but there was no sign of pleasant surprise in them. Wei Chiyu looked at Zhou Xiaoli seriously and asked, ¡°How is it? First-grade Restaurant¡¯s dishes are considered one of the best in Wenshui County, especially this stir-fried chicken dish. It¡¯s the most famous dish they have.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and picked up another piece. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. Yes, but the taste is slightly different.¡± Then, she took another bite and tasted it carefully. Realization dawned on her. ¡°They seemed to have left out sugar from it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was only making a casual comment then. Although it was an innocent comment from her, the listener thought otherwise. A waiter overheard her as he happened to come up to second level then to collect the plates. After going downstairs, he told his companions about this. ¡°Hey, you guys don¡¯t know. I was just collecting the plates upstairs when I heard a little girl say that our shop¡¯s signature dish, the stir-fried chicken, lacked something!¡± ¡°More importantly, they¡¯re dressed in tattered clothes and looked extremely shabby. I don¡¯t even know when they¡¯ll come again after this time. They even commented on the dish as though they knew better. What a joke.¡± Coincidentally, Wang Dehai heard his words. ¡°Lacked something? What do you mean?¡± This was the first time he heard someone say that their restaurant¡¯s stir-fried chicken was bad. Shopkeeper Wang¡¯s sudden question startled the waiter. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know either. She just said that it was lacking something. Oh, I remember now. She also said that it was missing sugar or something.¡± ¡°Who said that?¡± Shopkeeper Wang asked again. The waiter brought Shopkeeper Wang to the second floor and pointed at the seats by the window. ¡°Shopkeeper, it¡¯s that table. That little girl said so.¡± Following the direction in which he was pointing it, that table turned out to be Wei Chiyu¡¯s table. Wang Defu was a little surprised, but he walked over nonetheless. Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu were confused by Innkeeper Wang¡¯s return. Wang Defu went straight to the point. ¡°Miss Zhou, I just heard you say that our stir-fried chicken is a little lacking?¡± Hearing this question, Zhou Xiaoli was stunned. How did a casual comment reach the ears of the head chef? Nonetheless, she nodded truthfully. Chapter 37 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios In fact, Wang Defu felt that Zhou Xiaoli was probably speaking nonsense. However, in accordance with his usual principle of running a restaurant, he decided to ask nonetheless. ¡°Is it salty? Or bland? Or not to your taste?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shook her head. ¡°Neither. The taste is just right, but it¡¯s a little different from what I¡¯ve eaten before.¡± Upon hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, Wang Defu asked, ¡°You¡¯ve eaten it before? Which restaurant is it? I¡¯ll try it next time.¡± Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and finally said, ¡°It¡¯s not a restaurant. I made it myself.¡± ¡°You made it yourself?¡± Wang De raised his pitch. It was obvious that he did not believe it. At this moment, Wei Chiyu said, ¡°Miss Zhou¡¯s cooking is very good.¡± Wang Defu was silent for a moment. In the end, he clapped his hands and said, ¡°How about this? Since you¡¯ve said so, can I invite you to the kitchen to make one portion of it? If our dish is indeed lacking, I can improve on it then.¡± Before they came, Zhou Xiaoli heard Wei Chiyu speak about the First-grade Restaurant. He said that the First-grade Restaurant paid a lot of attention to the customers¡¯ evaluation of the dishes. Therefore, it has always been known to provide delicious food in Wenshui County. At that time, she had thought highly of Shopkeeper Wang. Now, it seemed that it was true. No wonder his First-grade Restaurant could make a name for itself in Wenshui County in such a short period of time. However, she asked, ¡°Is this a good idea?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was a little hesitant. It was one thing to comment, but if she indeed cooked a portion for him to try, wouldn¡¯t it cause trouble for the chef? However, even if she did not want to do it now, someone was disagreeable. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know how to cook this dish at all. Are you afraid?¡± Head Chef Chen walked out of the kitchen and looked at Zhou Xiaoli with a straight face. He had already heard about it from the waiter. He had made the stir-fried chicken dish for most of his life. This was the first time someone had questioned him about it, what¡¯s more from such a young girl like her. Ever since the iron wok came into existence, the dishes that people could cook became sumptuous, and there were more delicacies in the market. Hence, the people of the State of Zhao, from the Emperor to the commoners, were advocates of good food. At this moment, many customers had gathered around to watch the commotion. How could he allow his dish to be deemed as lacking? Naturally, he had to have proof. Helpless, Zhou Xiaoli could only enter the kitchen. ¡°I won¡¯t stand on ceremony then.¡± Zhou Xiaoli cupped her hands at Chef Chen as a mark of respect. After all, this was his home ground, so she had to be polite when using his things. With a straight face, Head Chef Chen retained an air of arrogance around him as he said, ¡°Please!¡± Zhou Xiaoli didn¡¯t mind his attitude. She put on an apron and started cooking. From dicing the chicken and cucumbers to start the fire to heating up the oil, she did all the steps smoothly. From the looks of it, one could tell that she cooked often. However, many remained doubtful that a village girl could make a better stir-fried chicken dish than Head Chef Chen. Head Chef Chen had been paying attention to Zhou Xiaoli the whole time, so he realized that Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s steps were almost the same as his, except that she had added sugar. He could not help but be surprised at it. Then, he became angry. ¡°If you add sugar, won¡¯t it ruin the taste? You¡¯re simply fooling around.¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not argue with him. As soon as the dish was served, it was brought straight to Shopkeeper Wang. ¡°Shopkeeper Wang, it¡¯s done.¡± Shopkeeper Wang was shocked. ¡°You made it!¡± Unfortunately, a greater shock was yet to come. After he picked up the chicken and put it in his mouth, his eyes widened at the taste. ¡°Hmm, this is really not bad!¡± Seeing the shopkeeper¡¯s shocked expression, Chef Chen stepped forward suspiciously. Using a plate, he picked up some of the chicken and moved away. The moment the chicken meat entered his mouth, he froze on the spot. Although the taste was similar to what he made, there was a hint of umami. Although it was just a little bit, he could not deny that it was indeed more delicious. In particular, as a chef, his taste buds were sharper than ordinary people. That shocked him further. With the shock, his arrogance was gone. He said shamefully, ¡°I was too arrogant.¡± Shopkeeper Wang did not blame Head Chef Chen for his recklessness earlier and merely patted him on his shoulder to encourage him. ¡°Split this stir-fried chicken into smaller plates and send it to the customers to try,¡± he instructed the waiter standing at the side. ¡°Just say that from tomorrow onwards, our First-grade Restaurant¡¯s signature dish, Stir-fried Chicken, will have a new form.¡± With that, he welcomed Zhou Xiaoli out of the kitchen with a smile and praised her again. In the end, he even waived their meal. On the surface, Zhou Xiaoli said that he shouldn¡¯t have, but in her heart, she thought that the shopkeeper, Wang Defu, was indeed good at doing business. ¡°Miss Zhou, I see that you¡¯re a little younger than my kid. You can call me Uncle from now on. You¡¯re welcome to come to the First-grade Restaurant anytime.¡± Zhou Xiaoli loved to make friends with people from all walks of life, hence she did not refuse. She smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll call you Uncle Wang from now on.¡± Immediately after, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s gaze paused. She lowered her voice and said, ¡°Uncle Wang, when I was young, I learned a few moves from a person. If you trust me, please do not go out nor accept any social invitations tonight.¡± Wang Defu was stunned and he could not comprehend what Zhou Xiaoli had just said. On the other side, Zhou Xiaoli was ready to bid farewell. ¡°Um, Uncle Wang, I won¡¯t disturb you anymore in that case. I still have some matters to attend to, so I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± With that, she walked towards Wei Chiyu. When she went to compete with the head chef, Wei Chiyu sat at the table the whole time and sipped his tea. He was not surprised that Zhou Xiaoli won. As Zhou Xiaoli walked over, he smiled and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The two of them walked out of the First-grade Restaurant side by side. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you worried that I can¡¯t do it and make a fool of myself?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was unhappy that Wei Chiyu had remained calm during the whole process. ¡°You can definitely do it. So what should I be worried about?¡± Wei Chiyu said casually as he took the donkey¡¯s lead. ¡°What if?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no what if.¡± ¡°Hmm, this¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli was speechless. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little too confident in me?¡± Wei Chiyu suddenly smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was stunned again. Why was this guy smiling so much recently? Wei Chiyu didn¡¯t notice that Zhou Xiaoli was in a daze. He walked in front and continued, ¡°Oh, right, I¡¯m going to a friend¡¯s place to get something later. Wait for me.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Zhou Xiaoli quickened her pace and caught up with him. ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll go buy some cloth and cotton.¡± Thus, Wei Chiyu sent Zhou Xiaoli to the fabric shop and left after giving her some instructions. Zhou Xiaoli tied the donkey cart and went to the cotton shop next to the fabric shop to buy five kilograms of cotton. After piling them into the cart, she went back to the fabric shop. Zhang Lan¡¯s intention was to buy coarse linen clothes to wear, but Zhou Xiaoli was unhappy with how scratchy they were. Therefore, she wanted to buy a few pieces of cotton cloth to make clothes and bedding. It would be comfortable to wear and use then. After putting the cotton cloth in the cart, Zhou Xiaoli thought of what Zhang Lan had told her. To make shoes, one needed to use burlap to make the soles of the shoes. Hence, she went back into the fabric shop and spent 500 copper coins to buy two bolts of burlap. Just as she was about to leave with two bolts of burlap, her gaze fell on a piece of red fabric with a floral design. She could not help but think of Zhou Xiaoyu at home. She would definitely look festive wearing a red jacket during winter. She immediately pointed at the fabric and asked, ¡°Boss, how much is this material?¡± However, before the boss could answer, a delicate and arrogant voice suddenly came from behind her. ¡°Boss, I will take that material!¡± Chapter 38 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios She turned around and saw two girls around her age walking into the shop. ¡°Where did this country bumpkin come from? Dirty, so dirty. How unlucky of us.¡± Zhou Xiaoli looked at the person who spoke. It was a little girl in her teens. She was dressed in a gorgeous dress and had flower hairpins on her head. At this moment, she covered her nose with a fan and looked at her with disdain. A memory of this girl appeared in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s mind. From her memories, she knew that this fancifully dressed girl was her aunt¡¯s daughter, Xue Tiantian. Lai Jinniang had two daughters and two sons. The eldest daughter was Zhou Guixiang. She married into the Xue family, who owned a jade shop in the county. As his family had some money, he felt superior to the rest and would have an air of arrogance about him every time he came to the Zhou family. This was especially so for Xue Tiantian, who was spoiled by Zhou Guixiang. She was arrogant and domineering. Previously, she had bullied the original host, Zhou Xiaoli, for quite a few times such as pouring hot water on her, pushing her into a ditch in the middle of winter, forcing her to eat the food dropped on the ground, and so on. This caused the original host to be traumatized. Whenever she saw Xue Tiantian, she would subconsciously tremble. But that was the original host, and now she¡¯s Zhou Xiaoli! She can dream on if she thought that she could bully her! Xue Tiantian did not notice the change in Zhou Xiaoli at all. She looked at Zhou Xiaoli with disdain and said to the shopkeeper, ¡°Shopkeeper, I want this piece of fabric. Wrap it up for me.¡± After saying that, she looked at Zhou Xiaoli smugly. The shopkeeper was in a difficult position. ¡°This¡­ Miss, this lady also took a fancy to this material just now. However, there¡¯s only one bolt of it left¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Xue Tiantian immediately widened her eyes and said in disbelief, ¡°Shopkeeper, are you stupid? Look at what she¡¯s wearing. She¡¯s wearing tattered clothes. One look and you can tell that she¡¯s a poor person from the countryside. How can she afford such good fabric!¡± As soon as she said this, she inevitably stepped on the toes of a few other people. There were many people who came from the countryside to buy things in this shop. At this moment, when they heard her words, they all looked at her. The shopkeeper also looked at Zhou Xiaoli and then at Xue Tiantian. One of them was dressed in coarse linen clothes with patches all over. The other was dressed in a pretty silk dress and wore accessories on her hair and hands. With this comparison, he knew how to choose. He immediately smiled and said to Xue Tiantian, ¡°Okay, then I will ask someone to wrap it up for you.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but frown. ¡°Shopkeeper, I took a fancy to this first.¡± The shopkeeper did not mock Zhou Xiaoli. Instead, he patiently advised her. ¡°Miss, this is the latest design this year. It¡¯s not cheap. Perhaps you may want to take a look at this other design instead?¡± As he spoke, he pointed at another piece of material for Zhou Xiaoli. It was a bolt of cotton cloth which had been dyed. The price of cotton cloth was naturally much cheaper than silk. It only cost 300 copper coins per bolt. Seeing this, Xue Tiantian was extremely proud. She looked at Zhou Xiaoli with contempt and said to her friend beside her, ¡°Some people have no self-awareness and yet, they dream of snatching my things from me. They¡¯re overestimating themselves!¡± ¡°Country bumpkins who dig for food in the fields should wear clothes made from burlap, just like those in your arms. You¡¯re not worthy of wearing silk and satin!¡± With that, the two of them giggled and puffed up their chests like roosters who had won a fight before sashaying off to look at the other fabrics and clothes in the shop. When she passed by Zhou Xiaoli, she deliberately bumped into her. As she staggered back, the cloth in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s arms fell to the ground. She couldn¡¯t help but narrow her eyes, a trace of danger appearing in them. She reached out to grab Xue Tiantian¡¯s arm and said coldly, ¡°Pick it up!¡± ¡°Ah! What are you doing? Don¡¯t touch my clothes with your dirty hands!¡± Xue Tiantian struggled out of Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s grasp with a frown on her face. ¡°Are you crazy?! If you dirty my clothes, I¡¯ll get Grandma to beat you to death!¡± she scolded as she stepped back. Zhou Xiaoli was expressionless as she repeated her words. ¡°Pick it up!¡± Xue Tiantian was in disbelief, thinking that she had misheard her. If this was in the past, Zhou Xiaoli would definitely tremble in fear when she threatened to tell Grandma. Now, she actually dared to argue with her? Zhou Xiaoli did not care about what Xue Tiantian would think of. She repeated herself, word by word this time. ¡°I said, pick it up. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself a fourth time!¡± Xue Tiantian was stunned by Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s aura about her. The girl who was with her said, ¡°Miss Xue, is this the stupid cousin you said you could bully? This doesn¡¯t look like it.¡± After being provoked by her friend, Xue Tiantian immediately recovered from her shock and flew into a rage out of humiliation. She stepped on the cloth on the ground. Not content with just stepping on the cloth, she even kicked and stomped on it. Then, she looked at Zhou Xiaoli with a smug expression. Zhou Xiaoli laughed angrily when she saw the other party¡¯s annoying look. ¡°Heh!¡± The next second, she raised her hand and slapped Xue Tiantian. **PIAK** A crisp sound silenced the shop! Everything happened too suddenly. Everyone was stunned and looked over. Xue Tiantian was stunned and it took her a long time to react. ¡°Ah! How dare you hit me! B*tch, I¡¯ll tear you apart!¡± she screamed. She screamed and was about to rush over to hit Zhou Xiaoli. Would Zhou Xiaoli let her hit her like this? Of course not. She simply stepped aside and Xue Tiantian missed her. At the same time, Zhou Xiaoli raised her leg and kicked Xue Tiantian¡¯s butt, sending her flying into a heap on the ground. Her face and mouth were covered in dirt, her clothes were crooked, and her hair became disheveled. She was in a sorry state. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Xue Tiantian broke down even more. She screamed and pointed at Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°B*tch, b*tch, how dare you treat me like this? I won¡¯t let you off!¡± she cursed. Zhou Xiaoli sneered again, ¡°Let me see how you plan to do that.¡± As she spoke, she stepped forward and slapped the other side of her face. ¡°That¡¯s for calling me a b*tch. A country bumpkin.¡± ¡°Why? Did a country bumpkin offend you? Without us country bumpkins who farm, what are you going to eat! You¡¯ve only been in the city for a few days, and you¡¯re already looking down on people living in the villages?¡± ¡°Every family came from the village a few generations back. Even if you don¡¯t want to look at your ancestry, your maternal grandmother and maternal grandfather are farmers themselves. Are you looking down on your ancestors too?¡± With that, she slapped her again. ¡°This slap is to teach you a lesson on behalf of your ancestor, you unfilial thing!¡± ¡°The current emperor encourages the people to clear the land for farming. This is a great plan that benefits the people¡¯s livelihood. Are you questioning the current emperor?!¡± As she spoke, she slapped her again. ¡°This slap is for you, you ungrateful thing!¡± After a few slaps, Xue Tiantian was so stunned that she forgot to scream. There were many people around who came from the countryside. They were of course unhappy with how Xue Tiantian had been referring to them as country bumpkins. Now, they felt happy that someone had stood up for them. Some even shouted, ¡°Well done!¡± ¡°This disloyal and unfilial thing should have been taught a lesson!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Without us farming in the fields, there won¡¯t be any food for you.¡± ¡­ Chapter 39 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Xue Tiantian was stunned. Whenever she wanted to open her mouth to curse, Zhou Xiaoli would slap her hard. It scared her. She covered her face and did not dare to make another sound. ¡°Hmph! Did you think that I can¡¯t deal with you!¡± Zhou Xiaoli thought. Zhou Xiaoli flexed her wrist and sneered. Sigh, it was just a little troublesome. At this moment, Wei Chiyu returned. He walked into the shop and saw the scene. Pointing at Xue Tiantian, he frowned and asked, ¡°Did you hit her?¡± ¡°Ah? That¡¯s right.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± At the same time, she wondered in her heart. ¡°Wei Chiyu should not have had any interaction with Xue Tiantian before, right?¡± she thought. Or did he think she was too rough? Just as Zhou Xiaoli wondered, Wei Chiyu asked again. ¡°Seems quite serious. What did you use to hit her with?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shrugged. ¡°What can I use? My hands.¡± At this moment, Xue Tiantian slowly recovered from her shock. Her mind was no longer as muddled as before. When she heard Wei Chiyu¡¯s words, she thought that he felt sorry for her and wanted to stand up for her. She took a look at the young man again. Although he was dressed ordinarily, he was handsome and strong. She immediately flipped her hair and started crying weakly. ¡°Young Master, wuwuwu, it¡¯s all this evil woman¡¯s fault for hitting me. Young Master, quickly help me.¡± She pretended to be enchanting and was so confident that her posture now was seductive. However, she did not know that because of her sorry state, she just seemed funny. After saying that, she even glanced at Zhou Xiaoli smugly, as if to flaunt how attractive she was to men. However, in the next second, Wei Chiyu sighed and said, ¡°Are you stupid? How can you use your hand to hit someone? How painful it must be for you!¡± Xue Tiantian, who was gloating, froze on the spot. She was in disbelief. ¡°Young, young master?¡± Wei Chiyu ignored her. ¡°Here, use this next time. It¡¯s powerful. You can shoot through a pig with just one arrow.¡± As he spoke, he handed a small crossbow to Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli almost burst out laughing. ¡°What a way of speaking to insult others without using vulgarities. I didn¡¯t expect this from you, Wei Chiyu.¡± she thought to herself. ¡°Not bad. Let me see if I can shoot through a pig then.¡± She immediately took over the crossbow and pointed it at Xue Tiantian. ¡°But what if I can¡¯t shoot accurately?¡± she pondered aloud, as though in doubt. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Shoot as many as you please. There will be one that can pierce through it.¡± ¡°Yes, that makes sense.¡± Listening to the ¡®crazy¡¯ conversation between these two people, the onlookers at the side automatically moved away, leaving only Xue Tiantian in the shop. Even Xue Tiantian¡¯s friend were so scared that she avoided her. Looking at the crossbow aimed at her, Xue Tiantian¡¯s face turned pale and her lips trembled. ¡°You, you would not dare to¡­ Killing is illegal.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as I can pull you down, it¡¯s not a loss.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said indifferently. She said it with absolute certainty and that made Xue Tiantian feel that she was dead serious! ¡°Crazy, you¡¯re crazy!¡± Xue Tiantian was completely terrified while looking at the ¡®mad¡¯ Zhou Xiaoli. She wanted to run, but her legs were too weak to move. Zhou Xiaoli was still aiming at her with her crossbow. Phew! Xue Tiantian immediately screamed. She covered her head and fell to the ground. Immediately after, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s crisp laughter rang out. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? I haven¡¯t even drawn the bow, and you have chickened out? Tsk, how boring.¡± It turned out that Zhou Xiaoli had only used her mouth to simulate the whooshing sound of an arrow, and had not actually shot an arrow out. However, Xue Tiantian was paralyzed with fear. Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s ridicule, Xue Tiantian flew into a rage out of humiliation. At this moment, there was a smell in the air. ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s that smell?¡± ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s that smell?¡± ¡°So smelly. It smelt like¡­ pee?¡± At this time, everyone looked around for the smell and their eyes fell on Xue Tiantian. Then, they saw a puddle of water beside her dress¡­ Did she peed herself out of shock? Immediately, laughter rang out. Xue Tiantian was so ashamed that she teared up and wanted to hide in a hole. She wanted to get up and leave this place quickly. However, her legs were weak and she could not stand up at all. Hence, she looked at her good friend. However, her good friend had a look of disdain on her face and was unwilling to help her up. But in the end, under Xue Tiantian¡¯s threatening gaze, she still walked over and helped her up from the ground. Xue Tiantian gritted her teeth and glared at Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°You b*tch! Just you wait!¡± Then, she was ready to leave. At this moment, the shopkeeper suddenly rushed out and stopped her. ¡°Hey, Miss, Miss, wait a moment.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t taken the silk cloth you wanted. It¡¯s a total of 1300 copper coins.¡± Upon seeing the silk cloth, Xue Tiantian finally found a little bit of success in this defeat. She had finally won a little in this battle. Hmph! So what if she was beaten up? She still managed to snatch away the fabric that Zhou Xiaoli liked! Thinking of this, she immediately looked for her pouch to pay. However, after a moment, she retracted her hand awkwardly. ¡°Shopkeeper, I¡­ I didn¡¯t bring enough money. Can I put it on the tab?¡± When she went out, her mother had given her five taels of silver. She had just spent most of it on rouge and powder. At this moment, she only had 500 copper coins on her. Hearing this, the shopkeeper¡¯s expression changed. He quickly took back the silk cloth from her, as though he was afraid that the silk cloth would be contaminated with the smell of the other party¡¯s urine. He would not be able to sell it to others then. ¡°Little girl, you have gone overboard. If you didn¡¯t have enough money with you, why did you pretend to be able to afford it? Aren¡¯t you creating trouble?¡± Hearing this, Xue Tiantian felt even more ashamed. ¡°Only 1300 copper coins? I thought it would be more expensive.¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice suddenly sounded. As she spoke, she showed the two pieces of silver in her hand. The shopkeeper immediately smiled. ¡°Miss, I can tell that you¡¯re more reliable than this girl. This silk cloth is yours.¡± Zhou Xiaoli looked at the silk cloth and snorted coldly in her heart, but she still wore a smile on her face. ¡°This silk cloth is beautiful.¡± Under the other party¡¯s expectant gaze, Zhou Xiaoli said coldly, ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t want it anymore.¡± With that, she picked up her two bolts of burlap and left with Wei Chiyu. After leaving the fabric shop, Wei Chiyu suddenly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to hold grudges.¡± It was obvious that Zhou Xiaoli had intentionally taken out two pieces of silver to show off in order to anger the shopkeeper. Zhou Xiaoli placed the linen on the donkey cart and shrugged. ¡°No, no. I don¡¯t hold grudges at all. Because if I have a grudge, I¡¯ll take revenge on the spot.¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t offend me in the future. I¡¯m a petty person and I¡¯ll take revenge.¡± Wei Chiyu couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°You¡¯re telling the truth.¡± Then, he changed the topic. ¡°However, what a coincidence. It¡¯s the same for me.¡± Zhou Xiaoli laughed and said, ¡°Then, that makes two of us.¡± Wei Chiyu curled his lips. ¡°Since we are the same, we would know each other best. In short, confidants. We can be considered as confidants.¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°Yeah, who said that wasn¡¯t the case?¡± The two of them couldn¡¯t help but smile at each other. ¡°Oh, right. Here you go.¡± With that, Zhou Xiaoli returned the crossbow to Wei Chiyu. When they came to the county, she had never seen this crossbow on him before. It must have been what Wei Chiyu went to retrieve from his friend. Chapter 40 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Wei Chiyu did not take it and said, ¡°This is too small and not suitable for me. I think it¡¯s very suitable for you, so I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was puzzled. ¡°Then why did you order a small crossbow?¡± Wei Chiyu paused for a moment. ¡°I ordered the wrong size.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not doubt his words. She needed a suitable weapon anyway. This small crossbow was very handy for her. As such, she happily accepted it. ¡°How much did you pay for it? I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Wei Chiyu pursed his lips and thought for a while. ¡°I want to eat dumplings.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was dumbfounded. She then immediately understood what Wei Chiyu meant. Dumplings in exchange for this crossbow. ¡°Just dumplings?¡± Zhou Xiaoli confirmed again. Wei Chiyu nodded. Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but sighed again. A friend who viewed money as dirt, please give her another dozen of them! She said, ¡°Let¡¯s buy meat then. I¡¯ll make dumplings for you when we get back tonight.¡± With that, the two of them drove towards the market. As soon as the two of them left, Xue Tiantian ran out with red eyes. She looked at Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s departing figure, and a trace of viciousness appeared in her eyes. She said fiercely, ¡°Little wh*re, just you wait. I won¡¯t let you off!¡± She then shook off her friend who was supporting her and ran home angrily. ¡ª- Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu went to buy pork and cabbage. Then, they went to the pharmacy to get medicine for Zhang Lan and asked about Master Yuan. Unfortunately, there was still no news of Master Yuan. After leaving the pharmacy, the two of them went straight to the carpenter¡¯s shop to customize beds, cabinets, tables, chairs, screens, and other furniture for their new home. After leaving the furniture store, the two of them drove out of the city to go home. Suddenly, their donkey cart was stopped by someone. ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s really the girl from the Zhou family. Are you guys going home?¡± Zhou Xiaoli looked over and saw three women standing by the roadside. It turned out to be the village chief¡¯s wife, Liu Yan, her daughter-in-law, and an old woman. She seemed to be the village chief¡¯s neighbor, Aunt Yang. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and replied, ¡°Yes, we¡¯re going home. Are you going home too?¡± Liu Yan smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, I came to the city to get some medicine.¡± Aunt Yang¡¯s eyes landed on the donkey cart and she smiled in an embarrassed manner. ¡°Well, Miss Zhou, we happen to be on the way. Look¡­¡± The village chief¡¯s wife quickly nudged her and said to Zhou Xiaoli with a smile, ¡°Well, hurry up and leave. It¡¯s almost evening.¡± Zhou Xiaoli moved forward to make room. ¡°Auntie, since we¡¯re going the same way, I¡¯ll give you a ride home.¡± Upon hearing the invitation, Aunt Yang immediately smiled and narrowed her eyes in delight. ¡°Aiyaya, didn¡¯t I say that Miss Zhou is the most understanding girl?¡± Liu Yan was a little embarrassed. She said that there were too many of them and refused to sit. After Zhou Xiaoli expressed that the cart can take them all, she thanked her profusely and boarded the donkey cart. Zhou Xiaoli sat in front of the cart with Wei Chiyu. Only then did the donkey cart slowly move forward. When they passed by a pawnshop, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s gaze swept past the shop and noticed an old lady at the entrance of the pawnshop. She could not help but take a few more glances at that old lady. The old woman was hunching over and she bowed shakily to the helper from the pawnshop. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s donkey cart slowly moved past. At this moment, the old lady suddenly stood up and rushed towards the middle of the road! ¡°Wei Chiyu¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli cried out in fear. Fortunately, there were many people on the street, so the donkey cart wasn¡¯t moving at a very fast speed. In addition, Wei Chiyu reacted quickly and immediately pulled the donkey cart to a halt, so they didn¡¯t hit the old lady. The donkey cart stopped and the few of them jumped down. When the granny rushed to the middle of the road, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s first reaction was to check if the granny was trying to scam her. However, when she walked over, she saw that the old lady was bent over and searching for something on the ground anxiously. She was even mumbling to herself. ¡°Where did it fall? Where did it fall? We can¡¯t lose it¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli stepped forward and asked, ¡°Granny, what happened to you?¡± The old lady was very anxious. Without even raising her head, she said anxiously, ¡°I-I dropped my jade. That¡¯s my lifeblood. I can¡¯t lose it. I can¡¯t lose it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli asked, ¡°What does it look like? Why don¡¯t we help you look for it?¡± Only then did the old lady straighten her back. She first thanked her before describing her jade, ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s a round jade. It¡¯s black and has some patterns engraved on it.¡± As she spoke, the old lady slapped her thigh in frustration. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I hold it firmly? What should I do now? That¡¯s my lifeblood. I can¡¯t lose it¡­¡± ¡°Granny, don¡¯t be anxious. We¡¯ll help you look for it. You just dropped it. You won¡¯t lose it.¡± As Zhou Xiaoli spoke, she called out to Wei Chiyu and the others. ¡°This granny is quite pitiful. Why don¡¯t we help her find her?¡± Wei Chiyu usually does whatever Zhou Xiaoli says. Liu Yan and the other two nodded repeatedly. ¡°Alright, we would help her find it.¡± The five of them bent down and searched the ground. After searching for a long time, there was nothing. If not for the old lady spinning around anxiously, they would have suspected that she was lying. ¡°Found it!¡± Suddenly, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice came from below the cart. Immediately after, she crawled out. ¡°We found it. It¡¯s blocked by the wheels. No wonder we couldn¡¯t find it.¡± ¡°Granny, look, is this it?¡± As she spoke, Zhou Xiaoli handed the black jade to the old lady. When she saw the jade in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand, the old lady¡¯s tears immediately fell. She was extremely excited. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. This is it, this is it! Young lady, thank you so much. You¡¯re really a kind person!¡± ¡°Granny, you¡¯re too polite.¡± Zhou Xiaoli handed the jade to her. ¡°Granny, this is your family heirloom, right? You should put it away.¡± Seeing how anxious the old lady was, Zhou Xiaoli guessed that this was probably an heirloom. However, the old lady shook her head. ¡°No, my son bought this from a merchant at the stone gambling den. He said it was jade.¡± As she spoke, she thought of something sad and tears flowed down his face. He sighed. ¡°But my eldest grandson suddenly fell ill some time ago and urgently needed money. We have pawned all the valuable things in the family, but he hasn¡¯t recovered yet from his illness.¡± ¡°Now, there¡¯s only this piece of jade left at home. I want to take it to the pawnshop in the county to see if I can pawn it for some money so that I can buy medicine for my eldest grandson.¡± ¡°But who knew that the helper said that the shopkeeper had something on and was rushing to go off. They were about to close the shop and asked me to come back tomorrow. But my grandson can¡¯t wait anymore.¡± The old lady¡¯s words were so sad that it made people cry. Old Madam Yang sighed with red eyes. ¡°We farmers are all like this. We can¡¯t afford to fall sick.¡± The old lady said, ¡°That¡¯s right. If we can¡¯t endure it, what awaits us would be a straw mat. But my eldest grandson is still so young¡­¡± At this moment, the helper walked out from the pawnshop and waved at the granny. ¡°Hey, granny, come over. My shopkeeper said he would help you take a look before leaving.¡± Chapter 41 - 41 Trouble 41 Trouble ¡°Ah, alright!¡± The old lady immediately wiped her tears and hurriedly walked forward with her hunched body. She trembled as she handed the black jade over. Seeing that everything was fine, Zhou Xiaoli and the others prepared to leave. At this moment, the old lady¡¯s unbelievable voice sounded. ¡°It¡¯s a stone? Shopkeeper, you said that this is a stone and not jade?¡± Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli frowned and walked over. Then, she heard the shopkeeper say, ¡°That¡¯s right. This is a stone carved with patterns. It¡¯s everywhere. It¡¯s just that the color is a little rare and not worth much. I can¡¯t take it. You should take it back.¡± As he spoke, he handed the stone over. ¡°How could this be? How could this be?¡± The old lady trembled as she took the stone back, feeling a little dejected. The shopkeeper shook his head. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, go to another pawnshop. Sigh! I can¡¯t help you.¡± With that, he closed the door. Zhou Xiaoli thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Granny, how much did your son spend on this?¡± The old lady sighed. ¡°It¡¯s 1,000 copper coins. I knew it. One shouldn¡¯t buy anything from the stone gambling den. My son just won¡¯t listen. I¡¯ll break his legs when I get back!¡± The old lady gritted her teeth. Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips. ¡°Well, how about this, granny? I¡¯m going to make a hairpin for my mother and I happen to lack a piece of decoration. I quite like this stone. Why don¡¯t I give you one tael of silver and you sell it to me?¡± As soon as these words were spoken, not only was the old lady surprised. Even Liu Yan, who was in the car, almost fell down in surprise. She immediately called out, ¡°Little Li!¡± Then, she felt that it was inappropriate and whispered, ¡°Come here.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said to the granny, ¡°Granny, wait for me. I¡¯ll go get the money.¡± With that, she walked back to the cart. ¡°Auntie, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Little Li, don¡¯t be stupid. I know you¡¯re kind, but this isn¡¯t being kind. Whose money comes from the sky?¡± Liu Yan whispered in her ear. Liu Yan¡¯s daughter-in-law and Old Madam Yang also persuaded her in a low voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what the pawnshop said about it being a stone? They¡¯re everywhere. Only a fool would spend a tael of silver to buy a stone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid.¡± Liu Yan glanced at Wei Chiyu and immediately said, ¡°Chiyu, you should talk to her too.¡± Wei Chiyu looked up and said calmly, ¡°Auntie, she¡¯s rich.¡± Liu Yan: ¡°¡­ Child, even if you have the money, you shouldn¡¯t spend it like this.¡± Then, she went to persuade Zhou Xiaoli again. However, Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°Auntie, I know, but the color of that stone is very rare. I want to polish it and embed it into a hairpin for my mother. It will definitely look good.¡± Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was so insistent, Liu Yan and the others did not try to stop her again, especially since they were not her family. Zhou Xiaoli took the money and went to look for the old lady. Although the old lady was in a hurry to use the money, she felt a little apologetic nonetheless. ¡°Miss, do you really want to spend one tael of silver to buy my stone? Won¡¯t you suffer a loss in that case.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°Granny, don¡¯t worry. I have my own use for this stone so it won¡¯t be a loss for me.¡± As she spoke, she handed the money to the granny. ¡°Granny, here, this is the money.¡± Looking at the silver nugget in her palm, the old lady¡¯s hands trembled and she was about to kneel down to Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re a really good person. I don¡¯t know how to thank you. I¡¯ll bring my grandson to bow to you!¡± As she spoke, she was about to kneel herself. Zhou Xiaoli quickly pulled her up. ¡°Granny, you can¡¯t do this. I¡¯m a junior. Won¡¯t you be doing me a disservice by kneeling?¡± The old lady thanked her profusely before leaving. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli bought the stone with one tael of silver, Liu Yan and the other two could not understand her thinking. Zhou Xiaoli only smiled and did not say anything else. She knew that the three of them were concerned about her, but her intuition told her that this stone might not be a simple stone. This was because she had just seen traces of spiritual energy on this stone. The first time she saw spiritual energy was when she saw it on the vase in the mayor¡¯s house. The mayor said that a master had painted the painting on the vase. Other than being able to see the future, the Heaven¡¯s Eye could also see things that ordinary people could not. For example, some famous calligraphy paintings, literature, and antiques would emit a unique spiritual energy around them. Ordinary people would not be able to see it. As such, Zhou Xiaoli smiled and did not say anything. Wei Chiyu, who was at the side, also focused on driving the cart. He was very quiet. The journey back was smooth and they reached the village an hour later. As soon as the donkey cart entered the village, Liu Fengfeng and Zhou Junjun ran over. Liu Fengfeng shouted, ¡°Sister Xiao Li, go home quickly. The bad guys want to hit Auntie!¡± Zhou Junjun also ran over. He was holding back his tears just now, but when he saw Zhou Xiaoli, he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and burst into tears. ¡°Sis, someone hit Mother, someone hit Mother!¡± Seeing this, Zhou Xiaoli immediately jumped off the donkey cart. Liu Yan and the others immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. Let¡¯s go take a look.¡± After hearing that someone had caused trouble at her house and even hit Zhang Lan, Zhou Xiaoli could not wait any longer. She instructed, ¡°Brother Jun, go back with your Big Brother Wei!¡± Then, she ran off immediately. ¡ª Before she reached home, she saw from afar that a group of people had surrounded their house. As soon as she walked in, she heard a sharp voice coming from the courtyard, cursing. ¡°Tell your little wh*re to get out here! How dare she frame my son, causing him to be punished? If she can¡¯t give me an explanation today, I won¡¯t leave!¡± ¡°Let me tell you, if anything happens to my son, I¡¯ll make your entire family suffer!¡± ¡­ Zhou Xiaoli pushed through the crowd and squeezed her way into the courtyard. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw six people surrounding the courtyard. Two of the women were blocking Zhang Lan from going out. On Zhang Lan¡¯s face, there were obvious five-finger marks. There were two men standing next to them. There were two stretchers on the ground with two other people lying on them. However, Zhou Xiaoli recognized these two people. They were Sun Er and Wang Gou, who had been forcibly brought to the county office by the mayor and were punished. Needless to say, the two couples must be their parents. No wonder they turned out as such. Their parents were not reasonable at all! At this moment, Zhou Yu was extremely anxious while he¡¯s on the roof. The ladder, which was originally propped against the roof, had been thrown to the ground at one side. He was anxious and yet he could not come down. Now that he saw that Zhou Xiaoli had returned, he became even more anxious. This morning, Zhou Xiaoli heard from Zhang Lan that there had been strong gusts of wind recently. As such, the thatch on the roof had been blown away by the wind, and a hole was revealed. She had asked Zhou Yu to repair the roof today. They were probably repairing the roof when the two families came to make trouble for them. At this moment, the Village Chief and Liu Liangcai were trying to mediate, but Sun Er¡¯s mother, Madam Wang, and Wang Gou¡¯s mother, Madam Zhu, seemed to have gone crazy and refused to listen. The two crazy women were about to hit Zhang Lan again after hearing their son cry out in pain. Zhou Xiaoli was instantly enraged. She rushed up and kicked the two women in the stomach. The two of them were caught in surprise by Zhou Xiaoli. They clutched their stomach and howled. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s that little wh*re who dares to kick me!¡± Chapter 42 - 42 Getting Whatever Possible 42 Getting Whatever Possible Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes were cold as she glared at the two old ladies and stood in front of Zhang Lan to protect her. As soon as Sun Er and Wang Gou saw Zhou Xiaoli, they immediately pointed at her and cried out. ¡°Mother, Mother, it¡¯s this little b*tch. She¡¯s the one who framed me!¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her! She caused me to be beaten up!¡± Zhou Xiaoli sneered. The epitome of the thief crying out thief! A thief that only knows how to bully the weak. They could not afford to offend the mayor and were also afraid of Wei Chiyu, so they came to pick on someone weak like her? She sneered in her heart. ¡°I framed you? The mayor handed you over to the Police himself, and now you¡¯re saying that I framed you? Are you saying that the mayor was wrong?¡± The two of them immediately shut their mouths and did not dare to continue yelling out lies. Zhou Xiaoli raised her voice. ¡°Everyone, be reasonable. Sun Er and Wang Gou lied to the mayor and tried to cheat him of the bounty. Fortunately, the mayor was sharp enough to see through their lies, so he handed them over to the Police and sent them to the magistrate office.¡± ¡°So, I have nothing to do with you being punished. Since you came to my house to cause trouble now, I can report you to the Police!¡± After hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, the surrounding onlookers finally understood what was going on. ¡°Tsk tsk, the Wang and Sun families made such a ruckus. I was wondering what the Zhou family did to them. It turns out that they went for wool and came home shorn. They deserved to be beaten up!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Sun Er and Wang Gou are two devils incarnate. They had never worked a day in their life and made trouble all day long. I think being beaten is a light punishment for them. How do they have the cheek to find trouble with the Zhou family now!¡± The accusations from the onlookers made the Wang and Sun families¡¯ anger subside. Sun Er gritted his teeth and glared at Zhou Xiaoli. He could no longer say that Zhou Xiaoli had framed him. That would make it seem that the mayor was in the wrong then. Was his punishment for nothing? He immediately suppressed his anger. In his anger, he punched the stretcher. His wounds immediately hurt and he cried out in pain. ¡°Aiyo, Mother, it hurts!¡± Hearing her son scream in pain, Madam Zhu was immediately enraged. She couldn¡¯t care less about the pain in her stomach from Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s kick and wanted to tear Zhou Xiaoli apart. ¡°Little wh*re! What nonsense are you spouting? I¡¯ll beat you to death today!¡± However, right at this moment, an exclamation suddenly sounded from the crowd, followed by a bang. Hearing the sound, Zhou Xiaoli paused. When she looked over, her eyes immediately filled with blood. Zhou Yu had fallen from the roof¡­ ¡°Zhou Yu!¡± Zhang Lan screamed and rushed over. The surroundings instantly fell silent. On the other hand, Zhou Yu was lying in a pool of blood with his eyes closed. He did not have any reaction. Zhang Lan rushed over and knelt at the side. Her hands were open and hovering above his body but she did not dare to touch him. ¡°Zhou Yu, don¡¯t scare me. Don¡¯t scare me. Wake up, wake up.¡± Zhang Lan¡¯s shrill and yet desperate voice sounded in the courtyard, making one¡¯s heart tighten. Upon seeing this scene, the males of the Sun and Wang families immediately began to distance themselves. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me. He fell by himself!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. It¡¯s not us. He was anxious and jumped down. It¡¯s none of our business!¡± ¡­ At that time, almost everyone¡¯s eyes were on Zhou Xiaoli and the others. No one had seen what actually happened. At this moment, Wei Chiyu and the others had already returned. Zhou Junjun and Zhou Xiaoyu were stunned by the scene in front of them. They sat at the side and cried until they were out of breath. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes reddened. At this moment, Zhou Yu was on the verge of death, so she couldn¡¯t take revenge on the Sun and Wang families for the time being. She threw the broom away and rushed over. She knelt at the side and grabbed Zhou Yu¡¯s wrist. ¡°Father, Father, how are you? Hang in there.¡± Zhou Xiaoli mumbled, but her hand was still on his pulse. After confirming that there were still signs of life, she hurriedly called out, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t cry. Let¡¯s take Father to see the doctor first!¡± At this moment, the surrounding people were still stunned at what they were seeing. Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, the village chief and Liu Liangcai immediately came back to their senses. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Let¡¯s take him to see the doctor first! Donkey cart! Let¡¯s quickly unload the things on the donkey cart and use the donkey cart to move him quickly!¡± Zhou Yu¡¯s leg was broken. No one knew if he had injured his ribs as well and if that¡¯s the case, he would not be able to withstand the violent bumps on the road. Zhou Xiaoli immediately said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for the donkey cart. It¡¯s too bumpy. I¡¯m afraid Father won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± The village chief slapped his forehead. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Let¡¯s use a stretcher. Quick, get the stretcher out!¡± With that, he called a few strong men to come forward and lifted Sun Er off the stretcher, replacing him with Zhou Yu. A life was at stake. This time, no one refused. Even the Sun family did not dare to say anything. If death were to happen, they would be sued in court! The more they thought about it, the more afraid they became. The Wang and Sun families shrank back and did not dare to make a sound. Seven or eight burly men in the village took turns carrying Zhou Yu towards Dazhuang Village. After experiencing all this, Zhang Lan also fainted. The house was in a complete mess. Fortunately, the village chief¡¯s wife stayed behind to help take care of Zhang Lan and the two frightened children. Zhou Xiaoli followed them to Dazhuang Village. ¡ª ¡°Alas!¡± Physician Feng shook his head and sighed. ¡°One of his legs was broken. Fortunately, I¡¯ve managed to realign it. If he is able to recuperate well for a month, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to get out of bed and walk normally.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that.¡± Then, he sighed. ¡°Your father¡¯s head was injured previously. This time, he fell and injured his head again. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not optimistic. When you go home, you¡¯ll have to think of a way to pour the medicine down his throat. If he doesn¡¯t wake up by tomorrow night, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t work¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes darkened. This was what she had been worried about. She was afraid that Zhou Yu would become a vegetable if he hurt his head again. At this moment, she was a little regretful. When she listened to Immortal Tai preach the Taoism Way, she shouldn¡¯t have been playful and paid attention in class. As a result, she only learned a little of the Five Metaphysical Techniques. ¡°Alright, thank you, Doctor.¡± After responding, the seven or eight burly men in the village helped carry Zhou Yu back to the Zhou family. At this moment, Zhang Lan had already woken up, but her body had also weakened. The effects from the previous treatment had mostly disappeared. At this moment, she sat on the bed. As she wiped Zhou Yu¡¯s face, she secretly wiped her tears as well. The two little guys were tired from crying and were coaxed to sleep. Meanwhile, the Wang and Sun families had long disappeared. ¡°Thank you for your help today. It¡¯s getting dark. Everyone is tired. Go back and rest first. I can¡¯t leave now, so I won¡¯t send you off. When Father wakes up, I¡¯ll definitely visit and thank you in person.¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not show any signs of panic. She continued to deal with everything in the house in an orderly manner. She did not cry or make a fuss. It made everyone¡¯s heart ache for this little girl even more. Liu Yan grabbed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand and repeatedly instructed, ¡°If anything happens, don¡¯t force yourself. You must come to us.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Auntie. I understand.¡± After sending everyone off, Zhou Xiaoli closed the door. A trace of coldness flashed across her eyes before dissipating quickly. Zhang Lan coughed and looked at Zhou Xiaoli moving busily in and out of the house, feeling guilty and heartbroken. She was really useless. Her family was in chaos and as a mother, she had panicked. Everything else landed on Zhou Xiaoli to take charge. Chapter 43 - 43 Space 43 Space Zhou Xiaoli did not tell Zhang Lan that Zhou Yu might not wake up. With Zhang Lan¡¯s current physical condition, if she knew about this, something bad might happen. ¡°Mother, is Sis back?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu woke up, and the first thing she asked was about Zhou Xiaoli. Then, when she saw Zhou Xiaoli feeding Zhou Yu medicine, she pouted and started to tear up. ¡°Sis, Mother, Father, bad guy, hit bad guy¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoyu sobbed and could not even speak clearly. ¡°It¡¯s all right. It¡¯s all right. Don¡¯t be afraid. Don¡¯t be afraid. The bad guys have run away.¡± Zhou Xiaoli pulled the little fellow into her arms and comforted her in a soft voice. Her heart ached for her. The child was only four years old. After experiencing what happened this afternoon, she must have been terrified. She prayed that she would not have any psychological trauma. At this moment, the commotion woke Zhou Junjun up as well. When he woke up, he did not cry anymore, but his eyes were red as he sat on the bed in a daze. ¡°Brother Jun, don¡¯t be afraid. The bad guy is no longer around.¡± Looking at Zhou Junjun, who was in a daze, Zhou Xiaoli was worried that this little guy had lost his soul from fear. She could not help but speak in a warm and calm manner. Seeing the two children like this, Zhang Lan¡¯s face was filled with worry and heartache as well. However, Zhou Junjun sniffed and raised his head. He said loudly, ¡°Sis, I¡¯m not afraid! I¡¯m the little man in our family. I want to protect Sis, Younger Sister, and Mother!¡± As he spoke, he patted his chest. Upon hearing Zhou Junjun¡¯s words, Zhou Xiaoyu immediately crawled out of Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s arms. Wiping her tears, she patted her chest and said, ¡°I, I, I¡¯m not afraid. I, too, will protect Sis and Mother!¡± She had cried so hard just now that she was hiccuping. However, she spoke with confidence even before her hiccup had subsided. Looking at the two little ones, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes softened. Zhang Lan coughed as she watched this scene. Her tears fell again and she hurriedly turned around to wipe them away. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoyu exclaimed. ¡°S-Sis, your nose is bleeding¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli also felt that her snot seemed to be flowing out uncontrollably. She subconsciously reached out to touch it and saw that her hand was covered in blood. ¡°It¡¯s a nosebleed.¡± Zhang Lan immediately stood up. ¡°Quick, bring Sis outside to pat her forehead with cold water.¡± Zhou Xiaoli pinched her nose and ran outside. The two little fellows also ran out. One ran to carry the basin, while the other scooped water from the vat. ¡°Sis, wash up quickly.¡± The nosebleed came suddenly and violently, as if it could not be stopped. As Zhou Xiaoli washed, she applied cold water to the bridge of her nose to stop the bleeding. Soon, the water in the basin was dyed red with blood. ¡°Li¡¯er, how is it? Block your nostrils with cotton.¡± Zhang Lan came out of the room with cotton in her hand. ¡°Mother, it¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no need to do that. I¡¯ll just wash up.¡± It was undesirable to stop nosebleeds with cotton. This may cause the nasal mucous membrane to become rough, or even scratch the nasal mucous membrane, causing secondary damage which would worsen the nosebleed. Just as Zhou Xiaoli applied cold water to the bridge of her nose, there was a sudden thud. Something slipped from her arms and fell into the basin. Looking over, Zhou Xiaoli could not help but freeze. The blood-stained water had become clear, and there was a stone lying at the bottom of the basin. The stone that she had bought from the old lady today. ¡°Ah, Sis, look!¡± Obviously, Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun also noticed it and pointed at the basin in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhang Lan also walked over. ¡°Mother, there¡¯s no blood!¡± Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun pointed at the basin in surprise. Zhang Lan looked over and saw a basin of clear water with a stone at the bottom. She could not help but ask, ¡°Why did you two children pour the stone into the basin for your sister?¡± ¡°No, Mother.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was still confused about what had just happened. Why did the blood in the water suddenly disappear? Could it be related to this stone? As she thought about it, Zhou Xiaoli reached out and took out the stone. As expected, the originally black stone seemed to have become lighter in color to gray. Moreover, the stone was very hot. Just as she was thinking about it, the blood from her nose slid down her hand that was pinching her nose, and dripped onto the stone. With a sizzling sound, the drop of blood disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye. The originally gray stone immediately turned blood-red. The two little fellows were so shocked that their mouths dropped wide open. Zhang Lan¡¯s eyes widened in shock too. However, what surprised them was yet to come. The few of them felt dizzy. In a flash, the scene before them changed. The Zhou family¡¯s small courtyard that they were originally in was no longer there. What greeted their eyes was a brand new farm courtyard. ¡°W-where is this?¡± Zhang Lan looked around in horror. Zhou Xiaoyu grabbed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand in fear. Zhou Junjun was also so afraid that he subconsciously wanted to hold Zhou Xiaoli too. But when he thought about how his father was sick and he was the only man in the family, he had to be the one to support the family! The little fellow stilled his face and puffed out his chest, looking as though he was ready to protect his family. Compared to their fear, Zhou Xiaoli was excited! Alternate space! This was an alternate space! Who could have known that this unremarkable black stone was such a good thing. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be afraid. This should be called alternate space. It¡¯s a good thing.¡± Seeing that Zhang Lan was still confused, Zhou Xiaoli explained to her. Zhang Lan was still not very clear, but she understood something. ¡°You mean this is something from the gods? Things from the real world can be put in here?¡± Seeing Zhou Xiaoli nod, Zhang Lan was overjoyed. Although she didn¡¯t quite understand why they had to put things into this space, couldn¡¯t they just put them at home too? However, she still felt extremely happy. She couldn¡¯t help but hold Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s face. ¡°Just like I have said, my daughter is a lucky star and is favored by the heavens!¡± The two little fellows were infected by her joyous mood and were no longer so afraid. They began to observe their surroundings curiously. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at this space first,¡± Zhou Xiaoli suggested. Then, the four of them strolled around the space. At present, other than the small courtyard and the surrounding few acres of land, the rest of the space was white. The three of them pushed open the door and entered. The small courtyard was not very big. It had seven rooms, two livestock sheds, and a pigsty. There were two acres of fields behind the small courtyard. Beside the field was a clear spring. The spring water emitted some spiritual energy. Thinking of something, Zhou Xiaoli walked over and took a sip of the spring water. It was refreshing and sweet. Instantly, she felt energized and relaxed. Zhou Xiaoli smiled. As expected, this spring water had the effect of strengthening the body. Zhou Xiaoli quickly called the three of them over and asked them to take a sip of water from the Spiritual Spring. Thereafter, she started thinking on how to get out of the space. However, just as she thought of this, the four of them returned home again. Her nose was no longer bleeding, and the stone in her hand had disappeared. In its place was a red mole on her palm. Chapter 44 - 44 Dealing With the Wang and Sun families 44 Dealing With the Wang and Sun families After a few experiments, Zhou Xiaoli basically mastered how to use the alternate space. She had to use her mind power to enter or to use the alternate space. As long as she wanted to enter the alternate space, her consciousness would immediately appear in the alternate space. When she wanted to leave, her consciousness would come out of the alternate space again. As for Zhang Lan, Zhou Xiaoyu, and Zhou Junjun, how did they enter the alternate space? Zhou Xiaoli guessed that it might be because they were related by blood. As long as they stayed with Zhou Xiaoli, their consciousness could freely enter and exit the alternate space too. However, they could not take anything out of it. After coming out of the alternate space, Zhang Lan could not calm down for a long time. Although she did not understand the purpose of putting things into the space, she was pleasantly surprised when she saw the two acres of fertile land beside the courtyard. ¡°When the market starts, I have to buy some seeds and plant in the two acres of land in the space.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could understand why Zhang Lan was so excited about it. They do not have farmland, which has always been a sore point for Zhang Lan. Now that she had good farmland in her alternative space and they did not have to pay farm tax on it, Zhang Lan was naturally excited. Just as Zhang Lan was planning what to plant on the two acres of land with excitement, she suddenly realized something and was stunned. Then, she tried to move her body and could not help but be surprised. ¡°Why do I feel that my body is no longer heavy?¡± ¡°And I¡¯m not coughing!¡± ¡°Yes, this should be the effect of the spring water in the alternate space. It has the effect of strengthening the body,¡± Zhou Xiaoli explained. She scooped out a bowl of the spring water from the alternate space. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to Father to drink.¡± Zhang Lan nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes. Give your father some.¡± At this moment, Zhang Lan was still in a daze. This alternate space was too mysterious. There were houses and fertile fields inside. What was even more magical was that the spring water inside could treat illnesses. This made her feel like she was dreaming. She suddenly thought of something and hurriedly pulled Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun into the room. She instructed them with a serious expression. ¡°It¡¯s a blessing for your sister that the gods have given her this alternate space.¡± ¡°From now on, when you¡¯re outside, you have to keep your mouths shut. Don¡¯t spout nonsense nor tell anyone!¡± ¡°If others find out, it would be a small matter if they were to snatch it away. They might even take our lives to get it!¡± Zhang Lan said it seriously, but she did not mean to scare the two children. This was also the first time the two little fellows saw their mother having such a serious expression on her face. They immediately nodded repeatedly, indicating that they would not say anything to outsiders. Seeing the two children repeatedly promised to do so, Zhang Lan was slightly relieved and went into the house to see Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu was unconscious and could not drink the herbal medicine. When Zhou Xiaoli fed him the medicine just now, not a single drop entered his mouth. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli was thinking of a way to make Zhou Yu drink the spiritual spring water. Zhang Lan walked in. ¡°How is it? Did your father drink it?¡± Hearing Zhang Lan¡¯s voice, Zhou Xiaoli immediately had an idea. ¡°Mother, I need your help. Come, you¡­¡± After hearing this, Zhang Lan¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Will this work?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Zhou Xiaoli handed the water to Zhang Lan. ¡°Mother, saving Father is more important. Don¡¯t be shy.¡± ¡°Okay, how about this? Second Brother, Third Sister, and I will go out first. Call us when you¡¯re done feeding.¡± After saying that, she winked at Zhang Lan and pulled Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun out. ¡°Sis, what do you want Mother to do?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu was curious. Zhou Junjun patted Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s head from the side. ¡°Little fool, of course it¡¯s for Mother to feed Father the spring water.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu immediately covered her head and glared at Zhou Junjun. ¡°Bad brother, I¡¯m not a little fool. Hmph! You even hit my head. I won¡¯t be with you anymore.¡± After saying that, she hugged Zhou Xiaoli and bared her teeth at Zhou Junjun. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s lips curled up as she watched the two little fellows play around. It was great. The two children should grow up carefree. After a while, Zhang Lan¡¯s voice came from the room. She had already fed Zhou Yu the entire bowl of the spiritual spring water. Zhou Yu should be fine then. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s heart finally settled down in peace. The sky gradually darkened. Everyone climbed into bed and prepared to rest. When it was late at night and everyone in the family was asleep, Zhou Xiaoli quietly left the house. She took her weapon and headed toward the Sun family. Under the moonlight, she found Sun Er¡¯s room. She pushed open the door and was about to knock the person on the bed unconscious when she realized that the bed was empty. The room was slightly messy. Clothes and the bedsheets were scattered all over the floor, as if someone had forcefully pulled him down from the bed. After checking around the Sun family courtyard and being unable to find Sun Er, Zhou Xiaoli went to the Wang family. The situation in Wang Gou¡¯s room was the same as Sun Er¡¯s. His bedsheets and clothes were scattered all over the floor, and he was not on the bed. Zhou Xiaoli was puzzled. Where did these two people go in the middle of the night? Zhou Xiaoli was prepared to go home and think of another way to capture them. Just as she was about to reach her home, she suddenly saw a black figure squatting at the entrance of Wei Chiyu¡¯s house. She did not know what he was doing. In an instant, Zhou Xiaoli turned vigilant. She raised her crossbow and quietly approached the figure. The black shadow seemed to have sharp senses as he noticed her presence as soon as Zhou Xiaoli approached him. The moment this person turned around, the two of them shouted at the same time. ¡°Wei Chiyu?¡± ¡°Zhou Xiaoli?¡± Then, they said in unison, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± The two of them could not help but smile awkwardly. Zhou Xiaoli put away her crossbow and walked over. She asked again, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping in the middle of the night?¡± Wei Chiyu did not answer Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s question. Instead, he said, ¡°What a coincidence that you¡¯re here. I won¡¯t have to wait till tomorrow to find you.¡± ¡°Look, what do you think this is?¡± As he spoke, he pointed behind him mysteriously. Zhou Xiaoli was confused. She looked at Wei Chiyu, but still walked over to check. There were two sacks on the ground. From the shape, they looked like humans. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Zhou Xiaoli frowned. Did Wei Chiyu have the habit of sneaking around at night? Then, Wei Chiyu untied the sack and opened it, revealing two people! However, both of them were bruised and unconscious. After looking at them for a long time, Zhou Xiaoli could vaguely tell who they were from their bruised and swollen faces. ¡°Ah, aren¡¯t they¡­¡± Wei Chiyu immediately said, ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s them. I just went to kidnap them and beat them up for you. Has your anger subsided?¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not know if it was an illusion, but she felt that Wei Chiyu seemed to be asking for credit. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was silent, Wei Chiyu added, ¡°If you are still angry, come and hit them a few times. It will definitely vent your anger.¡± As he spoke, he took out a wooden stick that was as thick as a child¡¯s arm and handed it to Zhou Xiaoli. Zhou Xiaoli took the stick and said with a helpless expression, ¡°I was wondering why I missed them when I went to the Wang and Sun family homes earlier. It turns out that you kidnapped them. You ruined my plan, do you know that?¡± The expression on Wei Chiyu¡¯s face instantly froze. After a while, he said with uncertainty. ¡°Then, should I put them back and you can kidnap them again?¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°¡­ there¡¯s no need. Let¡¯s leave it at that. However, you have to do me a favor tomorrow morning.¡± Chapter 45 - 45 Establishing Power 45 Establishing Power The next day, early in the morning, Wei Chiyu announced that the sons of the Wang and Sun families had been kidnapped by Zhou Xiaoli. Soon, the Sun family and the Wang family came knocking on her door. There were also many villagers who came to watch the show. ¡°Little b*tch Zhou, let go of my son. Let me tell you, if anything happens to my son, I won¡¯t let you off!¡± Zhou Xiaoli stood up and opened the door after hearing the curses from outside. As soon as the door opened, Madam Zhu and Madam Wang pounced on Zhou Xiaoli. Zhou Xiaoli did not panic at all. She dodged to the side and raised her leg at the same time to kick the two of them. After being hit, the two of them flew into a rage out of humiliation. They got up from the ground and were about to go forward and tear Zhou Xiaoli apart. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice then rang out. ¡°If you don¡¯t want your son to die, stand still!¡± The two of them were stunned. They looked over and saw their precious sons tied to a tree in the courtyard. They were beaten until their faces were all swollen and could not be seen clearly. The two of them immediately burst into tears. ¡°My son!¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s head hurt when she heard the ruckus. She dug her ears and said, ¡°Alright, alright. Stop mourning. They¡¯re not dead yet!¡± As she spoke, she picked up the two basins of cold water on the ground and poured them on their heads. The two of them immediately woke up. When he saw Zhou Xiaoli in front of him, Wang Gou¡¯s eyes immediately trembled in fear. It was only because he had woken up last night and was beaten up by Zhou Xiaoli. On the other hand, when Sun Er saw Zhou Xiaoli, he struggled and shouted. ¡°B*tch, how dare you tie me up? Let me go, or I won¡¯t let you off!¡± Zhou Xiaoli was too lazy to waste her breath on him. She immediately lashed out with her whip. ¡°Noisy!¡± Sun Er cried out for his parents. Seeing her son cry out in pain, Madam Wang¡¯s heart ached. She couldn¡¯t care less and pounced forward. However, before she could get close, she was kicked out of the courtyard by Zhou Xiaoli again. It was a powerful kick by Zhou Xiaoli. Madam Wang lay on the ground for a long time before getting up. Zhou Xiaoli clapped her hands and said casually, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your effort. You can¡¯t best me.¡± Madam Wang and Madam Zhu were indignant and wanted to pull their men forward to assist them. However, at this moment, their man¡¯s face darkened as they grabbed their wife. ¡°Alright, stop causing trouble!¡± After scolding his wife, the Wang family spoke first. ¡°Miss Zhou, you kidnapped my son and got someone to inform us. You must want something. Tell me, what do you want?¡± Zhou Xiaoli sighed. ¡°Finally, someone with a brain.¡± Then, she said, ¡°You came to my house to cause trouble yesterday, causing my father to fall from the roof. He¡¯s still unconscious right now. The doctor said that if he doesn¡¯t wake up tonight, he¡¯ll be dead!¡± ¡°My mother is sick in bed because of this. You have to give me an explanation for this!¡± When they heard that Zhou Yu¡¯s condition was so serious, the Wang and Sun families felt a little guilty. It was still the Wang family who spoke first. ¡°What do you want in exchange for my son to go free?¡± Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°It¡¯s very simple. Each family will give me 15 taels of silver to treat my father and mother.¡± When they heard that she wanted 15 taels of silver, Madam Wang and Madam Zhu immediately refused. ¡°Fifteen taels, why don¡¯t you go rob someone for it! No, not a single tael would be given!¡± She jumped up from the ground and shouted in a high-pitched voice. ¡°Let me tell you, your father fell from the roof himself. You can¡¯t blame us for that. Why should we bear the medical fees!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Your father¡¯s fall has nothing to do with us. We haven¡¯t even asked your family for medical fees. My son was beaten up badly by you!¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not say anything and only said, ¡°I won¡¯t let him go without money!¡± At this moment, villagers had already gathered at the doorway and were pointing at them. Soon, Wei Chiyu arrived with the mayor. As soon as they saw the mayor, Madam Wang and Madam Zhu immediately rushed over and started crying. ¡°Mayor, you must help us.¡± ¡°This little b*tch is crazy. Look at how badly she had beat my son up. If you hadn¡¯t come, my son would have died at the hands of this little b*tch. Boohoo.¡± ¡°She even wants to extort 15 taels of silver from us. If we don¡¯t pay, she won¡¯t let my son off.¡± ¡­ The mayor frowned. ¡°Alright, alright. Do you really think I don¡¯t know what happened?!¡± ¡°Your son tried to cheat the bounty first and was punished. He didn¡¯t repent and actually came to the Zhou family to cause trouble!¡± ¡°You caused her father to fall off the roof and he¡¯s still unconscious. How dare you cry for justice here right now?¡± Madam Wang and Madam Zhu were not convinced. ¡°But she also hit my son. Mayor, look, my son is still bruised and swollen!¡± Sun Er immediately cooperated and cried out, looking like he was about to die then. The mayor was still unmoved. ¡°He deserves it! He idles around all day. Tell me, who in the neighboring villages doesn¡¯t know that your son is a b*stard!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t educate your child yourselves and allow them to cause trouble, you have to thank others for teaching them a lesson! Otherwise, if they cause a huge trouble in the future, let¡¯s see if you can handle it then!¡± Seeing that the mayor was biased towards the Zhou family¡¯s daughter, the Wang and Sun families were dumbfounded. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s still unknown if her father would be dead or alive, but you¡¯re still causing trouble here. Take out the money and bring your son back quickly.¡± The mayor continued. ¡°If anything happens to her father, you¡¯ll be in jail!¡± Upon hearing that they would be imprisoned, the Wang and Sun families were afraid. All of them said that they were willing to pay, but they also said that their families did not have that much money. Naturally, Zhou Xiaoli did not want to give in. In the end, it became a matter of repaying the debt with material items. When Zhou Xiaoli removed their things away from their homes, Madam Wang and Madam Zhu were still sitting on the ground and in tears. ¡°Take care of your son. If he dares to provoke my family again, it won¡¯t be as simple as a beating and using money to settle!¡± Zhou Xiaoli coldly said. As she spoke, she glanced at them coldly. The two of them were immediately frightened by the coldness in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes and did not dare to make a sound. After today¡¯s performance, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s fierce and domineering reputation spread throughout the village. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect the young lady from the Zhou family to be so valiant even though she looks gentle and weak. She did not even blink when she was hitting them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Look at how the sons of the Wang and Sun families were beaten up. I can¡¯t even recognize his face. She¡¯s really ruthless!¡± ¡°This girl from the Zhou family used to be so submissive that she didn¡¯t even dare to look up at anyone. Why does she suddenly seem like a different person?¡± ¡°Sigh, she must have been forced to do so. They do not have a man to be in charge at home, and her mother is sick and weak. She¡¯s been bullied a lot. Even a rabbit would bite when it¡¯s anxious!¡± ¡­ At the same time, as her reputation of being domineering spread, those in the village who thought that the Zhou family had no man in the family to stand up for them and hence could be bullied, gave up on that thought as well. After the people in the village who were watching the commotion left, the mayor did not leave. He waited for the villagers to leave before stepping forward to the question in his heart. ¡°Miss Zhou, how did you know that there was a problem with my ancestral grave?¡± Chapter 46 - 46 Convinced 46 Convinced This was the method that Zhou Xiaoli had come up with to call the mayor over and to ensure that the mayor would side with her family. After all, the mayor would usually not appear as long as the dispute between the villagers was not a big matter. Moreover, she had only met the mayor once, so she could not guarantee that the mayor would help her. Hence, she asked Wei Chiyu to bring a message to the mayor. While receiving the reward money, Zhou Xiaoli had noticed that the mayor¡¯s family members¡¯ foreheads had traces of blackness, and several of them were ill. On her way home from the county city, she happened to pass by the ancestral grave of the mayor¡¯s family. At that time, she saw a ball of gray baleful aura floating north of the ancestral grave. It was obvious that they had offended something. At that time, she did not want to care. After all, she was not familiar with the mayor. Moreover, there was no need to take the risk and expose herself. However, she was angered by how the Wang and Sun families came to make trouble yesterday. Therefore, she thought of using this to befriend the mayor and to teach the Wang and Sun families a lesson. At the same time, she wanted to establish her might in the village. That was why the mayor came out of the blue today. ¡°Mayor, please come in.¡± Zhou Xiaoli closed the door and led the mayor to the living room with a smile. After Zhang Lan served tea to the mayor, she went out. Zhou Xiaoli finally spoke. However, she did not directly answer the mayor¡¯s question. Instead, she asked, ¡°Mayor, has your family often suffered from illnesses and had trouble with lower limbs in the past few years?¡± ¡°Furthermore, not only did your family suffer from illnesses and pain this year, they also lost money.¡± Upon hearing this, the mayor looked up from his glass of water. He put down the cup of water and looked at Zhou Xiaoli. He paused for a moment and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true. Over the years, people in the family have often fallen sick. However, we are humans, so how can we not fall sick?¡± The mayor was not surprised that Zhou Xiaoli had mentioned that many of his clansmen were sick. After all, Dazhuang Village was not far from Boyu Village, so it was not surprising for her to hear of these. However, what Zhou Xiaoli said next stunned him. ¡°Mayor, I¡¯m a junior. What I¡¯m about to say might offend you. I hope you won¡¯t be angry.¡± After saying that, Zhou Xiaoli lowered her voice and said, ¡°Mayor, have you been feeling soreness in your waist recently? Do you often feel powerless when you are intimate with your wife?¡± As soon as she said this, the mayor was stunned for a moment. Embarrassment and anger came and was replaced with shock in the end. How did a young lady like her know about this? Zhou Xiaoli was sure that she was right when she saw the change in expression on his face. She whispered, ¡°Mayor, don¡¯t worry. No one else knows about this.¡± The mayor finally managed to catch his breath and asked Zhou Xiaoli suspiciously, ¡°How do you know all this?¡± Zhou Xiaoli said indifferently, ¡°Mayor, don¡¯t panic. When I was young, I was playful and often went to the mountains to play with a crazy priest. That crazy priest taught me some Feng Shui knowledge.¡± ¡°When I went to your house yesterday and saw your family, I felt that something was wrong.¡± ¡°When I came back, I happened to pass by your ancestral grave. Only then did I know that something had happened to your ancestral grave.¡± ¡°Feng Shui?¡± The mayor clearly did not believe her words. ¡°You know how to read Feng Shui?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I know it all. I just learned a little from that crazy priest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that I felt that something was wrong, so I made a bold guess. If I¡¯m not wrong, water should have accumulated in the ancestral grave of the mayor¡¯s family. That¡¯s why your clansmen often suffer from illnesses.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t deal with it, I¡¯m afraid it will endanger the descendants of your clansmen, causing them to wither and die. Their luck will be poor as well.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words caused the mayor to fall into deep thought. At this time, Zhou Xiaoli added, ¡°Mayor, you must have thought that there might be a problem with the ancestral grave.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only learned a little. It¡¯s reasonable that you don¡¯t believe me. However, the problem with the ancestral grave is a big deal. Why don¡¯t you find a Feng Shui master to take a look?¡± The mayor nodded, feeling that what Zhou Xiaoli said made sense. Therefore, after bidding farewell and returning home, he immediately asked someone to find a relatively reliable Feng Shui master. In the end, what the Feng Shui master said was not much different from what Zhou Xiaoli said. However, the Feng Shui master could only confirm that there was something wrong with the ancestral grave of the mayor¡¯s family. He could not tell what was wrong or where had gone wrong. At this moment, the mayor recalled what Zhou Xiaoli said. He immediately called for someone to open the north section of the tomb. When the tomb was opened, the mayor instantly froze on the spot. As Zhou Xiaoli had said, there was water in the tomb! When the Feng Shui master saw this, his eyes widened. ¡°This, this, how did you know that there was a problem here?¡± The mayor was still in shock. After a long time, he said, ¡°Someone told me.¡± The Feng Shui master was shocked. ¡°Heavens! He must be a master to be able to tell accurately which direction had gone wrong. Can you introduce him to me?¡± The Feng Shui master spoke in an extremely sincere and urgent manner. All these years, ever since Master Yuan disappeared, one could no longer find a true Feng Shui master. Most of the people on the market were freelance students like him. It was considered good enough for those who know a little about Feng Shui. There were also many scammers who were just pretending. That was the reason for his excitement when he heard that someone had diagnosed the problem accurately. He wanted to know the master and most importantly, to acknowledge him as his master and learn orthodox knowledge. However, the mayor said, ¡°She¡¯s not a master.¡± He was even more shocked. ¡°Not a Feng Shui master! How is this possible?¡± The mayor nodded. ¡°Yes, she said that she had only learned some superficial knowledge from a crazy priest.¡± The Feng Shui master¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Only superficial knowledge? How talented must he be!¡± Seeing the Feng Shui master in such an excited state, the mayor said, ¡°Those who can tell the location are considered talented. What if she could tell that the problem was all because of water?¡± As soon as he said this, the Feng Shui master almost jumped up. ¡°Then he¡¯s not just talented. If it¡¯s really as what Mr. Mayor had said, he must be a grandmaster!¡± The mayor was shocked and excited at the same time. He knew that a true metaphysical master could kill people without leaving a trace. He could not help but break out in cold sweat. His intuition told him that Zhou Xiaoli was definitely not simple! In the end, the mayor rejected the Feng Shui master¡¯s plea. The next day, he went to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s house with a gift. Firstly, it was to thank her. Secondly, it was to ask Zhou Xiaoli for a favor. ¡°I¡¯m going to move the ancestral grave. Master, do you have any recommendations?¡± Looking at the extremely respectful mayor, Zhou Xiaoli knew that he must have confirmed the problem with his ancestral grave. She smiled and said, ¡°Sir Mayor, don¡¯t call me Master. It¡¯s so embarrassing.¡± The mayor chuckled. ¡°Sigh, how can that be? Everything that you said came true. You¡¯re a master.¡± Zhou Xiaoli felt uncomfortable when he kept calling her a master. She immediately waved her hands. ¡°Sir Mayor, you can just call me Xiao Li. Calling me a master made me feel old.¡± Chapter 47 - 47 Worse Than a Beast 47 Worse Than a Beast The mayor could not help but laugh. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll listen to you. In the future, I won¡¯t call you Master anymore. I¡¯ll call you Little Li like Zheng Heping. You don¡¯t have to call me Sir Mayor anymore as well.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled, knowing that they were on good terms with the mayor now. ¡°Then I¡¯ll call you Uncle Zhuang.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± The mayor smiled until his eyes curved. ¡°Then, about my ancestral grave.¡± Zhou Xiaoli immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Zhuang. I¡¯ll definitely take a look at it for you.¡± After receiving Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s promise, the mayor finally felt relieved. At this moment, voices came from the courtyard. Immediately after, Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun ran in in a panic. Zhou Xiaoyu said anxiously, ¡°Sis, Sis, there¡¯s bad news. Grandmother, Grandmother has come to our house!¡± ¡°Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt are also here!¡± Zhou Junjun added. Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli subconsciously furrowed her brows. That was quick on their part! She knew it. How could Lai Jinniang and the others not be tempted since their family had so much money suddenly? In addition, she had made a mockery of her good cousin, Xue Tiantian, in the county city yesterday. How could Zhou Guixiang, who doted on her daughter, endure it? Here she comes since she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. Zhou Xiaoli sighed and smiled apologetically. ¡°Uncle Zhuang, please sit for a while. We¡¯ll go out and take a look.¡± Upon hearing that it was Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s grandmother and aunts, the mayor originally wanted to take his leave. After all, this was someone else¡¯s family matter. It wouldn¡¯t be good for him to listen in. However, he had more or less heard about the Zhou family and their affairs. In order to prevent them from creating trouble, the mayor chose to stay for a while. After taking leave from the mayor, Zhou Xiaoli walked out with Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun. In the courtyard, what she expected did not happen. On the contrary, Lai Jinniang held a handkerchief and was wiping non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes. She and her two daughters were acting out a scene where they felt sorry for their son and brother. Zhou Xiaoli was confused. Huh? What were they up to? Before she could think about it carefully, their next performance let Zhou Xiaoli know what they were planning. ¡°My poor son. My heart aches so much. Why did he fall off the roof?¡± Lai Jinniang cried in a fake manner. ¡°Boohoo, that¡¯s right. Why is Big Brother¡¯s life so tough? He¡¯s so young. Sigh!¡± Zhou Guixiang¡¯s tears were also fake. ¡°Mother, tell me, if Big Brother is gone, how would the Sister-in-law and the children live in the future?¡± At this time, Lai Jinniang came forward and took Zhang Lan¡¯s hand, looking like a kind mother-in-law. ¡°Madam Zhang, it¡¯s been hard on you. How about this? The three children are still young. You can come home with me. I¡¯m really worried about your family living outside.¡± Zhang Lan was used to being suppressed by Lai Jinniang. She wanted to pull her hand back, but she didn¡¯t dare to. She subconsciously looked at the one who gave her confidence, Zhou Xiaoli. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli had already walked over. She deliberately raised her voice and said, ¡°Aiya, Grandma, is what you said true?¡± She said in a pleasantly surprised manner but she pulled Lai Jinniang¡¯s hand away from Zhang Lan¡¯s hand then. Then, she stared at Lai Jinniang with innocent eyes. ¡°Grandma, are you really willing to let us go home? Didn¡¯t you think that I¡¯m a jinx and want to chase us away?¡± She suddenly thought of something and said in surprise. ¡°Aiya, Grandma, don¡¯t tell me you want us to go back so that you can get the 50 taels of silver that my family got!¡± As she spoke, she covered her mouth in disbelief and shook her head repeatedly. ¡°Ah, no, no. Grandma is definitely not a shameless person. Wouldn¡¯t she be worse than a beast if she were to do that?!¡± As she spoke, she nodded in affirmation. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Grandma, you¡¯re definitely not worse than a beast!¡± After being exposed by Zhou Xiaoli, Lai Jinniang and her daughters¡¯ expressions were very interesting. Zhou Guihua, who was the youngest and the most impatient, immediately wanted to retort back. In the end, she was stopped by Zhou Guixiang. She gave her a look and suppressed her from taking any actions. Lai Jinniang finally suppressed her urge to hit her and pretended to be angry. ¡°You¡¯re really rude. What are you talking about? You should be good¡­¡± Before she could finish, Zhou Xiaoli interrupted her with a wink. ¡°Grandmother, I don¡¯t know how to speak. I¡¯m a little direct, but I¡¯m still a child. Grandmother, you won¡¯t be so petty as to argue with a child like me, right? Or did I hit the nail on the head?¡± Lai Jinniang swallowed her words. She had wanted to use her status as an elder to suppress her. ¡°¡­ How can that be? Hehe.¡± When did this wretched girl become so eloquent? This morning, when she heard from her eldest daughter that Tiantian had been bullied by Zhou Xiaoli, she did not believe it. From the looks of it, it must be true. It seemed that this wretched girl had been pretending when they were at the ancestral home in the past. ¡°Haha, I knew Grandma wasn¡¯t a petty beast!¡± Zhou Xiaoli said with sarcasm again. Then, she seemed to have realized something. ¡°Ah, I know. Grandma, you must pity our family for having such a difficult life. You can¡¯t bear to see us die on the streets, right?¡± Seeing that they had finally changed topic, Lai Jinniang immediately nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I just feel sorry for you. Although Dalang is not my biological son, I have always treated him as my biological son.¡± ¡°Previously, I vented my anger on your family because of your uncle¡¯s matter. I regretted it afterwards too. But now, I¡¯m faced with having to send my son off before me. Oh, my heart breaks upon thinking about it!¡± As she spoke, she wiped her tears hypocritically. ¡°I can¡¯t watch my eldest son die!¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. It turned out that Lai Jinniang and the others thought that her father was dead. That was true. The villagers who had helped carry Zhou Yu to the doctor¡¯s place had heard the doctor¡¯s words. If Zhou Yu did not wake up today, he would probably die. Indeed, there was no news of Zhou Yu waking up today, and Zhou Xiaoli was furious at the Wang and Sun families. There were probably rumors on the streets that Zhou Yu did not make it. It had to be said that Zhou Xiaoli was right. The people on the streets were all saying that Zhou Yu did not make it anymore. Coincidentally, Zhou Guixiang, who had returned to her mother¡¯s house, heard it. Her purpose of returning home was to avenge her daughter. When she returned to the Zhou family, she found out that Zhou Yu¡¯s family had already been chased out. She originally wanted Lai Jinniang to teach Zhou Xiaoli a lesson, but her father cared about his reputation and was afraid that the villagers would say that their family was heartless. However, Lai Jinniang had been hankering for the 50 taels of silver that Zhou Xiaoli got for a long time, so after some consideration, Zhou Guixiang thought of a way to bring Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family home. First of all, that would mean that she could get the money. Secondly, with Zhou Yu gone, it would be easy to control the women and children in his family. And third, the villagers would praise their family for being benevolent and righteous, and respect her father the same way again. It was killing three birds with one stone. Hence, the mother-daughter trio put on this act. Chapter 48 - 48 Severing Relationship 48 Severing Relationship After guessing the other party¡¯s motive, Zhou Xiaoli quickly came up with a plan. She secretly pinched her thigh and finally squeezed out a tear from her eyes. ¡°Grandma, are you really willing to let us go back? That¡¯s great. You don¡¯t know this, but our family can¡¯t survive anymore,¡± she said gratefully. ¡°All the money we have on us was used to treat Father¡¯s illness and to buy medicine. Father finally woke up just now. However, his waist was broken and he¡¯s lying on the bed now. He can¡¯t move at all. He has to eat, drink, and poop on the bed. The doctor said that he has to rely on medicine for the rest of his life in the future.¡± As she spoke, she started crying again. ¡°Fortunately, Grandmother, you¡¯re willing to let us go back. From now on, Father¡¯s medicine bill will be settled. The medicine doesn¡¯t cost much anyway. It¡¯s just one tael a day. Grandmother, you can definitely afford it. Father is saved.¡± Upon hearing this, Lai Jinniang and her daughters widened their eyes in disbelief. ¡°What! You said that you¡¯ve used up all your money?¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that your father isn¡¯t dead? And he needs one tael of silver a day to buy medicine?¡± ¡­ The expressions on their faces were very interesting. Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. My mother was frightened yesterday and unfortunately contracted tuberculosis. My entire family was just worrying about it when you came. It¡¯s great that we can go back.¡± After saying that, she gave Zhang Lan a look. Although Zhang Lan did not know what Zhou Xiaoli wanted to do, she cooperated and coughed. The more she coughed, the worse she sounded. ¡°Cough, cough, cough. That¡¯s right, Mother. Cough, cough, cough. That¡¯s great.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun also cried for their mother. As soon as she spoke, Lai Jinniang and the other two instantly jumped a meter away from Zhou Xiaoli and the others, covering their mouths and noses. She said in horror, ¡°Tuber, tuberculosis?¡± Tuberculosis was contagious. It would be fatal for poor people like them! Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± As she spoke, she coughed twice. ¡°Cough, cough. Mother, look, Grandma is here to bring us back. Let¡¯s pack up and go back with Grandma!¡± As she spoke, she pretended to pack her things. This frightened Lai Jinniang and the other two. Zhou Guihua jumped three feet high and roared, ¡°Dream on! Who¡¯s here to pick you up?!¡± ¡°Mother is right. You guys are a family of nuisances and jinxes!¡± ¡°You wanted to come back to harm my family after contracting tuberculosis. Not only did you want to suck my family¡¯s blood dry, but you also want us to contract tuberculosis. Why are you so wicked?!¡± Zhou Guihua¡¯s words were full of energy. Zhou Xiaoli looked hurt and coughed even harder. ¡°A-Aunt, what are you talking about? Didn¡¯t you just say that my father is also my grandmother¡¯s biological son? And you can¡¯t bear to watch my father die?¡± At this moment, Lai Jinniang stopped pretending. Regardless of whether they had spent all 50 taels of silver, they could not go home with them! She immediately snorted. ¡°What biological child? Had I known that your entire family is so wicked to want to harm our entire family. I shouldn¡¯t have saved him then and let him die by the roadside!¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°Grandma, are you really not going to care about us anymore? After all, you¡¯re my father¡¯s mother, our grandma!¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t leave our entire family to die. We must go back with you today. Mother, pack your things. Let¡¯s bring Father home!¡± Lai Jinniang was afraid that this family would stick to her, so she shouted, ¡°Stop! You¡¯re not allowed to come back. From now on, I¡¯m no longer your grandmother!¡± Zhou Xiaoli was secretly delighted in her heart, but she put on a pained expression on her face. ¡°Grandmother, you, what do you mean by this? Do you want to sever ties with our entire family completely?¡± Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, Lai Jinniang immediately said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other!¡± Chapter 49 - 49 A Formal Statement 49 A Formal Statement ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t believe it!¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s face was filled with disbelief. ¡°Unless you issue a formal statement, find the village chief as a witness, and announce to the entire village that you have severed ties with our family. Otherwise, you¡¯ll always be my grandmother and you can¡¯t ignore our family¡¯s matters!¡± Lai Jinniang and the others couldn¡¯t wait to do this. Lai Jinniang immediately shouted, ¡°Guihua, Guixiang, get the village chief and the villagers here quickly. I will draw a line between me and this family of nuisances in front of the entire village today!¡± Zhou Guihua and Zhou Guixiang nodded repeatedly and ran out to ask the villagers to come over. Thinking about it, they couldn¡¯t wait a second longer to dump their family. Everyone gathered over very quickly. After a while, the village chief arrived, followed by many villagers who came along for the ride. Seeing that everyone was here, Lai Jinniang prepared to start. Zhou Xiaoli stopped her, ¡°Wait, the mayor hasn¡¯t arrived yet. You must have the mayor as a witness. Otherwise, I won¡¯t recognise it.¡± With the mayor as a witness, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Lai Jinniang reneging on what she said in the future. Lai Jinniang thought that Zhou Xiaoli was using this as an excuse to sever ties with them, so the disgust on her face increased. She said angrily, ¡°The mayor is very busy. He can¡¯t be bothered with such trivial matters such as your family¡¯s!¡± As soon as she finished speaking, the mayor walked out of the main room. ¡°Who said I can¡¯t be bothered about it? I¡¯m happy to be the witness.¡± Seeing the mayor walking out of Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s living room, the surrounding onlookers were stunned. Today, when the mayor came out of the blue to help the Zhou family teach the Wang and Sun families a lesson. They thought that it was because Wei Chiyu had called him over. However, they were surprised to know that the mayor had not left yet. Lai Jinniang was still in a daze. The mayor said, ¡°What do you want me to witness? Let¡¯s begin.¡± Lai Jinniang couldn¡¯t help but raise her head proudly as she thought that the mayor was on her side as well. She raised her shoulders and said loudly, ¡°Alright, since the mayor and the village chief are here today, I¡¯ll cut off all ties with Zhou Yu, this unfilial son, in front of the entire village! From now on, the life and death of Zhou Yu¡¯s family has nothing to do with our Zhou family!¡± Immediately, many villagers who were watching the commotion began to discuss earnestly. Some said that Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family deserved it, while others said that Lai Jinniang was too mean and that Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family was too pitiful. Anyway, there were all kinds of things said. However, Zhou Xiaoli didn¡¯t care at all. What she cared about was whether it was recorded into a formal statement. The village chief wrote down everything Lai Jinniang said on paper at the request of both sides. In the end, both parties pressed their handprints on the document. With two copies of the document, the relationship between the two families was completely severed. Lai Jinniang stuffed the document into her arms. She readied herself to suck up to the mayor now that this was done. ¡°Sir Mayor, we¡¯ve really troubled you. It¡¯s such a hot day, yet you have turned up to be our witness¡­¡± The mayor frowned and waved his hand to interrupt her. ¡°Alright, since the document has already been signed, you have to abide by it. From now on, Little Li¡¯s family no longer has anything to do with you. You have to remember it well!¡± Lai Jinniang thought that the mayor was helping her, so she kept nodding. Finally, under the mayor¡¯s impatient gaze, she left Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s house with her two daughters in tow. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes darkened as she watched the three of them leave. She had never been a kind and magnanimous person. Seeing that the commotion was gone and that there was no longer any drama to watch, the surrounding villagers dispersed one after another. The village chief also asked about Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s situation. Seeing that this was Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s wish, he did not say anything else and left. The matter of the mayor had been resolved too. After making an appointment with Zhou Xiaoli to look at his ancestral grave, he bade farewell and left. After sending everyone away, the Zhou family finally had peace after a noisy morning. At this moment, Zhang Lan finally realized that Zhou Xiaoli had deliberately provoked her mother-in-law. Oh, no, she was provoking Madam Lai. She had wanted her to cut ties with their family completely. She couldn¡¯t help but feel happy about that. Their lives were getting better and better now. They also had the alternate space, but she couldn¡¯t let the Lai family know about it! It was good that they had severed ties! Thinking of something, she could not help but ask, ¡°By the way, Li¡¯er, Sir Mayor, why was he helping us?¡± The matter with the Wang and Sun families turned out well today, and so was the dispute with Lai Jinniang. Zhou Xiaoli smiled. ¡°Because I did him a big favor.¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not explain in detail. Instead, she pulled Zhang Lan and her siblings back into the house. As she walked, she said excitedly, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry about this for now. Father is awake!¡± Zhang Lan nodded. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± When she woke up this morning, she found that Zhou Yu had woken up. However, just as Zhou Xiaoli had said, Zhou Yu had only opened his eyes, but he laid motionless on the bed. At the thought of this, her eyes turned red. Zhou Xiaoli quickly waved her hands. ¡°It¡¯s not that. Father has really woken up!¡± As she spoke, she pushed open the door and the four of them walked in. Zhou Yu was sitting on the bed and putting on his clothes by himself. After seeing them enter, Zhou Yu immediately looked at them with tears in his eyes. His lips trembled as he said, ¡°My dear wife, I¡¯m awake¡­¡± Zhang Lan immediately widened her eyes and covered her mouth to prevent herself from crying. Her entire body began to tremble. Zhou Yu, he was not a fool anymore! This should be the best news for the entire family. Zhang Lan finally could not control herself. She rushed to the bed and cried as she pulled on Zhou Yu. Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun also ran to the bed and called out to their father. Zhou Yu patted Zhang Lan¡¯s hand and hugged the two children. ¡°My wife, it¡¯s been hard on you all these years. It¡¯s my fault for letting you and the children suffer so much.¡± Although he was a fool, he remembered everything that had happened all these years. He remembered all the harm that his family had suffered. Hence, when he woke up, he felt that the realization of it all was too great, causing his entire body to stiffen and he was unable to move. It was not until Zhou Xiaoli came in and asked Zhou Yu to press his handprint on the document that he finally came to his senses. At this moment, his gaze fell on Zhou Xiaoli, who was standing on one side. He then said to Zhang Lan, ¡°Take the two children out first. I have something to say to Xiaoli.¡± Although Zhang Lan was puzzled, she wiped her tears and nodded. Then, she brought Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun out of the room. The door closed, and the light inside dimmed. Only Zhou Yu and Zhou Xiaoli were left in the room. For a moment, the air was a little heavy. Zhou Yu was the first to speak. ¡°You¡¯re not my Li¡¯er, right¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli paused for a moment before nodding. This was something she did not expect. That he would retain his memories from the times when he was a fool. What surprised Zhou Xiaoli even more was that although Zhou Yu was a boor, he was very meticulous as well. From his memories, he could guess that the current Zhou Xiaoli was not his daughter. She could only blame herself. Thinking about how Zhou Yu was a fool, she rarely hid anything from him. Just the fact that she knew medicine was enough to make Zhou Yu suspicious. Seeing Zhou Xiaoli nod, Zhou Yu¡¯s eyes darkened. After a long silence, she asked again, ¡°Is my Li¡¯er already¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded again. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry.¡± Zhou Yu¡¯s eyes were moist, but in the end, he shook his head. ¡°No, I should thank you.¡± Chapter 50 - 50 Preparing to Go Out to Sea to Fish 50 Preparing to Go Out to Sea to Fish ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, I don¡¯t know what would have happened to my entire family.¡± Zhou Yu smiled bitterly. He remembered clearly how cruel and heartless the Zhou family was to their family. The fact that they had chosen to sever all ties with them had completely disappointed him. If not for Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s arrival, their family¡¯s fate would have been extremely difficult. It was also unknown if he could ever wake up. ¡°Therefore, I don¡¯t care who you are. From tonight onwards, you are my daughter, my biological daughter!¡± ¡ª Zhou Yu did not tell this secret to Zhang Lan and the others, but he did as he said. He treated Zhou Xiaoli as his own daughter. This completely dispelled Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s worries. After Zhou Yu suspected her, she had made plans to leave the Zhou family. In her previous life, she was a koi and had no concept of home. However, after coming here, she experienced the true warmth of home for the first time. She liked this family from the bottom of her heart. She liked her kind and honest parents and cute younger siblings. ¡°Sis, Sis, look at the new moves we learned from Brother Wei. They¡¯re amazing.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu pulled Zhou Junjun along and ran to Zhou Xiaoli. She waved her small fists and began to gesture with her feet as well. Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her tiny moves. ¡°Did your Brother Wei teach you this?¡± As she spoke, she glanced at Wei Chiyu, who was building the livestock shed with Zhou Yu. Zhou Xiaoyu nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Sis, you should learn from Brother Wei too.¡± At this moment, Zhang Lan stuck her head out of the kitchen and shouted, ¡°Third Sister, Brother Jun, don¡¯t disturb your brother and sister. They¡¯re doing something. Come to the kitchen and help Mother pick vegetables. We¡¯ll eat vegetable rolls tonight.¡± The two little guys cheered when they heard that they were having vegetable rolls for dinner. They responded and jogged into the kitchen. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and lowered her head to continue working on the compass in her hand. Ever since Zhou Xiaoli had the alternate space, she did not hide from them her talents any more. She no longer needed to explain to Zhou Yu why she knew things. For Zhang Lan, she simply told her that she had learnt it after she had the alternate space. With the appearance of the alternate space, Zhang Lan could accept any magical things that happened thereafter. With the spiritual spring water, Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu¡¯s bodies became better and better. In a month, Zhou Yu¡¯s leg completely recovered. Now, he could work in the fields. As for their house, it was time to put it on the agenda. The bricks and tiles had been pulled out of the brick kiln. They were just waiting for the crops on the homestead to be harvested so they could begin building. The ground on which Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family wanted to build their house on, had belonged to the Lu family. They used the land to plant beetroots and it was the right season then for the beetroot to be harvested. The village chief had already informed them to harvest as soon as possible, so it was not a big problem. After Zhou Yu recovered, he started to work hard to earn money. Autumn had just passed, and it was the time when there was a shortage of food. Many families in the village had started to fish in the river and sea to supplement their families¡¯ expenses. Zhou Yu also wanted to go, but their family did not have any fishing boat, only fishing nets. Coincidentally, Liu Liangcai, who lived next door, went out to the sea to fish every day recently. After Zhou Yu recovered, Liu Liangcai was especially happy for his good brother. After hearing his thoughts, he immediately said, ¡°That¡¯s good, I¡¯m always going out to sea to catch fish alone. I¡¯m afraid that things may go wrong. Why don¡¯t you come with me? We¡¯ll be at sea together.¡± Zhou Yu: ¡°Thank you so much. How about this? Since I¡¯ll be taking your boat, I¡¯ll bring the dry rations!¡± The two of them hit it off immediately and decided that from tomorrow onwards, they would go out to sea to fish together. ¡°Father, are you going out to sea with Uncle Liu tomorrow?¡± Hearing this news, Zhou Xiaoli was a little excited. ¡°Bring me along.¡± She had long wanted to go to the sea to take a look. Moreover, since she was a koi fish in her previous life, she still had the scent of a fish on her. With her on the ship, they would definitely return with a full load. It would also allow them to have more money to spend. That would be killing two birds with one stone. Zhou Yu rejected Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s suggestion at first. ¡°What are you going to do at sea? The sun on the sea is too glaring and you would be tanned.¡± Zhou Xiaoli insisted, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can wear a hat.¡± As she spoke, she took out a straw hat. ¡°Mother made it for me. The hat has a wide brim so I won¡¯t be tanned.¡± ¡°Besides, Father, you¡¯ve just recovered. Mother and I are worried if you go alone. If I go with you, Mother will feel at ease while she¡¯s at home too.¡± In the end, Zhou Yu could not persuade Zhou Xiaoli. He shook his head helplessly and finally agreed that she could go. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was able to go, Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun were tempted and clamored to follow their sister. No matter what Zhang Lan said, the two little fellows did not buy it. Even the youngest Zhou Xiaoyu learned to lie on the ground and make a scene. ¡°No, no, no, I want to go too. I want to go too. I won¡¯t get up if you don¡¯t give it to me.¡± Zhang Lan was so angry that she wanted to teach him a lesson. Zhou Xiaoli hurriedly pulled Zhang Lan back. ¡°Mother, let me do it. Go and prepare the dry rations for Father tomorrow.¡± Knowing that the two little fellows would listen to Zhou Xiaoli, Zhang Lan nodded and threw away the broom in her hand. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave it to you. If he¡¯s still disobedient, call me. I¡¯ll deal with them.¡± With that, she put on her apron and went to the kitchen. After Zhang Lan left, Zhou Xiaoli walked over and squatted down. She looked at Zhou Xiaoyu who was lying on the ground and asked, ¡°Who did you learn this move from?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu, who had been howling without tears while covering her face, saw Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s enlarged face through the gaps between her fingers and smiled in embarrassment. ¡°Sis, she learned it from Liu Fengfeng. Liu Fengfeng rolled on the ground asking for candy yesterday and his mother bought it.¡± Zhou Junjun complained in a low voice. Zhou Xiaoli held her hand to her forehead. Unfortunately, Lin Xiujuan fell for it, but their family would not. Zhou Xiaoli immediately put on a stern face and said to Zhou Xiaoyu who was on the ground, ¡°Then you¡¯ll be disappointed. In our family, you can¡¯t get what you want by crying. Do you want to know how you can get it?¡± The two little fellows listened to Zhou Xiaoli the most. Hearing this, their interest was instantly piqued. Zhou Xiaoli also forgot about her intention to make a scene and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Zhou Xiaoli clapped her hands and stood up. ¡°Alright, then get up first. Sit properly and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± As soon as her words left her lips, Zhou Xiaoyu got up from the ground with a grunt. She patted the dirt off her body and ran to the door. She carried a small stool back and sat in front of Zhou Xiaoli with Zhou Junjun. Only then did Zhou Xiaoli say, ¡°Today, I¡¯ll tell you a principle. Whether it¡¯s in our family or when you are outside in the future, it doesn¡¯t mean that others should give in to you just because you cried and made a scene.¡± ¡°If you want to get what you want, you have to work hard for it. Not only will you get nothing from crying and making a scene, you might even be beaten for it.¡± As she spoke, she pointed at the broom that Zhang Lan threw aside. The two of them immediately rubbed their butts and blinked. ¡°Sis, what is hard work?¡± Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and said, ¡°Look, I am making a compass now. If I don¡¯t work hard to make it and just sit here in tears, would the compass be done all by itself?¡± The two little fellows shook their heads. ¡°No.¡± Zhou Xiaoli continued, ¡°If the farmers in the field did not work hard to sow seeds or remove the weeds, would the crops grow on their own if the farmers simply sat on the ground and cried?¡± Chapter 51 - 51 Who Is the Jinx? 51 Who Is the Jinx? The two little fellows shook their heads again. Zhou Junjun held his little head with his hands and thought for a while. He stood up excitedly and said, ¡°Sis, I understand. Working hard is to do work, bleed, and sweat.¡± Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s about it. Then let me ask you, why didn¡¯t Father and Mother agree to let you go fishing?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu was the first to raise her hand. ¡°Sis, I know, I know.¡± She looked so excited, as if she was afraid that Zhou Junjun would answer before she did. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh. ¡°Alright, Little Fishy, go ahead.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu stood up from the stool and placed her hands behind her back. She said in a childish voice, ¡°Because we¡¯re too young. Father and Mother are afraid that we¡¯ll be in danger on the ship.¡± Zhou Junjun continued, ¡°Also, since we¡¯re still too young, we can¡¯t help on the ship. Instead, we would distract Father from fishing to take care of us.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. These two little fellows were actually very clear of what¡¯s going on. Now that the situation at home had improved, it was time to send them to school. Zhou Xiaoli continued to guide them. ¡°Not bad, not bad. So, what are you going to do?¡± The two little fellows looked at each other. Zhou Junjun was the first to speak. ¡°I have to work hard to become stronger. If I can help Daddy pull the fish net, Daddy will let me tag along.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu followed suit. ¡°I want to tag along too, I want to tag along too. Brother Wei taught me many moves and I have been practicing them every day.¡± Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and gestured for the two little fellows to sit down. ¡°If you want to help Daddy pull the fishing net, you have to wait until you grow up.¡± ¡°You can train and become stronger, but you¡¯re still young. You have to study hard. Learning well will be the greatest help to our parents.¡± The two little fellows looked at each other. They do not understand what Zhou Xiaoli had said. ¡°Sis, what do you mean by learning?¡± ¡°Going to school to study. You should learn how to read, write and about manners.¡± Zhou Xiaoli replied. When he heard this, Zhou Junjun stood up immediately and looked at Zhou Xiaoli with sparkling eyes. ¡°Sis, can we go to school?¡± ¡°Of course you can.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Then, are you willing to go to school and study with the teacher, so that you can learn manners?¡± Zhou Junjun nodded immediately. ¡°Yes, yes, yes, I¡¯m willing!¡± He was eight and a half years old this year. Zhou Anfu, who was the same age as him, started attending school at the age of five. Even Second Uncle¡¯s second son, Zhou Anle, was sent to school last year. He was very envious as he watched them study and learn calligraphy every day. However, he knew that he did not know how to speak and his grandma did not like him. She would not agree to let him go to school, that¡¯s for sure. Now that he heard Zhou Xiaoli say that he could go to school, he was overjoyed. Zhou Xiaoyu was still a little confused, but seeing how excited her brother was, she followed suit. ¡°Sis, I want to go to school too. I want to go to school too.¡± ¡°Alright, when you reach the appropriate age, I¡¯ll let you go to school too.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and rubbed the heads of the two little ones. After receiving the news that they could go to school, the two little ones had long forgotten about going fishing. At this moment, the two little ones had already run to the courtyard with wooden sticks and started drawing on the ground. In the blink of an eye, it was the second day. As soon as the chicken crowed, the family got up. Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun did not stay in bed either. They got up and ran to the courtyard to feed the chickens, ducks, wolf cub and donkey. Zhang Lan wrapped the pancakes she baked last night in a muslim cloth and gave them to Zhou Yu. ¡°These should be enough for you to eat.¡± ¡°Hey, wait a minute. Bring some water as well. There¡¯s no water to drink at sea.¡± With that, she ran to the kitchen and took out a water bag. She handed it to Zhou Yu. ¡°There¡¯s not much water in it. Be careful not to spill it.¡± ¡°Alright, I understand. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Zhou Yu took the water bag and tied it around his waist. He remained patient even as his wife nagged. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli ran out of the room wearing a straw hat. ¡°Father, I¡¯m done. Let¡¯s go!¡± As she spoke, she was about to leave the house. However, Zhang Lan stopped her. ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? Have the egg soup first.¡± With that, she ran to the kitchen and brought out the egg soup. Knowing Zhang Lan¡¯s personality, she would definitely not let her go if she did not drink it. Hence Zhou Xiaoli could only take the bowl of egg soup from her, hold her breath, and finish the soup in one go. Zhang Lan: ¡°Aiyo, slow down. Your father hasn¡¯t left yet. What¡¯s with this child, seriously.¡± Zhou Xiaoli chuckled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done drinking.¡± She put down the empty bowl, picked up her veil, and ran to find Zhou Yu. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°I understand, Mother. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take good care of Father!¡± ¡­ It was just the beginning of their trip. Liu Liangcai had also just left his house. ¡°Aiyo, Little Li is going too? Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting tanned?¡± Liu Liangcai smiled as he joked. Zhou Xiaoli waved her veil. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve wrapped myself tightly. I won¡¯t be exposed to the sun for sure.¡± The three of them met and chatted as they headed towards the river. Their village was still some distance away from the sea and so, they would usually enter the sea from the Little Clear River. At this moment, many boats were parked by the river. There were also many villagers who were preparing to go out to sea. Seeing the three of them coming over, someone greeted them. Zhou Yu also greeted everyone in a friendly manner. After that, the three of them boarded the ship. Even after the boat left, those people were still looking in their direction. This was the first time Zhou Yu had shown his face in front of everyone since he recovered. ¡°Heh, Zhou Yu is no longer a fool!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Eldest Zhou¡¯s family has been unlucky for so many years. Is there finally a happy occasion for them?¡± ¡°Not only that. His son also knows how to speak now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Also, I saw him and his family pulling home several carts of bricks and tiles the day before. From the looks of it, they¡¯re going to build a big house!¡± ¡°Oh my god. Was it to build a brick house? Didn¡¯t the Zhou family spend all their money on treatment for Zhou Yu?¡± ¡°The bricks and tiles were ordered a month ago. That was when Zhou Yu hadn¡¯t fallen off the roof yet. However, they probably don¡¯t have much money now. The bricks and tiles have been received, but I don¡¯t know if they can still build the house.¡± ¡°A few days ago, I saw the village chief helping the Zhou family to urge the Lu family to vacate the land. He said that the Zhou family is about to build a house. I think that they will be able to build it.¡± ¡°Besides, Zhou Yu is muscular. He¡¯s not stupid anymore so he can earn money easily.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. However, I find it strange. Tell me, why is it that after Zhou Yu and his family broke away from Old Zhou¡¯s family, their lives seemed to get better and better. I wonder who¡¯s the real jinx.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± ¡­ Just as everyone was laughing, a voice suddenly rang out. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious who the jinx is? A few days ago, Zhou Fugui¡¯s medicinal herb shop in the county city was almost sealed by the county office. How can you blame Miss Zhou for this?¡± When they saw who it was, the few people who were laughing immediately shut their mouths and smiled in embarrassment. ¡°Of course not. Everyone knows that the Zhou family has already cut ties with Zhou Yu.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. You can¡¯t blame Zhou Yu¡¯s daughter for this.¡± Wei Chiyu was a person who would risk his life just because of a disagreement. As such, there were few in the village who were willing to provoke him and fall foul of him. Wei Chiyu pursed his lips and turned to walk up the mountain. It wasn¡¯t until Wei Chiyu¡¯s figure disappeared that those people began to discuss among themselves again. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on? What happened to the Zhou family¡¯s medicinal herb shop?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too sure.¡± ¡°Sigh, I heard a little about this. I think he sold fake medicine and was discovered by the county office. I think Zhou Fugui would have been imprisoned if not for his son-in-law.¡± Chapter 52 - 52 Returning With a Full Load 52 Returning With a Full Load ¡°The weather is so good today. It¡¯s so calm and perfect for sailing.¡± Liu Liangcai and Zhou Yu chatted as they cast their net into the sea. The atmosphere was relaxed. ¡°That¡¯s right. The weather is so good, and the sky is so blue.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was sitting at the stern of the boat. She had taken off her shoes and socks and was soaking her feet in the sea. She looked up at the sky. Zhou Yu could not help but worry. ¡°Xiaoli, sit inside of the boat. Don¡¯t sit too far out at the edge.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± The icy cold seawater brushed past her feet. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s brows relaxed and she had a comfortable expression on her face. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was having fun, Zhou Yu could not bear to call her in again. He kept an eye on her while working. After setting up the net, they usually needed to wait for two to four hours before they could reel in the net. While waiting, the three of them sat on the boat and chatted. Zhou Xiaoli simply lay down and covered her face with a straw hat. As the boat swayed slightly, she fell asleep unknowingly. She fell into a deep sleep. In the end, she was woken up by the sounds of exclamation beside her. ¡°Father, Uncle Liu, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you so happy?¡± Zhou Xiaoli sat up with sleepy eyes and saw the two of them reeling in the net. Their hearty laughter could be heard from afar. Liu Liangcai: ¡°Hahaha, Little Li is awake. I told you that Little Li is a lucky star. Look, we caught a big fish this time!¡± Liu Liangcai was very excited. ¡°This is a small shark. I asked the fishmonger and he said that sharks of this breed are extremely expensive. The nobles in the county city love this.¡± Zhou Yu was also extremely excited. ¡°This weighs at least five to 10 kilograms!¡± Zhou Xiaoli also hurried over to take a look. ¡°Is this a shark? It¡¯s so small. Aren¡¯t sharks usually bigger?¡± ¡°This is a patterned bamboo shark. It¡¯s a small shark. It can¡¯t grow to a big size.¡± Liu Liangcai explained. The two of them were so happy that they couldn¡¯t close their mouths. They didn¡¯t care about eating anything to fill their stomachs. Taking advantage of the momentum, the two of them went on to find another spot to set the second net. They set a total of two nets today at sea. Both nets were full, and they had a good harvest. As the afternoon approached, their boat slowly approached the coast. The sun was setting in the west. People were coming and going on the coast. There were many merchants who came to buy fish. After the fishermen docked, they would directly sell the fish to the fish merchants who came to buy it. Although the price would be cheaper in comparison to selling it in the county, they would save a lot of trouble transporting the fishes themselves. Moreover, the fish would not be fresh after being left for too long. ¡°Brother Liu, are you selling fish today?¡± As soon as they reached the shore, many familiar faces greeted them. ¡°Yeah, how was your harvest today?¡± ¡°Sigh, don¡¯t mention it. I casted two nets and caught only a few small fishes and prawns! Aiyo, good lord, you guys had a good harvest this time. There are sharks too!¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a little lucky today.¡± After greeting them, Zhou Yu and Liu Liangcai carried two large buckets of fish down from the boat. Because Liu Liangcai fished often, he was very familiar with the other buyers and fishermen. After getting off the boat, the two of them went straight to a middle-aged businessman. After weighing and calculating the money, the two buckets of fish were sold for 1,800 copper coins. This was something Liu Liangcai had never expected. When he heard the number, he was in a daze. At this moment, many fishermen had already returned one after another. When they saw that they had received such a good price for their catch, they were envious. They did not stay at the coast for long after receiving the money. They packed their things and hurriedly left. When they arrived at the village, Liu Liangcai gave half of the money earned to Zhou Yu. So the two of them each received 900 copper coins. Zhou Yu waved his hand. ¡°That would not do, I¡¯m using your boat after all. How can we split it equally?¡± Liu Liangcai forcefully stuffed the money into Zhou Yu¡¯s hands and said seriously, ¡°Take it quickly. Let me tell you, it¡¯s all thanks to your Little Li that we were able to catch so many fish this time!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already said that this girl is blessed. You don¡¯t know this but when I fished alone and even on the best day, my catch would sell for only 100 copper coins.¡± Under his insistence, Zhou Yu could not refuse anymore. ¡ª ¡°What, 900 copper coins!¡± In the Liu family, Lin Xiujuan was so shocked that she almost jumped up from her seat. Liu Liangcai hurriedly patted her. ¡°Aiya, lower your voice!¡± ¡°We¡¯re in our own house. What¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡± Lin Xiujuan was extremely excited. She wiped her hands on her body. ¡°Come, let me see.¡± Liu Liangcai handed her the heavy money bag. After taking the money, Lin Xiujuan couldn¡¯t stop smiling. She hurriedly poured the money onto the table and started counting. After a while, she thought of something and asked, ¡°Oh yes, hubby, would the Zhou family go to fish tomorrow?¡± Liu Liangcai was washing his feet. When he heard this, he raised his head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re unwilling to let Big Brother Zhou go with me again?¡± ¡°Let me tell you, when I¡¯m catching fish alone, we can¡¯t even get 100 copper coins from the small catch!¡± His wife was good at everything except that she was money-minded. When he returned, he was worried that Lin Xiujuan would lose her temper when she heard that the money was split equally between the two families. Upon hearing this, Lin Xiujuan glared at him. ¡°Look at you. Do I look like an unreasonable person?¡± ¡°What I mean is, since the Zhou family doesn¡¯t have a boat either, let him know that he does not have to be courteous with us. We¡¯re all neighbors. It¡¯s only right for us to help each other.¡± Liu Liangcai raised his eyebrows. ¡°Look at that, the sun has risen from the west.¡± Lin Xiujuan said angrily, ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. You make me sound like a bad person. I¡¯m not an unreasonable person.¡± Liu Liangcai chuckled. His sarcasm was evident. Seeing her man¡¯s expression, Lin Xiujuan sighed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m a little greedy for money, but didn¡¯t I do it all for our family?¡± ¡°Let me tell you, during this period of time, I pondered about it carefully and I realized something.¡± As she spoke, she lowered her voice and whispered, ¡°This eldest daughter of the Zhou family must have been unlucky for 10 years. She started to prosper after leaving the Zhou family!¡± Seeing that Liu Liangcai had a frown on his face while looking at her, Lin Xiujuan thought that he didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°It¡¯s true. Don¡¯t doubt me. When I was young, I heard from the older generation that a person with such good luck was most likely protected by immortals.¡± ¡°Think about it. She went to the river to set up a fishing basket and so did we. Why is she the only one who was able to catch big fish?¡± ¡°Also, when she went up the mountain, she picked up two wild boars. Look just how many people in the village went up the mountain to try their luck as well. Not a single person managed to pick up the fur from a wild boar, not to mention seeing a wild boar itself.¡± ¡°Therefore, after thinking about it, I feel that I should treat her better in the future. I¡¯ll definitely be able to benefit from it.¡± With that, she nodded affirmatively. She felt that she had discovered something extraordinary. She looked down at the money in her hand and the corners of her mouth tilted upwards that they were about to split behind her ears. If it wasn¡¯t for Zhou Xiaoli, her man would have never caught this many fish. If it was said that it was a wild guess. Lin Xiujuan¡¯s guess was confirmed with the harvest they got from the next two days of fishing. ¡°Little Li, you must be tired from fishing. Look, you¡¯ve lost weight. I cooked two eggs for you.¡± ¡°Ah, no need for it, no need for it. Let Yuanyuan and Fengfeng have it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was overwhelmed by Lin Xiujuan¡¯s enthusiasm. Ever since the two families started to fish together, Lin Xiujuan¡¯s attitude towards her slowly changed. Although the change was not a complete 180 degrees, it could be considered to be 100 degrees. However, she could guess the reason for it. Lin Xiujuan didn¡¯t have any other problems other than that she loved money. The only thing that could move her was money. Her family had earned a lot of money from the past three days of fishing and of course, she was all smiles whenever she met her. Lin Xiujuan said, ¡°Yuanyuan and Brother Feng have it. I specially made this for you. Hurry up and eat.¡± Liu Liangcai shook his head and said, ¡°Little Li, take it. It¡¯s rare for your aunt to be so generous.¡± Zhou Xiaoli had no choice but to accept the bowl of eggs. At this moment, the scene in front of her suddenly flickered, and an illusion appeared again. Chapter 53 - 53 No More Fishing 53 No More Fishing ¡°Little Li?¡± Hearing Liu Liangcai¡¯s shout, Zhou Xiaoli came back to her senses. At this moment, her legs went weak and she almost lost her balance. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Why do you look so pale?¡± Liu Liangcai¡¯s concerned voice rang out again. ¡°Zhou Yu, come and take a look. Little Li seems to be feeling unwell.¡± ¡°Ah, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan hurriedly put down whatever they were working on and walked over quickly after hearing him. Sure enough, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s face was pale. Looking at Zhou Xiaoli, Zhang Lan hurriedly supported her as she looked like she was able to collapse. Her eyes were filled with worry. ¡°Li¡¯er, what¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t scare Mother. Weren¡¯t you fine when you just came back?¡± ¡°Hubby, hurry. Take the donkey cart out and send Li¡¯er to see the doctor.¡± Zhou Yu did not pause at all and was about to go home to get the donkey cart. Zhou Xiaoli shook her head weakly. ¡°Father, Mother, there¡¯s no need to go. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just a little tired. I¡¯ll be fine after some rest.¡± The appearance of the illusion almost exhausted all the strength in her body. As she spoke, she smiled weakly to reassure them. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Zhang Lan was worried. ¡°Really? No, You should see the doctor.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m really fine. I¡¯m just hungry. I¡¯ll be fine after eating something.¡± Liu Liangcai said, ¡°Then hurry up and eat the eggs your aunt cooked. I think her face is pale. Perhaps she got a heat stroke from being on the ship.¡± Zhang Lan¡¯s heart ached. ¡°You should not follow them out to sea tomorrow. Your father and your uncle can do it alone. You can¡¯t help either. Why are you exposing yourself to the sun?¡± Upon hearing that Zhou Xiaoli was not allowed to go fishing, Lin Xiujuan slapped her forehead and hurriedly said, ¡°Oh, right, I remember that I still have some centella asiatica herb at home. I¡¯ll cook it now to help Little Li cool down.¡± With that, she hurried home. Since Zhou Xiaoli insisted that she did not need to see a doctor, Zhang Lan helped Zhou Xiaoli home to rest. After a while, Lin Xiujuan cooked the centella asiatica herb into a herbal drink. After drinking the herbal drink and eating some food, Zhou Xiaoli slowly recovered, and her face looked better. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. After Lin Xiujuan returned home, Zhang Lan was still worried. ¡°I still think you shouldn¡¯t follow them out to sea tomorrow.¡± Zhou Yu agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Your Uncle Liu and I can do it alone. Don¡¯t follow us.¡± Zhou Xiaoli took a sip of water and nodded. ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t go tomorrow¡­¡± It was not just her who cannot go out to sea. No one else should go too. In the illusion just now, it was the scene of them going out to sea. They encountered a storm at sea and were attacked by sharks. The damage to the boat was serious, and Liu Liangcai was swept into the sea. In order to save Liu Liangcai, Zhou Yu jumped into the sea. At this moment, a shark appeared in the sea. While fending off the shark, Liu Liangcai helped Zhou Yu to escape and was eaten by the shark himself. Zhou Yu¡¯s leg had also been bitten by a shark while the boat had capsized. Neither of them returned home. The scene was too bloody. Zhou Xiaoli was still terrified when she thought about it. Zhang Lan was relieved when Zhou Xiaoli said that she was not going, and brought the two little fellows to the kitchen to cook. After the meal, Zhou Xiaoli called Zhou Yu to the courtyard. ¡°Father, you and Uncle Liu shouldn¡¯t go fishing tomorrow.¡± Zhou Yu thought that Zhou Xiaoli was worried that they would get heatstroke as well. So he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Your Uncle Liu and I have thick skin and thick flesh. We¡¯re already used to the sun, so it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I have to make more money during this period. Let¡¯s have a good winter.¡± Zhou Xiaoli shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not that, Father. Look at the night sky tonight. I think there will be a storm tomorrow. It¡¯s not suitable to go out to sea.¡± This was the most reasonable reason she could find. Although Zhou Yu knew that she was not the original Zhou Xiaoli, it was better not to let outsiders know that she had the Heavenly Eye. Hearing that there was a storm, Zhou Yu hesitated. He could not help but look up at the starry sky and ask suspiciously, ¡°Is that so?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded solemnly. ¡°Father, trust me.¡± Seeing the seriousness in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes, Zhou Yu finally nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you. I¡¯ll tell Uncle Liu tomorrow that I¡¯m not going.¡± His daughter seemed to have many secrets now. Perhaps she also had some extraordinary abilities. However, he did not ask further. Since she had come to their house, God must have taken pity on him and had given another daughter. He would protect this daughter well. Zhou Yu patted Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re tired today. Go back to your room and sleep. I¡¯ll talk to Uncle Liu tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Although she had convinced Zhou Yu, Zhou Xiaoli was still a little worried. She was not worried that Zhou Yu would not be able to convince Liu Liangcai. It was mainly because Lin Xiujuan was not easy to convince. ¡ª The next day, after breakfast, Zhou Yu and Zhou Xiaoli went to the Liu family and told them the excuse Zhou Xiaoli came up with last night. ¡°What, a storm?¡± Liu Liangcai widened his eyes and looked at the sun that had just risen. He said with uncertainty, ¡°Really?¡± Zhou Yu nodded with uncertainty himself. ¡°Yes.¡± Liu Liangcai laughed. ¡°Brother Zhou, are you joking? Look at the sun. It doesn¡¯t look like it will be a stormy day.¡± Lin Xiujuan also said, ¡°That¡¯s right. The sky is so clear. Where would the storm come from?¡± ¡°Oh, I know. Is it because Little Li hasn¡¯t recovered yet? If you¡¯re not feeling well, you can rest for the day. Hubby, you can go alone.¡± This was what Zhou Xiaoli was worried about. Even if she managed to convince them now, she was afraid that Lin Xiujuan would regret it a while later and urge Liu Liangcai to go out to sea alone. She rolled her eyes and thought of a solution. ¡°Uncle Liu, actually, I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed that something happened to us at sea. After I woke up, my right eyelid twitches constantly.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it said that the left eye twitching means good fortune would happen while the right eye twitching means disasters? I¡¯m a little worried. Let¡¯s just rest for a day. We won¡¯t lose much in a day.¡± If Lin Xiujuan believed that Zhou Xiaoli was protected by immortals, it meant that she believed in these things. She immediately took it to heart. ¡°Aiya, if that¡¯s the case, hubby, don¡¯t go today. Let¡¯s rest for a day. Coincidentally, there¡¯s a lot of grass growing in the field. I can¡¯t handle it alone.¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± At this moment, Zhou Yuanyuan burst out laughing. ¡°Mother, you believed her for real? Even a quack wouldn¡¯t dare to make up such a story¡­¡± She was about to say something when Lin Xiujuan glared at her. ¡°What are you talking about? Hurry up and eat.¡± ¡°Tsk!¡± Liu Yuanyuan snorted in dissatisfaction and disliked Zhou Xiaoli even more. Not only had she snatched her father away, but even her mother was treating her with kindness now. ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m going to find Zhou Guihua to do embroidery.¡± Out of sight, out of mind. Liu Yuanyuan put the bowl on the table heavily and ran out. ¡°Look at this child. She¡¯s getting more and more rude!¡± After Liu Liangcai reprimanded her, he turned to Zhou Xiaoli and said, ¡°Fine. Regardless of whether it rains or not, for peace of mind, let¡¯s rest today.¡± Seeing that Liu Liangcai was unlikely to go out to sea, Zhou Xiaoli was relieved and returned home with Zhou Yu. Today was a rare break. Fortunately, they had nothing to do, so they entered the alternate space and cultivated the two acres of land within in preparations to plant wheat. The alternate space did not seem to have seasons so crops could be planted at any time. Chapter 54 - 54 Paying Taxes 54 Paying Taxes However, at the same time, they did not know what were the crops suitable to plant in the alternate space¡¯s farmland. Wheat could be considered their first attempt at it. There were no cows in the space so they had to plow the fields themselves. However, there were all kinds of tools in the warehouse of the farmyard. There were plows, shovels, sickles, hoes, grass rakes, and so on. Zhou Xiaoli also saw a corn thresher, the kind that worked by hand. More importantly, these farming tools were brand new. When they saw the house full of farming tools, Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan were visibly happy. Zhou Yu loved what he saw as he touched each piece of equipment. ¡°This hoe, this shovel is so bright. It looks sharp and new. That¡¯s very good.¡± Zhang Lan also cherished it so much that she could not take her eyes off it. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve never seen such a good farming tool in my life!¡± ¡°These, these are all ours?¡± As he spoke, he found it unbelievable. Although ironware was popular in this world, it was still very expensive. Ordinary farmers used farming tools across several generations. They would not change them unless they had no choice. In addition, the farming tools in the space were all modern farming tools. Even those who did not know much about farming tools would agree that these farming tools were of a superior quality with just one glance. ¡°Hubby, let¡¯s hurry up. Li¡¯er has already brought in the wheat seeds.¡± Zhang Lan hugged a hoe and smiled happily. Zhou Xiaoli also ran over with a hoe. ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll help too.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun were not to be outdone. They waved their small fists and shouted that they could help too. Zhou Xiaoyu looked up and said proudly, ¡°Mother, Mother, I know how to pull weeds.¡± ¡°Hahaha, little fool, there¡¯s no grass here. I want to help Mother and Father to sow the seeds!¡± Zhou Junjun mocked. Zhou Xiaoyu pouted angrily and placed her hands on her waist. ¡°Stupid brother, you¡¯re calling me a little fool again. I¡¯m not going to be with you anymore. Hmph~¡± ¡°Sis, look at Older Brother.¡± With that, she ran off to complain to Zhou Xiaoli. The two little fellows started playing in the courtyard. Happiness filled the air, accompanied by the laughter of the entire family. Zhou Yu, Zhang Lan, and the others were native farmers. They worked all year round and felt a special relationship with the ground underneath their feet. They were efficient and capable in farm work. Originally, they did not want the children to do anything. However, they couldn¡¯t dissuade Zhou Xiaoli and the other two from trying to help. In the end, Zhang Lan had no choice but to teach them step by step. ¡°In that case, your father and I will use the plow to plow the land later on. You guys will spread the wheat seeds evenly in the ditch created. Watch how many seeds I sprinkle and do the same.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two little ones called out excitedly. They grabbed the wheat seeds excitedly in their hands, raring to go. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin!¡± With Zhou Yu¡¯s shout, the entire family moved. When they were in the Zhou family, Lai Jinniang had them do a lot of farm work. However, there had never been a time when they were happy and satisfied doing it. Actually, one of the reasons was that only their consciousness entered the alternate space. They would not feel tired from doing manual work. Of course, the most important thing was that after they put in the hard work of farming, the food would be theirs in the future! They were extremely happy to be able to eat their fill and not be bullied. People always said that happy times passed quickly. Unknowingly, it was noon. It was only when Zhou Xiaoli heard the knocking on the door outside the alternate space that she realized that they had worked for a long time. They had already planted more than half an acre of land. After packing up, everyone left the alternate space. ¡°Who is it?¡± Zhang Lan was the first to stand up and walk out. When they opened the door, they saw Wei Chiyu standing at the door, holding a pork rib and a bag of candy. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Chiyu. I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days.¡± Zhang Lan smiled and said, ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like my cooking.¡± Wei Chiyu explained, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing something for the past few days.¡± Zhang Lan was joking of course and hurriedly opened the door. ¡°Stop standing at the door and come in quickly. Li¡¯er and her father didn¡¯t go out to sea today. What a nice coincidence that everyone is here. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± Wei Chiyu was overjoyed. ¡°Uncle and Little Li did not go out to sea?¡± As he spoke, he walked into the courtyard. Zhang Lan closed the door and replied, ¡°Yes, Li¡¯er suffered from heatstroke yesterday so she¡¯s resting today.¡± Wei Chiyu immediately asked, ¡°Is everything alright? Has she taken medicine?¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli walked out of the room. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine.¡± As she spoke, her gaze fell on Wei Chiyu¡¯s hand. ¡°Hey, why didn¡¯t you bring wild game meat today?¡± Wei Chiyu picked up the pork ribs in his hand and remembered why he had these in his hands. ¡°Oh, this. The shopkeeper of the First-grade Restaurant asked me to give it to you.¡± ¡°He said that he wanted to thank you for your reminder the other time. Pork rib stew is good for Uncle to recover quickly from his bone injury. He even gave me a bag of sugar. It¡¯s called cane sugar and was boiled from sugarcane. It¡¯s a new thing that has just appeared in the capital. He said to let you try it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli realized what had happened. It must have been because of what happened when she dined at the First-grade Restaurant the last time. She had almost forgotten about it. Seems like the shopkeeper had taken her advice. Zhou Xiaoli accepted the items and looked at the cane sugar cubes. She couldn¡¯t help but marvel that someone in the capital had discovered that sugar cane could be used to make sugar. In this world, the sugar they ate was malt sugar. There was no such thing as cane sugar. She looked at the pork ribs again and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s make sweet and sour pork ribs for lunch today.¡± At this moment, the weather was still clear. As for the Liu family, Lin Xiujuan started to have some regrets. Even if Zhou Xiaoli did not tag along, her man would still be able to earn dozens of copper coins a day when he went out to sea. ¡°Hubby, why don¡¯t you go out to sea after dinner? You can set a net.¡± Lin Xiujuan scooped a bowl of noodles for Liu Liangcai and pondered aloud. ¡°I heard that the taxes this year have increased again. It¡¯s time to pay taxes soon. After paying the taxes, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t have sufficient food at home until next year.¡± Liu Liangcai looked a little worried. ¡°More taxes? How are we commoners going to live?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Moreover, the mayor has announced in the village that the Imperial Court wants to conscript soldiers to fight in war. We have to pay money to be exempted from military service this year.¡± Lin Xiujuan sighed. ¡°Besides, your winter jacket has been worn for many years. It¡¯s not going to keep you warm anymore. It¡¯s the same for Fengfeng. He had frostbite several times last year. I was thinking of making a new winter jacket for the entire family this winter. Looks like it won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°I was just thinking about how we can take advantage of the time now to catch more fish to supplement our family¡¯s expenses. It would be good if we can earn enough to last us till the next autumn harvest.¡± Liu Liangcai thought about it and agreed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call Brother Zhou. His family doesn¡¯t have any farmland so it¡¯ll be even more difficult for him to survive after paying the taxes.¡± Lunchtime had just passed. Liu Liangcai knocked on the Zhou family¡¯s door. After entering the house, he talked about fishing. The Zhou family also learned from Liu Liangcai on the taxes that they have to pay. Zhou Xiaoli was a little surprised. ¡°A person has to pay 200 copper coins as population tax? And we have to pay exemption tax? How much is the exemption tax?¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not know much about this in the first place. This was because the Zhou family never had to pay any exemption tax as Zhou Yu was the one who did all the previous military service exercises for the Zhou family. Except for military service. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli didn¡¯t understand, Zhou Yu explained, ¡°There are many types of exemption taxes. The most common is the ¡®pawn¡¯, which is doing hard labor such as digging canals to build city walls. There are also the ¡®soldier¡¯ and ¡®guardian¡¯. These two are used for military service and doing border guard duties respectively.¡± ¡°If you want to be exempted from these, you have to pay taxes. If you want to be exempted from hard labor, you have to pay three taels of silver. However, the exemption from military service is much higher. Each family has to pay five taels of silver.¡± logo Chapter 55 - 55 Trepidation 55 Trepidation Since they were on this topic, Liu Liangcai started sharing more information. Liu Liangcai added, ¡°In addition to these, we also have to pay a ¡®contribution fee¡¯. Each person will pay 63 copper coins a year.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was shocked. ¡°Ah, what kind of tax is this?¡± Liu Liangcai explained, ¡°It¡¯s the money given to the Son of Heaven to thank him for his hard work in managing the country.¡± Zhou Xiaoli frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a disguised way of exploiting the commoners? What a fatuous ruler!¡± As soon as these words left her mouth, all of them were shocked. Zhou Yu covered Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s mouth. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t speak carelessly.¡± Zhou Xiaoli realized what she had done and could not help but smile awkwardly. This was ancient times. Commoners could not casually speak ill of the Imperial Court. Zhang Lan patted Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s head. ¡°Child.¡± At this time, Zhou Yu sighed and looked at Zhou Xiaoli with hesitation. ¡°But to go fishing¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, a shout suddenly came from the street. ¡°Oh no, oh no, something happened at sea. Which family had their males out at sea today? Hurry up and go to the beach to take a look!¡± A middle-aged man shouted on the street. Immediately, the villagers who heard the shout ran out of their houses and kept asking anxiously what had happened. The middle-aged man looked pained and said anxiously, ¡°There¡¯s a huge storm on the sea. Many fishermen were attacked by sharks. Go and take a look.¡± ¡°Omg my husband! Nothing can happen to you¡­¡± Hearing this, many villagers¡¯ faces turned pale with fear. They brought their children and ran to the seaside while crying. Lin Xiujuan also heard the commotion. She had just run out of the courtyard when she heard this. Zhou Xiaoli and the others had already run to the beach to see what was going on. Seeing this, Lin Xiujuan couldn¡¯t be bothered to ask around anymore and simply followed. A storm was brewing. Before they could reach the beach, wind and rain poured down as it moved from the sea to land. There were many ships parked by the sea, and they were shaking in the wind and from the high waves. Some of them were lucky enough to be fine. They hugged their wives and children and cried bitterly, feeling extremely afraid. Some of them were seriously injured and were carried by their families to see the doctor. There were also women with children by the shore, anxiously looking and shouting for their family members. They cried in despair. The sound of the wind and rain seemed to cover their voices, but it could not cover the suppressed heaviness in the air. How could they not know that it was very dangerous to go out to sea to fish? Every day before they went to sea, they carried the courage that they may not be able to come back. It was all just to make a living. Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but think of a saying, ¡°Drive alone into the darkness to bring light to the family.¡± Lin Xiujuan was shocked seeing all of this happen before her eyes. She was terrified as she looked at the terrible scene in front of her. When she looked at Zhou Xiaoli again, her gaze was different. Zhou Yu and Liu Liangcai had already run to help save the injured villagers. It was a heavy downpour that lasted for almost two hours. It was not until evening that Zhou Yu and Liu Liangcai finally returned home. They came to know of the details of the disaster from the villagers who had returned. At this moment, they were still terrified. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Little Li. Otherwise, Brother Zhou and I might not have been able to come back today.¡± Liu Liangcai¡¯s words were filled with relief. After sighing, he saw that Lin Xiujuan was ignoring him. He looked over and saw that she was cooking in the kitchen. He couldn¡¯t help but be puzzled. ¡°What are you cooking?¡± Lin Xiujuan walked out of the kitchen with a bowl. ¡°I made ginger tea and cooked two eggs for Little Li. Oh, right, ginger tea is in the kitchen for you. Hurry up and drink it. Don¡¯t catch a cold later.¡± ¡°Yuanyuan, come with me to deliver it to the Zhou family.¡± After taking the bowl, Liu Yuanyuan said with jealousy, ¡°Mother, you¡¯re too good to Zhou Xiaoli now. You¡¯re cookings eggs for her like she is your own daughter.¡± Lin Xiujuan tapped her forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t be petty. I left you eggs in the pot as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Little Li this time. She saved your father and our entire family. In the future, when you¡¯re outside, you can¡¯t criticize her with others.¡± Finally, she looked at Zhou Yuanyuan and emphasized her words. ¡°Did you hear me?¡± ¡°Ah, ah, I know, I know. Mother, you¡¯re so long-winded.¡± With that, the two of them carried the bowls and went to the Zhou family. At this moment, in the Zhou family. They had just changed out of their wet clothes and were wiping their wet hair with a cloth. ¡°Achoo!¡± Zhou Xiaoli was so cold that she started to sneeze. Zhang Lan started a fire in the kitchen and prepared to use the water in the alternate space to boil ginger tea. ¡°Li¡¯er, quickly sit on the bed and cover yourself with a blanket. Seriously, why were you running around with your father in the rain?¡± In the end, she glared at Zhou Yu. ¡°You too. As a father, don¡¯t you feel sorry for your daughter at all?¡± Zhou Yu went to the kitchen and apologized profusely. ¡°Wife, I was wrong. I was wrong. You know very well that your daughter is a stubborn girl with her own opinion. She doesn¡¯t listen to me at all and hence, you have to be in charge of this family. You have to discipline her yourself.¡± Zhang Lan blushed and said angrily, ¡°You¡¯re the only one with a glib tongue.¡± Zhou Xiaoli expressed that she was sad at being forced to endure their sweet-talking. At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Zhang Lan hurriedly went out to open the door and saw Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yuanyuan standing at the door with bowls. Lin Xiujuan said, ¡°Sister Yu, I made ginger tea to ward off the cold and even cooked two eggs for Little Li. Didn¡¯t she have a weak constitution? She needs more nourishment.¡± This time, Zhou Xiaoli could clearly sense Lin Xiujuan¡¯s sincerity from her attitude. It was not the same deliberate flattery as before which was obvious that it was intentional. Zhang Lan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Aiya, you¡¯re all done cooking just like that. No wonder everyone says that Sister-in-law is capable. I had just started the fire.¡± Lin Xiujuan said, ¡°You went to help. I came back early, so I started a fire in advance to cook. Drink this first. You shouldn¡¯t wait for you to cook for the family. Otherwise, the chills will enter your bodies.¡± Zhang Lan thought about it and agreed. She did not refuse and thanked her repeatedly. After sending Lin Xiujuan and her daughter off, Zhang Lan closed the door and hurriedly called out to her family. ¡°Come quickly. Drink some hot ginger tea to warm your bodies up.¡± As she spoke, she poured the ginger tea into a few bowls for the entire family to drink. Even Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun, who remained indoors, drank some. Although they had drunk the ginger tea, Zhang Lan cooked more of it. After all, she was using the spring water from the alternate space which could strengthen their bodies. After this incident, peace returned to the village not long after. For the sake of their livelihood, even if it was dangerous, fishermen still went into the sea to catch fish. However, Liu Liangcai and Zhou Yu always returned with a full load, which attracted the jealousy of many fishermen. There were several times where someone deliberately followed their boat and noted down their fishing positions. Thinking that they were either from the same village or from the neighboring village, Zhou Yu and Liu Liangcai ignored them. It was another good day. After they were ready, they were ready to set off to catch fish. However, when they reached the river, they realized that their fishing boat had disappeared. ¡°Strange, why is the fishing boat gone?¡± Liu Liangcai looked around and was very puzzled. Zhou Yu said, ¡°Did someone shift it away? Let¡¯s look again.¡± At this moment, there were still many boats parked by the river. The three of them started searching for his boat. At this moment, a villager saw them and shouted, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re looking for your boat, right? There¡¯s no need for you to look. Your boat isn¡¯t here.¡± Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli walked over and asked, ¡°Uncle Niu, did you see our boat?¡± The old man nodded. ¡°You guys should hurry to the beach to take a look. When I came today, I saw the two brats, Sun Er and Wang Gou, driving your boat away.¡± Chapter 56 - 56 A Blessing in Disaster 56 A Blessing in Disaster The three of them frowned when they heard that. ¡°Alright, thank you, Uncle Niu.¡± After thanking Uncle Niu, the three of them rushed to the beach. When they reached the beach, they saw a boat stranded on the beach from afar. There were also many fishermen who were laughing and pointing at the stranded fishing boat. As they approached, A fisherman who recognized the two of them cried out. ¡°Aiyo, Big Brother Zhou, Big Brother Liu, come and take a look. See if this is your family¡¯s boat?¡± The three of them ran over to take a look. It was indeed their ship, but the ship¡­ ¡°Aiya, Brother Zhou, Brother Liu, who did you offend such that this would happen? The ship is basically wrecked!¡± The surrounding villagers spoke up. They seemed to be upset on their behalf, but there was a hint of schadenfreude in their voices. The three of them could guess what was going on. Over the past few days, their fishing boat had always returned with a full load which must have made people jealous. However, Wang Gou and Sun Er do not fish. There were probably only two reasons why the two of them would destroy their ship. One reason was due to their previous grudge with the Zhou family. If that¡¯s the case, it is probably that they considered destroying the ship as revenge. The other reason was that someone had got them to do this. Zhou Yu and Liu Liangcai ignored the gloating voices. They rolled up their sleeves and prepared to carry the boat back to the village to repair. Zhou Xiaoli did not have much strength, so she could not help much. She could only follow behind. Crack! Suddenly, she felt as if she had stepped on something. She moved her foot and realized that it was a shell. She kicked away the sand beside her and saw a palm-sized clam under the sand. Moreover, she could vaguely see traces of spiritual energy from this sea clam. After some thought, Zhou Xiaoli bent down and picked up the clam. Just as she bent down, she realized that there was also a faint spiritual aura coming from a rock next to her. The spiritual energy from under the rock was actually richer than the clam in her hand. Out of curiosity, Zhou Xiaoli stepped forward to move the rock away. As expected, she saw a palm-sized clam in the puddle under the rock. And the spiritual energy was coming from this sea clam. ¡°Little Li, what are you doing? Let¡¯s go.¡± At this moment, Zhou Yu, who was walking in front, noticed that Zhou Xiaoli was lagging behind. So he stopped and called out to her. ¡°Aye, I¡¯m coming!¡± Zhou Xiaoli replied. She picked up the clam and chased after him. ¡ª ¡°What kind of bullsh*t is this! What kind of evil person are you! The action of flipping someone¡¯s ship bottoms-up is so wicked! You¡¯ve done too many wicked things. Aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution?¡± ¡°You¡¯re jealous of others because you don¡¯t have the ability. The Wang family and the Sun family are just a pile of cow dung. Nothing good will come out of them!¡± Lin Xiujuan stood on the street and let out curses one after another. She must have been furious. When Zhou Xiaoli stood at the door and looked over, Lin Xiujuan had already taken her weapon to the Wang and Sun families to demand an explanation. Lin Xiujuan was not someone who would suffer a loss quietly. With her around, the Wang and Sun families could forget about getting any peace. Zhou Xiaoli returned home then. Meanwhile, Zhou Yu and Liu Liangcai had already gone to cut wood to repair the boat. Zhou Xiaoli walked into the courtyard with the two clams. Zhou Junjun and Zhou Xiaoyu immediately saw the clams in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand and ran over. ¡°Wow, what a big clam. It¡¯s even bigger than my hand.¡± ¡°Haha, as big as the Third Sister¡¯s face.¡± ¡°It must be delicious.¡± Zhou Xiaoli tapped the noses of the two little ones and said with a smile, ¡°Little gluttons.¡± With that, she walked into the kitchen. The two little ones followed Zhou Xiaoli into the kitchen. As Lin Xiujuan went to the Wang and Sun families, Zhang Lan came back from the street. Seeing the three children crowding in the kitchen, she walked into the kitchen as well and asked curiously, ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Xiaoli took out three pearls the size of fingernails from a broken clam. Instantly, she opened her mouth in shock. Zhou Junjun and Zhou Xiaoyu had never seen pearls before in their lives. They asked curiously, ¡°Sister, what is this?¡± Zhou Xiaoli replied casually, ¡°This is a pearl.¡± ¡°Pearl? Is it edible?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu blinked curiously. Zhou Junjun tapped the pearls on the chopping board with his small hand and said in a childish voice, ¡°Stupid. They¡¯re as hard as rocks. We can¡¯t eat them, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was amused. ¡°It¡¯s not that it¡¯s inedible, but it¡¯s very valuable. I can buy you a lot of delicious food with it.¡± ¡°Wow, isn¡¯t that a treasure?¡± When the two little ones heard this, they immediately felt that pearls were a good thing. Zhang Lan walked over and asked in surprise, ¡°Where did you get this pearl clam from?¡± Zhou Xiaoli said casually, ¡°I picked it up on the beach when I was on the way home. It looked big, and I thought there would be a lot of meat. Who knew that it would actually produce pearls?¡± Zhang Lan, who already knew that Zhou Xiaoli was lucky, was still shocked by her find. At this moment, Liu Fengfeng suddenly ran over to play with Zhou Junjun. ¡°Zhou Junjun, Zhou Junjun, let¡¯s compete in long jump again today. I¡¯ll definitely beat you.¡± As his voice rang out, Liu Fengfeng¡¯s head poked in from the kitchen door. He asked curiously, ¡°Eh, it¡¯s already so late. You guys haven¡¯t eaten yet?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun, who had treated Liu Fengfeng as a good friend by now, immediately shared the good news with him happily. ¡°No, we¡¯re opening pearl clams.¡± ¡°Pearl clam? What¡¯s a pearl clam?¡± Liu Fengfeng was curious and looked at the chopping board. ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t it just a sea clam? I don¡¯t like to eat it. The meat isn¡¯t delicious at all.¡± As he spoke, a look of disdain appeared on his face. ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve eaten clam meat before?¡± Instantly, the attention of the two little ones was attracted to him. The three little fellows gathered together and discussed Liu Fengfeng¡¯s experience of eating sea clams. After the three little ones ran out to play, Zhou Xiaoli went ahead to open the other clam. This pearl clam was full of spiritual energy. It must have a big pearl within. Seeing Zhou Xiaoli take out another pearl clam, Zhang Lan couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°How many did you pick up?¡± ¡°Just two.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled. ¡°Mother, why don¡¯t you open this one?¡± As she spoke, she handed the butcher knife over. Zhang Lan waved her hands. ¡°No, no. You¡¯re our lucky star. It¡¯s better for you to open it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll open it.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, the knife cut into the pearl clam and broke it open with a crack. The white meat inside was very plumb. Zhang Lan was so curious that she almost leaned over to take a look. ¡°Is there a pearl?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was already groping around in the clam meat. A moment later, a look of surprise appeared on her face. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not small!¡± As soon as the words left her lips, she opened her palm and there laid a round and plump pearl the size of a thumb! Looking at the pearls, Zhang Lan felt her head buzzing. She felt her tongue getting stuck in her mouth as she spoke. ¡°This, this must be worth a lot of money.¡± She had heard that pearls were very valuable, especially round and big pearls! ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s alright. It should be worth some money,¡± Zhou Xiaoli said in a regretful manner. Compared to the pearls in her lotus pond back then, these were really small. Seeing her daughter being so calm about it, Zhang Lan only sighed at how amazing her daughter was. She was already stunned beyond words by such a big pearl. When Zhou Yu returned home in the evening, she still felt that her feet were a little weak. Seeing that Zhou Yu had returned, the excitement in Zhang Lan¡¯s heart seemed to have found an outlet. She went up to him excitedly. ¡°You¡¯re finally back. Come quickly, come quickly. Come in, I¡¯ll show you something good!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you so excited?¡± Zhou Yu looked at Zhang Lan in confusion and smiled. ¡°Why? Did you manage to find money on the street today?¡± Zhang Lan quickly closed the door and dragged Zhou Yu into the house. ¡°You guessed right, but it¡¯s not me. It¡¯s our lucky star.¡± Chapter 57 - 57 First Family Meeting 57 First Family Meeting Hearing Zhang Lan¡¯s words, Zhou Yu was extremely surprised. ¡°Ah, she indeed picked up money from the street?¡± As they spoke, Zhang Lan had already pulled Zhou Yu into the main room. ¡°Father!¡± Seeing that Zhou Yu had returned, the two little ones who were practicing calligraphy with Zhou Xiaoli immediately stood up from their stools. After all, Zhou Junjun was older and a boy. He was much more mature than before so he merely stood and greeted him. On the other hand, Zhou Xiaoyu rushed over like a small cannonball. Zhou Yu hurriedly bent down and picked the little one up. He smiled and said, ¡°Why are you racing around like a little crazy girl?¡± Although he said that she was a little crazy girl, his face and eyes were filled with smiles. Ever since they left the Zhou family, the two children had become much more cheerful and lively. As a father, he felt joy and heartbroken at the same time. ¡°I¡¯m not a little crazy girl. Sis said I¡¯m cute~¡± Zhou Xiaoyu expressed her dissatisfaction with the way her father had addressed her. Zhou Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Yes, yes. Your sister is right. You¡¯re a cutie.¡± Only then did Zhou Xiaoyu smile again. She hugged Zhou Yu¡¯s neck and said in a childish voice, ¡°Sis taught me how to read. I know how to write 1, 2, 3, and 4¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoyu counted with her tiny fingers. Zhou Yu was very happy with her achievement. ¡°Third Sister is awesome.¡± Being pricked by Zhou Yu¡¯s beard, Zhou Xiaoyu immediately giggled. Zhang Lan took Zhou Xiaoyu from Zhou Yu¡¯s arms and placed her on the ground. ¡°Alright, stop clinging to your father. Go out and play with your brother.¡± The two little fellows agreed and ran hand in hand to the courtyard to play. After the two little fellows left, Zhang Lan excitedly said to Zhou Xiaoli, ¡°Li¡¯er, quickly show your father what you picked up today!¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh when she saw Zhang Lan flaunting to others like a child. She put down her pen and carried the box to him. She opened the box and took out four pearls. Three small ones and one big one. ¡°Pearl? They are pearls?¡± Zhou Yu was so shocked that he was tongue-tied. Seeing that she was not the only one with such a dramatic reaction after seeing the pearls, Zhang Lan immediately felt much better. She said excitedly, ¡°Isn¡¯t this great news! I knew it. My daughter isn¡¯t a jinx. She¡¯s a lucky star, the lucky star of our entire family!¡± Zhou Yu nodded. It took him a long time to find his tongue and speak. ¡°How is this just a great piece of news? It¡¯s a windfall!¡± After all, he was the head of a family, so Zhou Yu would always think one step ahead. After his excitement had passed, his expression became serious. He instructed, ¡°As the saying goes, don¡¯t reveal your wealth. Don¡¯t spread this matter around.¡± ¡°The human heart is unpredictable. Today, someone had purposely flipped Brother Liu¡¯s boat over to stop him from fishing. It was because we returned with a full load of fish in our previous trips that got others jealous.¡± ¡°If others find out that our family found pearls, I don¡¯t know what kind of disaster would befall us.¡± Zhang Lan looked at her husband with admiration in her eyes and nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, listen to your father. Your father is right.¡± When she first married into the Zhou family, she knew that although her husband looked like a boor, he was actually smart and meticulous. ¡°If someone dared to make trouble for us, I won¡¯t be afraid of them.¡± Zhou Xiaoli thought to herself. However, it was best not to cause trouble. She nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, Father is right. We can¡¯t keep the pearl forever. Let¡¯s go to the county city to sell it in two days¡¯ time.¡± Then, she looked down at the small ledger book that she was writing and said, ¡°Father, Mother, sit down first. I have something to discuss with you.¡± Zhou Xiaoli bought pen and paper when she went to the county city to sell the wolves hunted. She had not thought of a way to explain to her parents that she could write. However, Zhang Lan reasoned it all as a benefit from having the alternate space, which saved her the trouble of explaining. Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan walked to the table and sat down. Zhou Xiaoli flipped through the ledger book and said, ¡°Father earned 5,314 copper coins from fishing these few days, which is also 5 strings and 314 copper coins.¡± ¡°We have 35 taels and 550 copper coins after deducting the medicine we bought and the goods we bought the other time. We have a grand total of 40 taels and 864 copper coins. These three pearls can be sold for a lot of money, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°The taxes we have to pay this year are 6 taels and 120 copper coins in total. There¡¯s still a lot left.¡± ¡°The week¡¯s notice that we have given the Lu family is up as well. Tomorrow, we can prepare to build the house. There are many things that we would need Father to do. As such, Father, perhaps you should stop fishing from tomorrow onwards.¡± Building a house was a big deal. Zhou Yu immediately nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll tell your Uncle Liu tomorrow.¡± Zhou Xiaoli continued, ¡°Although we have farmland in our space, it¡¯s not in the outside world after all. To prevent others from having suspicions about us, we have to buy some farmland.¡± Both of them nodded repeatedly. For people who were born to farm for food, land would give them peace of mind and security. Zhang Lan agreed with this idea totally. ¡°Li¡¯er is right. We have to buy some farmland.¡± Zhou Yu also nodded in agreement. ¡°Let¡¯s do it tomorrow. I¡¯ll bring something to the Mayor¡¯s home tomorrow.¡± Both Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan wanted to buy fertile land, but Zhou Xiaoli had other ideas. She pursed his lips and said, ¡°Father, Mother, what I mean is that we don¡¯t want to buy fertile land. I¡¯ve asked the village chief. Nowadays, an acre of good dry field costs 18 to 20 taels of silver, and paddy fields are even more expensive. It would cost 50 to 80 taels of silver. We can¡¯t buy a few acres of land with the money we got.¡± Zhang Lan hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s buy dry fields. We can plant wheat, millet, peanuts, and sweet potatoes in it. I heard that the price of pearls is very high. It should sell for dozens of taels of silver. Let¡¯s not buy too much. Just two acres for now?¡± Zhou Yu nodded. It was obvious that he agreed with Zhang Lan¡¯s opinion but he said, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious, wife. Let¡¯s hear what our girl has to say.¡± After saying that, the two of them looked at Zhou Xiaoli and waited for her to speak. Zhou Xiaoli put down the brush in her hand and said in an unhurried manner, ¡°When I went to look at the grave site for the mayor, I heard from the mayor that there was a large piece of land on the southern slope of Qingyuan Mountain that had been cleared by the villagers. It was about 10 to 20 acres and had been abandoned. No one wanted it. It only cost four taels per acre and I thought our family could take it.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± As soon as Zhou Xiaoli finished speaking, Zhang Lan spoke first. ¡°You¡¯re young, so you don¡¯t know. That slope is an inferior field. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so cheap. Even if we plant it, the harvest would be small and it won¡¯t be sufficient for us to even pay the tax for it. When the time comes, we¡¯ll have to put in more money. We can¡¯t buy it since it is such a bad deal!¡± Zhou Yu stroked the beard on his chin and nodded. ¡°Your mother is right this time. We can¡¯t take that slope! Think about it. If it¡¯s a good piece of land, why would it be desolate for such a long time? Wouldn¡¯t anyone want it?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shook her head. ¡°Father, Mother, listen to me. We would not be growing crops on that piece of land.¡± Zhang Lan looked puzzled. ¡°Ah, what are we growing then?¡± Knowing their worries, Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and began to analyze the situation for them. ¡°There are lots of things which we can plant. We can plant tea leaves, herbs, and even fruit trees.¡± Zhang Lan could not help but laugh. ¡°Li¡¯er, if you had wanted to eat fruits and drink tea. You just have to tell me and I¡¯ll buy it for you. How can you think of growing it yourself? Tea leaves and fruits are not food.¡± Chapter 58 - 58 Change in The Alternate Space 58 Change in The Alternate Space Zhou Yu considered Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words seriously and said, ¡°If you¡¯re talking about planting herbs, there¡¯s a possibility. After all, pharmacies would buy the herbs.¡± ¡°However, your mother and I have never planted herbs before. Not to mention that we don¡¯t know how to make them into medicinal herbs, but more importantly, we¡¯re afraid that they won¡¯t survive.¡± ¡°As for the fruit trees and tea leaves you mentioned, well, let¡¯s not talk about whether we know how to plant them or not. What should we do with the fruits after we plant them?¡± Zhang Lan agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Which farmer would waste money to buy fruits to eat? When the time comes, they would just go bad in the fields.¡± ¡°Mother, of course I¡¯m selling it to the rich people who can afford it,¡± Zhou Xiaoli explained. ¡°There are many dried fruit shops in the county. How is it possible that we won¡¯t be able to sell it?¡± Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu felt that Zhou Xiaoli was being too whimsical. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to do business.¡± Since Zhou Xiaoli had suggested this idea, she was naturally confident of her own ability. They have come to the crux of the issue, which is the alternate space she has. The alternate space had more than just a small farmyard and two acres of land. The surrounding space was actually very large, but it was enveloped by fog. Over the past few days, after they had planted the two acres of land with wheat, the fog that enveloped the forest behind the house slowly dissipated, and the foot of the West mountain was revealed. The western hillside was covered with fruit trees. She took a brief look at it. There were many types of fruit trees, including peaches, apples, pear, hawthorns, and dates. She also found strawberry orchards, cherries, kiwis, blueberries, and other fruits that had yet to be seen in this country. Just this afternoon, the fog on the mountain dissipated a little more, revealing the tea fields halfway up the mountain. She picked some tea leaves and stir-fried them. It was very fragrant. Since Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan were so against her idea, it means that they definitely did not know about the changes in the alternate space. Perhaps if she let them take a look, they would be more assured. Thus, Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Father, Mother, follow me into the alternate space to take a look.¡± Although the two of them were puzzled, they closed their eyes nevertheless and followed Zhou Xiaoli into the alternate space. Although they had entered the alternate space more than once, the two of them still found this experience extremely novel. ¡°Ah, look, our wheat has grown so tall!¡± ¡°This alternate space is really magical. There¡¯s no snow anywhere else, but snow is falling on the two wheat fields!¡± After Zhang Lan entered, her gaze was attracted by the wheat in the field. She ran over to her precious wheat and looked at it over again and again. They had planted winter wheat seeds. Originally, they were worried that it would not grow here. Now, they were relieved. Zhou Xiaoli covered her face. No wonder the two of them did not notice the situation at the back of the mountain. It turned out that their attention was on these two acres of land. ¡°Father, Mother, stop looking at the wheat. Come with me.¡± As Zhou Xiaoli spoke, she pulled the two of them around the courtyard and arrived at the foot of the West Mountain. ¡°Ah, we can now see the mountain!¡± This was the first time Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu had been here. They knew that the spring water flowed down from the mountain but they knew nothing else as the other places were covered by fog. ¡°Yes, the fog dissipated in the past two days,¡± Zhou Xiaoli said as she led the two into the forest. ¡°Look, there are many fruit trees here.¡± ¡°Try it.¡± As she spoke, Zhou Xiaoli plucked two peaches and eagerly handed them to the two of them. Zhou Yu took the fruits, wiped them on his body, and handed one to Zhang Lan. Under Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s expectant gaze, the two of them took a bite. Instantly, their eyes lit up. ¡°It¡¯s so sweet!¡± Zhang Lan pointed at the peach in her hand in surprise. ¡°These peaches are too delicious. I¡¯ve never eaten such delicious peaches!¡± Looking at his wife¡¯s excited expression, Zhou Yu smiled. ¡°You¡¯re talking as if you often eat peaches.¡± This was also what Zhou Yu had said earlier. Fruit was considered a luxury item. For ordinary people who could not even eat their fill, they would not waste money to buy fruits to eat. They would go to the mountains to pick some wild fruits to eat during autumn time, but the fruits were usually very sour. Zhang Lan smiled in embarrassment. ¡°Quit it. I¡¯ve eaten it before actually. Didn¡¯t Zhou Guixiang bring peaches with her when she returned to the Zhou family house previously? Her daughter thought that they weren¡¯t delicious, so she threw them away. I picked them up and took a bite. They were not as delicious as this.¡± Upon hearing this, a string of memories appeared in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s mind. At that time, Zhang Lan washed the peaches that were thrown on the ground, and their family of five had eaten them. However, Zhou Guixiang saw it. No matter how they explained that it was her daughter who had thrown it away, she threw a huge tantrum at them. Lai Jinniang even severely punished their family for this. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s memory of it was deep and painful. Zhang Lan¡¯s mood was a little low, probably because she was reminded of the unhappy past. Zhou Yu¡¯s heart ached and he blamed himself. His wife and children have not had a good day with him. He immediately stuffed the peach he had taken a bite of into Zhang Lan¡¯s hand and patted his chest. ¡°This is for you. In the future, I¡¯ll give you all my peaches.¡± Zhang Lan¡¯s eyes immediately curved, and the gloominess in her heart cleared. She stuffed the peach back into Zhou Yu¡¯s hand and joked, ¡°Look at you. There are so many fruits here. Who still wants to eat what you have taken a bite of?¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s true.¡± The two of them could not help but laugh. Their unhappiness immediately dissipated. ¡°Sis, Father, Mother, where are you?¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun¡¯s voices could be heard. When the two little ones returned to the room, they found that the three of them were sleeping with their eyes closed. So they entered the alternate space to look for them. Zhou Yu¡¯s voice was loud. After shouting a few times, the two little ones ran over. ¡°Sis, why did you sneak into the alternate space?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu ran over and hugged Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s leg, asking in a childish voice. ¡°Little Fishy, be good. I¡¯m discussing something important with Father and Mother. Go to the small courtyard and bring a basket over. We¡¯ll pick some fruits and bring them out to eat.¡± Zhou Xiaoli rubbed the little guy¡¯s head and said with a smile. Only then did the two little ones notice that there were many fruit trees here. They were instantly happy. After responding, they held hands and skipped to the small courtyard. Zhou Xiaoli picked a few strawberries and cherries for Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan to see. ¡°Ah, what fruit is this? I¡¯ve never seen it before!¡± The two of them were shocked. They took it, wiped it on their bodies, and tried to take a bite. ¡°These fruits are so delicious!¡± Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°These are strawberries and cherries. It¡¯s very rare to see them outside. Even the current emperor might not have eaten them.¡± When she heard that the emperor had never eaten it before, Zhang Lan¡¯s hand that was holding the cherry trembled. She could not bear to put it into her mouth anymore. Zhou Xiaoli continued, ¡°So, Father, Mother, do you think that such delicious and rare fruits would not have any buyers? For example, strawberries and cherries. Those rich families will definitely fight for them.¡± Zhou Yu immediately understood what Zhou Xiaoli meant. ¡°So, you want to sell these fruits?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, but we have to have a source for our fruits. Otherwise, it will arouse suspicion. I thought that we should buy all the land on the southern slope of Qingyuan Mountain and plant the fruit trees in our alternate space there.¡± Looking at such a large fruit forest and the gratifying tea trees, it would be a pity if they do not put it into use. Zhou Yu immediately made his decision. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you!¡± At this moment, the two little ones ran over with small bamboo baskets. The family picked two baskets of fruits and left the alternate space happily. Just as they returned to their room, they heard cursing coming from the entrance of their house. Chapter 59 - 59 Worse Than a Beast 59 Worse Than a Beast If one listened carefully, they could hear Lin Xiujuan cursing. Needless to say, Lin Xiujuan must be in an argument with the Wang and Sun families. By the time their family opened the front door and went out to take a look, the quarrel was almost over. Lin Xiujuan fought two people alone and managed to scratch Wang Gou¡¯s mother¡¯s face. Sun Er¡¯s mother¡¯s nose was bleeding too. As for Lin Xiujuan, her clothes and hair were only a little messy. Her combat strength was off the charts! Lin Xiujuan was the victim and had the right to reason with them. She also had many witnesses on her side. Not only did the old women of the Wang and Sun families receive a beating for nothing, they were also dragged here to apologize to the Lin family. In the end, the village chief mediated and Lin Xiujuan spared them. ¡°Hmph! I¡¯ve been fighting since I was 12 years old. You can¡¯t beat me even with three of you! Pfft, I advise you to go back and discipline your sons well. Don¡¯t do anything guilty. Be careful of retribution!¡± As Lin Xiujuan cursed, the Wang and Sun wives tucked their tails between their legs and ran away dejectedly. The commotion was over, and the surrounding villagers who were watching the commotion dispersed. Lin Xiujuan, who had won the battle, also returned home with her head held high. ¡ª Night fell, at the Zhou residence. The family ate until their bellies were round. They sat on a bed and chatted for a while before going to bed early. In the middle of the night, Zhou Xiaoli was woken up by the urge to pee and had no choice but to go to the toilet. Just as she reached the courtyard, she suddenly heard the dull sound of two heavy objects falling to the ground in the quiet night. Thieves! Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s first reaction was that there was a thief at home! She immediately became vigilant and slowly retreated into the room. She picked up the small crossbow on the table and quietly walked to the door, pricking up her ears to listen for any noise. In the dead of night, the sounds of the surroundings were especially clear. The chirping of insects in the grass and the croaking of frogs in the river not far away. There were also two extremely low voices. ¡°The Lin family had indeed hidden their money really well. Damn it, we didn¡¯t even manage to find a single copper coin.¡± ¡°There are rules in the underworld. We can¡¯t walk away empty-handed. Go to the kitchen and get all their rice and flour.¡± ¡°There are a few old hens in this chicken coop. They can be sold for money too.¡± ¡°Shh, are you stupid? What if the chickens cry and wake the people around us? We have more important things to do.¡± ¡°Come, let¡¯s go to the Zhou family quickly. The little b*tch from the Zhou family has harmed us brothers to such extents. I¡¯ll be damned if I don¡¯t deal with her. Do you still have any knockout drugs?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all on me!¡± ¡°Alright, after we have knocked them out, search for the money. I¡¯ll carry her. Let¡¯s have fun tonight.¡± ¡°One is not enough. Didn¡¯t the Zhou family have a baby girl? That will be fun!¡± Finally, there was a burst of obscene laughter. Fortunately, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hearing was sharp, so she could hear every word of their conversation. A hint of danger flashed across her eyes. Zhou Xiaoli turned around and entered the house, shaking Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan awake. ¡°Shh, Father, Mother, don¡¯t make a sound first. There are thieves in our house.¡± As soon as the two of them opened their eyes, Zhou Xiaoli immediately lowered her voice and reminded them. The two of them, who were still in a daze, turned wide awake when they heard that there were thieves. They quickly sat up and jumped out of bed without putting on their clothes. The moment he got off the bed, Zhou Yu simultaneously took out a kitchen knife from under the bed. This was Zhou Yu¡¯s sleeping habit. Before sleeping, he had to put the kitchen knife under the bed. Otherwise, he would not be able to sleep well. Zhang Lan picked up the bolt on the back of the door. Under the moonlight, the three of them quietly moved to the door and observed the commotion in the courtyard through the half-open door. Sure enough, not long after. They heard the dull thud of two heavy objects falling to the ground. Accompanied by the rustling of clothes, deliberate light footsteps slowly approached them. Here it comes! Through the crack in the door, the three of them saw two black figures sneaking over. As they approached the door, Sun Er took out the knockout drug. Zhou Yu took the lead and opened the door. He raised his knife and rushed out. ¡°B*stard thief, you had the nerve to steal from my house!¡± Zhang Lan raised the door bolt and shouted as she followed closely behind. Wang Gou and Sun Er clearly did not expect to be discovered. They were shocked by Zhou Yu who suddenly rushed out of the room. Zhou Yu was originally strong and strong. In addition, he had been drinking the spiritual spring water from the alternate space recently. He ate well and his body became even stronger. For him to overpower these two, it was as easy as hitting a chicken. Zhou Xiaoli did not even have the chance to attack before Wang Gou and Sun Er were beaten to the ground by Zhou Yu. The two of them lay on the ground and cried out in pain. Thinking about it, Zhou Yu¡¯s punch must have been powerful. ¡°Go get the rope!¡± Zhou Yu held the kitchen knife and stood at the side, staring at the two of them. He only put the kitchen knife away after Zhang Lan and Zhou Xiaoli tied them up. ¡°How should we deal with them? Should we send them to the county office tomorrow?¡± Zhou Yu could not help but ask. Zhou Yu thought that the two of them were just thieves. If they were sent to the county office, they would definitely be jailed for a few years. However, Zhou Xiaoli had heard their conversation. They had wanted to destroy her and Zhou Xiaoyu! Especially Zhou Xiaoyu, who was only four or five years old. These two people actually had such evil thoughts. They were simply worse than beasts! They were bad people from the bottom of their hearts. If they were released from prison, they might find trouble with them again. Allowing such danger to live on would mean endless trouble for them. If it was up to her, neither of them should be left alive. However, she naturally could not say this out loud. Killing someone would probably scare Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes moved, and she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Father, Foreman Cao will come to look at the house structure tomorrow, and you won¡¯t be able to leave. Why don¡¯t I send them to the county office?¡± This way, no one would know what she was doing on the way. However, Zhou Yu refused. ¡°No, no. It¡¯s too unsafe. I¡¯m worried.¡± Zhang Lan also agreed repeatedly. ¡°Uncle, why don¡¯t you leave these two to me?¡± At this moment, Wei Chiyu¡¯s voice suddenly rang out. The few of them were stunned. They looked over and saw Wei Chiyu sitting on the wall. Seeing that they were looking at him, he jumped down from the wall and explained. ¡°They woke me up with their cries.¡± Actually, he had woken up some time ago. He had discovered their presence when Wang Gou and Sun Er entered the Lin family. However, when he realized that Zhou Xiaoli had also woken up, he did not act rashly. He observed in secret, thinking that if they were no match for them, he would attack immediately. However, he did not expect Zhou Yu to be so brave. With one punch, he knocked the two of them down. He did not give him a chance to save the damsel in distress. Naturally, he heard their conversation. He had the same thoughts as Zhou Xiaoli. They should not be left alive. Zhou Yu was a little hesitant. ¡°Would this be too much trouble for you?¡± Wei Chiyu immediately shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to the county tomorrow. I¡¯ll bring them to the county office on the way.¡± With Wei Chiyu sending them to the county office instead, Zhou Yu would have peace of mind staying at home. Thus, the matter was happily settled. Wei Chiyu said that he had to wake up very early tomorrow and would bring the two of them back to his house tonight. He lowered his head and looked at the two of them. A trace of coldness flashed across his eyes. Then, he asked Zhou Xiaoli, ¡°Do you have any stinky socks?¡± ¡°Huh? Why do you need stinky socks?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was confused. Wei Chiyu said casually, ¡°I have to wake up early tomorrow and I¡¯m afraid that they will disturb my sleep.¡± Zhou Xiaoli instantly understood. She immediately laughed. This guy was two-faced. ¡°Yes, yes. Wait for me. I¡¯ll find it for you right now.¡± As she spoke, she ran back to her room and took a pair of stinky socks that Zhou Yu had changed out of at night, and had yet to wash. Although Wang Gou and Sun Er tried their best to resist, in the end, the stinky socks were stuffed into their mouths. Wei Chiyu patted the rope on the person¡¯s body. After finding that it was firmly tied around them, he carried the two of them out of the Zhou family. Zhou Xiaoli had something to ask, so she chased after him after Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan returned to the room. Chapter 60 - 60 I Want All! 60 I Want All! At the door. Zhou Xiaoli stopped Wei Chiyu and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you sending them to the county office tomorrow?¡± ¡°No.¡± Wei Chiyu shook his head. His answer surprised Zhou Xiaoli. At this moment, Wei Chiyu said, ¡°I know some friends in the underworld. They¡¯re very good at dealing with difficult scoundrels like them. Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t come looking for trouble with you in the future.¡± Although she did not know how Wei Chiyu was going to deal with Wang Gou and Sun Er, she was relieved to hear Wei Chiyu say so. The next morning. Zhang Lan woke up early and sent back the rice and flour that the two stole from the Liu family last night. Last night, the two of them had drugged the Liu family. They only woke up in a daze when Zhang Lan knocked on the door. When she heard Zhang Lan say that their house had been burglarized last night, Lin Xiujuan jumped up in shock and ran back to her room to check on her money. ¡°You scared me to death. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t lose them. These damn thieves!¡± Then, she thanked Zhang Lan. Then, she asked, ¡°What about the thieves? Are they still at your house? I¡¯ll break their hands!¡± Lin Xiujuan shouted and was about to look for her weapon to hit the thieves with. Zhang Lan hurriedly said, ¡°They¡¯re not here anymore. Chiyu took them away last night. He¡¯s probably on his way to send them to the county office now.¡± Lin Xiujuan felt a little regretful that the two thieves had left. ¡°Well done! We have to send them to the county office and let the county magistrate punish them!¡± After ranting, Lin Xiujuan finally heaved a sigh of relief. The pot at home was still on the stove, so Zhang Lan did not stay for long. After returning the rice and flour to them, she bade farewell and left. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu had also woken up and were brushing their teeth in the courtyard. ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s this called? After using it for a few days, my teeth don¡¯t hurt anymore. They¡¯ve even become much whiter.¡± After Zhou Yu finished rinsing his mouth, he could not help but sigh in contentment. ¡°Toothbrush, toothpaste,¡± Zhou Xiaoli said with a smile. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. It¡¯s really a good thing. It¡¯s much more useful than the willow branches.¡± The toothbrushes and toothpaste they used were all from the alternate space. There were many good things stored in the cabinets of the washroom in the small courtyard of the farmhouse. Toothbrushes and toothpaste were one of them. There were also shampoo, detergent and more. More importantly, she also found sanitary pads in the bedroom of the small courtyard. There were two big boxes, enough for her to use till she reached menopause. She was pleasantly surprised at her find. Although she was only 10 years old and had yet to have her period, her period would come in two to three years¡¯ time. She had heard that in ancient times, women used wood ash when they had their period. She probably wouldn¡¯t dare to use that when her period comes. On the other side, Zhou Yu, who had finished brushing his teeth, was humming a mountain song. He washed his toothbrush and toothpaste and carefully placed them on a high shelf on the wall behind the left side of the kitchen door. It would be hard for anyone to notice this hiding place. After Zhang Lan returned, she went into the kitchen and cracked three eggs in the broth. Breakfast was ready. In reality, farmers would only eat two meals a day when it was not the busy period. They would eat one meal at nine in the morning and one meal at eight in the evening. However, Zhou Xiaoli was used to eating three meals a day. Besides, there was no need to worry about food at home now. The two little guys also needed to nourish their bodies. Hence, the family followed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s cooking habits and ate three meals a day. However, they usually ate simple breakfasts in the morning. They would have porridge or egg soup, together with stir-fried vegetables and steamed buns. After breakfast, the family got busy. Today, Foreman Cao was coming to visit the homestead. Zhang Lan listened to the village chief¡¯s suggestion and prepared to cook a table of delicious food to entertain them. This way, they would be diligent in building the house for them, and the house they built would be sturdier and more secure. Hence, after breakfast, Zhang Lan started to prepare. Zhou Xiaoli took all her belongings and drove the donkey cart to the mayor¡¯s house in Dazhuang Village. When she arrived, the mayor was shooting arrows at the back of the house. He was very enthusiastic to see Zhou Xiaoli. Ever since they listened to Zhou Xiaoli and moved their ancestral grave, no one in the Zhuang family had fallen ill for no reason. The clansmen who had fallen ill earlier also began to improve with medication. He witnessed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s ability and was completely convinced by her. ¡°Aiya, Little Li, why are you free to come to my place today?¡± After the mayor handed the bow and arrow to his son, he greeted her with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go in and have a seat. My wife, make a pot of tea quickly and use the Longjing tea I just obtained.¡± ¡°Uncle Zhuang, you¡¯re too polite.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled. The mayor laughed. ¡°Ha, no, no. You¡¯re our family¡¯s esteemed guest, so you have to be treated with our best hospitality.¡± As they chatted, the two of them entered the living room. Soon, the mayor¡¯s wife brought tea over. Zhou Xiaoli took the teacup and thanked her. After the two of them exchanged a few simple pleasantries, Zhou Xiaoli did not keep them in suspense and explained her intentions for coming. ¡°What? You want to buy the wasteland on the southern slope of Qingyuan Mountain?¡± The mayor almost spat out the tea in his mouth. He hurriedly put down the teacup and looked at Zhou Xiaoli in disbelief. Zhou Xiaoli calmly took a sip of tea and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right, Uncle Zhuang, you didn¡¯t hear wrongly. The wasteland on the southern slope of Qingyuan Mountain. Could it be that someone has already bought them?¡± ¡°Ah, no.¡± The mayor waved his hand and confirmed again, ¡°Little Li, are you sure you want to buy the land on the southern slope of Qingyuan Mountain?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. The mayor adjusted his sitting posture. ¡°Little Li, since you call me your Uncle, I have to remind you that you should look beyond the price of the land. Although it is cheap, those slopes are infertile land.¡± ¡°If you want to buy farmland, I¡¯ll help you ask around and see if there are any cheap and good farmlands.¡± However, Zhou Xiaoli shook her head and said affirmatively, ¡°Uncle Zhuang, I know what I want. I don¡¯t need fertile land. The land on the southern slope of Qingyuan Mountain will do.¡± Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was so certain about the slopes, The mayor pursed his lips and did not say anything else. He sighed. ¡°Alright, as long as you know what you¡¯re doing. How many acres do you want?¡± Zhou Xiaoli asked in return, ¡°How many acres of land does the southern slope have in total?¡± The mayor stood up and went to the shelf to search. After a while, he took out a blueprint and flipped it open. ¡°Hm, there are a total of 23 acres of land on the southern slope.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll take them all.¡± This almost frightened the mayor again. ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°Yes, all of them.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was someone who knew what she wanted. Seeing that she was not panicking at all, the mayor did not try to persuade her further. He flipped through the records and said, ¡°Among the 23 acres of land, 10 acres were cultivated by the villagers previously. It¡¯s 4 taels per acre then.¡± ¡°The remaining 13 acres haven¡¯t been cultivated yet. The Imperial Court is encouraging land cultivation now. As long as it¡¯s cultivated, it¡¯ll be considered as your land. However, you have to pay taxes in the second year of cultivation. Do you want these 13 acres as well?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and said without hesitation, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Alright! Then I¡¯ll transfer the land ownership to you.¡± As he spoke, the mayor walked to his desk and took out a few deeds. After paying 40 taels of silver, she only had 840 copper coins left on her. Fortunately, she still had the four pearls. Zhou Xiaoli did not remain after receiving the deed from the mayor. After bidding farewell to the mayor, she drove the donkey cart and admired the surrounding scenery as she leisurely moved towards the village. Qingyuan Mountain was really beautiful. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but feel a little satisfied as she admired the beautiful scenery and enjoyed the breeze. However, just as her donkey cart entered the village, this satisfaction was shattered. ¡°Sister Xiaoli, Uncle Zhou is fighting with someone!¡± Chapter 61 - 61 Infuriating That Lu Person! 61 Infuriating That Lu Person! Zhou Xiaoli did not drive the donkey home but instead, she rushed straight to their homestead. Originally, Foreman Cao was here to look at the base structure. The actual building of the house will start tomorrow. However, after the meal, when Zhou Yu went to the homestead, he realized that the beetroots planted by the Lu family in the land were still in the ground! Zhou Yu had already reminded them no less than three or four times. Yesterday morning, when he realized that they have yet to harvest the beetroots, he even reminded them again. He even told them that they were going to start building the house tomorrow. Unexpectedly, they hadn¡¯t finished their harvesting. Zhou Yu was a little angry. He went straight to the Lu family and asked them to collect the beetroots immediately. Otherwise, he would inform the village chief of it. Perhaps because he was angry, Zhou Yu¡¯s words were a little harsh. This time, the old woman from the Lu family was unwilling. She refused to harvest the beetroots no matter what. She even said that since he had bought this piece of land to build a house, he should buy all the beetroots in the field as well. Because of this, the two families quarreled! On the way to the homestead, Liu Fengfeng and the few children in the village talked all at once and told Zhou Xiaoli everything that had happened. As soon as she arrived, Old Madam Lu¡¯s shameless voice could be heard. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as taking only one part of it!¡± ¡°Let me tell you, you have to buy these beetroots today. Otherwise, I¡¯ll lie on the ground. Don¡¯t even think about building a house then!¡± Zhou Xiaoli frowned, but she did not go forward immediately. Instead, she tied up the donkey cart before walking toward the center of the crowd. Zhou Yu was so angry that his face and neck turned red. He clenched his fists and said angrily, ¡°How can there be an unreasonable person like you!¡± Looking at the blue veins popping out on his arm, Zhou Xiaoli did not doubt it at all that if it were not for the fact that the other party was a woman, her father would have punched her a long time ago. ¡°Father.¡± Zhou Xiaoli called out to Zhou Yu and pushed through the crowd of onlookers to come to his side. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back so soon?¡± Upon seeing Zhou Xiaoli, Zhou Yu patted his head in a daze. He felt some relief then, and his tone became gentler. ¡°Did it not go well?¡± ¡°No, I came back straight after shopping.¡± As Zhou Xiaoli spoke, her gaze fell on the old woman from the Lu family. No wonder Zhou Yu was so angry. Old Madam Lu was really shameless. She sat in the middle of their home base with a recliner and bedding beside her. It looked like she had all intention to fight with them to the end. ¡°Old woman Lu, you¡¯re too shameless!¡± Lin Xiujuan¡¯s disdainful voice sounded. Lin Xiujuan came over with Zhang Lan. Zhang Lan was not eloquent. To put it bluntly, her character was a little weak. If she was half as fierce as Lin Xiujuan, she would not have been bullied by Lai Jinniang for so many years. At this moment, she was so angry that her face turned red, but she couldn¡¯t open her mouth to speak. Hence, she followed Lin Xiujuan¡¯s lead and tried to scold Old Madam Lu. However, her aura was slightly weaker in comparison. ¡°Sister, don¡¯t be shy. You should not be like this when scolding others. You don¡¯t look imposing at all. You should put one hand on your waist and point at her nose with the other. That¡¯s it. Open your voice and shout loudly.¡± Lin Xiujuan tried to teach her how to scold others. Zhang Lan followed suit and shouted, ¡°Madam Lu, you¡¯re shameless!¡± After shouting that, it was as if a door had opened. Then, she followed Lin Xiujuan¡¯s lead and started cursing others. Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°¡­¡± Old Madam Lu was not afraid at all. She shouted, ¡°Mrs. Lin, what does this have to do with you?! You¡¯re in such a hurry to speak up for the Zhou family. Has the Zhou family given you many benefits?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Lin Xiujuan became feisty. ¡°Old Madam Lu, you¡¯re full of farts. What a foul mouth do you have!¡± ¡°Look at your behavior. Everyone in our village knows that beetroots are not selling well this year. You¡¯re deliberately extorting the Zhou family. Who would stand by and allow you to do that?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re inhumane. Please ask your man to buy more makeup for you so that others would be able to tell where your butt and face are!¡± Puff! Zhou Xiaoli almost laughed out loud. Ever since Lin Xiujuan stopped making things difficult for her, the way she scolds others has become very interesting. Many people around them were discussing among themselves. They were all saying that the Lu family was really inhumane. Even the village chief came upon hearing the commotion in the village. The village chief, who had rushed over to act as a mediator, couldn¡¯t help but criticize Old Madam Lu as well. ¡°Lu family, what¡¯s wrong with you? I reminded you a month ago. Why are the beetroots still in the ground?!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t sell it yourself, so you want to force others to buy. How immoral!¡± However, Old Madam Lu did not care at all. No matter what others said, she refused to give in. The village chief was furious and said fiercely, ¡°This ruffian! Since she doesn¡¯t accept it, Zhou Yu, just pull out these beetroots and build a house! If she doesn¡¯t move, let her continue to lie down and build the house on her!¡± As soon as the village chief¡¯s harsh words left his lips, Old Madam Lu rushed home, took a knife, and rushed out. ¡°I don¡¯t care. You have to buy the beetroots, or I¡¯ll die here. You can build your house over my dead body!¡± She roared as if she had lost her mind. As the saying went, it¡¯s the little ghosts who were the most difficult to deal with. The adage was right. Just as Old Madam Lu was making a ruckus, Zhou Xiaoli looked at the beetroots in the field and said, ¡°We¡¯ll buy them.¡± As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. Some of the onlookers began to dissuade her. Eat? They would not be able to finish it, that¡¯s for sure. However, she had no intention of eating them. Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu also looked at Zhou Xiaoli in confusion. However, since their daughter had spoken, they nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to my daughter.¡± As soon as these words were spoken, the onlookers were a little surprised. The Zhou family doted on their daughter that much? There were also many girls who were watching the show and were a little envious of Zhou Xiaoli. It was unrealistic for them to express their thoughts at home, let alone make decisions. Although Zhou Xiaoli had decided to buy the beetroots, she would not let the other party name the price. Therefore, she said pointedly, ¡°We¡¯ll calculate the wholesale market price now.¡± There are bound to be people in the village who had sold beetroots before. Someone immediately said, ¡°Beetroots are cheap now. One copper coin for one and a half kilograms!¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do it according to the price of one copper coin for one and a half kilograms. However, you have to harvest them all immediately!¡± ¡°Otherwise, I can delay the building of the house until a few days later. What you have are beetroots, not rocks. It¡¯ll rot sooner or later!¡± Old Madam Lu originally thought that the price was cheap, but she considered that if she continued to force the Zhou family into a corner and they did not go ahead to build the house, her beetroots would indeed rot in the ground. She immediately agreed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll harvest them now!¡± With that, she ran back and called the entire family to collect the beetroots. There were many men in the Lu family, but none of them were diligent. It was the first time that they had been diligent in harvesting beetroots. In the afternoon, all the beetroots were harvested. There was a total of 462 kilograms. When the Zhou family went to take the beetroots, many people in the village followed them to watch the commotion. Many people sighed and said that the Zhou family had suffered a huge loss this time. However, after returning home this morning, Zhou Xiaoli had told Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan her thoughts. She wanted to use the beetroots to make sugar. Five kilograms of beetroots could produce about one kilogram of sugar. The current market price of sugar was 100 copper coins per kilogram! At that time, it would be a sure win for them! Chapter 62 - 62 Its Really Sugar! 62 It¡¯s Really Sugar! Zhou Yu drove the donkey cart over and pulled all the beetroots home. It was unloaded into the courtyard and piled into a small mountain. The wolf cub was chasing the duck in the courtyard. When it saw the beetroots on the ground, it rushed over, picked up one, and ran. ¡°Little wolf, you can¡¯t eat that~ spit it out.¡± Seeing this, Zhou Xiaoyu shouted and chased after it with her short legs. The wolf cub thought that Zhou Xiaoyu was playing with it, so it ran even more happily. The wolf and the child started chasing each other in the courtyard. Zhou Yu tied up the donkey cart. He was still a little worried and so he asked, ¡°Li¡¯er, are you confident in your method of making sugar?¡± Zhou Xiaoli felt that no matter how much she said, they would only be convinced when she made the sugar. Hence, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll make some right now.¡± At this moment, Zhang Lan put on an apron and said, ¡°Do you need Mother to help you with anything?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. She found four beetroots from the pile and weighed them. They weighed two and a half kilograms. Then, she said, ¡°Mother, help me wash the beetroots and slice them.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Zhang Lan replied and took over. After washing the beetroots clean, she took it to the kitchen and started slicing it up. Zhou Yu went to the donkey shed to get some firewood. He had heard from Zhou Xiaoli that sugar had to be cooked with fire. Zhou Yu looked at the remaining dry firewood in the donkey shed and said, ¡°Brother Jun, come with me to the mountain to pick some firewood.¡± With that, the two of them grabbed a machete and left. The process of cutting the beets into thin slices was the most time-consuming. Fortunately, Zhang Lan¡¯s knife skills were not bad. She quickly cut them into thin slices. By the time everything was cut, Zhou Xiaoli had already washed the big iron pot and placed it on the stove. ¡°Put the beetroot slices in the pot and add cold water. Oh, right, don¡¯t add in too much water, and don¡¯t have too little either. Just make it level with the beetroots.¡± Zhang Lan responded and followed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s instructions step by step. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoyu ran into the kitchen and pulled Zhou Xiaoli up. ¡°Sis, let me start the fire. I¡¯m the best at it.¡± As she spoke, she sat obediently in front of the stove, looking very much the part. Zhou Xiaoli had already started the fire. Zhou Xiaoyu only needed to watch the fire and add firewood when required. As such, she let her be. Next, she would wait for the water to boil before turning the beetroots over. Then, she would continue to boil them until they were soft and turned into a pulp. Then, she could take them out to cool. ¡°And then?¡± Zhang Lan listened very seriously. Zhou Xiaoli found two pieces of muslin cloth that were used to steam steam buns and continued, ¡°Wrap the cold beetroots in the muslin cloth and squeeze. The liquid should go back into the pot.¡± Seeing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s actions, Zhang Lan also placed the beetroots on the muslin cloth. After wrapping them all, she squeezed out the liquid from it. ¡°Mother, you have to squeeze it clean. Otherwise, the sugar yield rate will be very low,¡± Zhou Xiaoli added as she squeezed hard. Zhang Lan did not know what the sugar yield rate was, but she still listened to Zhou Xiaoli and squeezed the beetroots harder. After a while, Zhou Xiaoli felt that her hands were sore. She could not help but sigh. It was really tiring to make sugar purely by hand. ¡°Li¡¯er, I¡¯m done squeezing. What¡¯s next? Where should I put the remaining dregs?¡± Zhang Lan asked after squeezing. ¡°Just get rid of the dregs.¡± ¡°Huh? Throw it away?¡± Zhang Lan was a little surprised. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to make sugar? How can you make sugar if you throw it away?¡± Zhou Xiaoli laughed. ¡°Mother, the sugar isn¡¯t in the dregs. We had just squeezed out all the sugar. It¡¯s all in the liquid.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Zhang Lan was even more confused. She looked at the pot of water in disbelief. ¡°There¡¯s sugar in this water?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu was also curious. ¡°Sis, is there really sugar in the water? Is it sweet?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Of course. After we make it, Third Sister will have an endless supply of sweets.¡± The little fellow¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. She clapped her hands excitedly. ¡°Yay, yay, endless sweets!¡± As expected, children liked sweets. When they heard that there will be endless sweets, they were so happy that they almost jumped up. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh. ¡°Then you have to work harder to light the fire. When the water is dry, the pot will be filled with sugar.¡± ¡°Sis, don¡¯t worry, I know how to keep the fire going.¡± With that, she jogged back to the stove and stared at the fire seriously. She did not even move. Looking at the pot of water, Zhang Lan was a little uncertain. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she did not say anything. She listened to Zhou Xiaoli and began to stir with the spoon. However, as time passed, she realized that as she stirred, the water turned into a thick liquid! After a while, the liquid in the pot became thicker and the color gradually deepened! ¡°Li¡¯er! Look, is this sugar?¡± Zhang Lan called out to Zhou Xiaoli in surprise. Zhou Xiaoli walked over to take a look and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. When the syrup water turns into a mucus-like dark brown color, the syrup will be boiled. After the syrup is cooled, it will form a solid sugar block.¡± Seeing that sugar was forming, Zhang Lan instantly regained her strength. Her hands no longer felt sore. By the time Zhou Yu and Zhou Junjun returned with firewood, the syrup had already been placed in the courtyard to solidify. Zhou Xiaoyu had been staring at the sugar that was on the table. When she saw Zhou Junjun return, she immediately rushed over excitedly and bragged, ¡°Brother, Brother, Sis has made sugar. It¡¯s so sweet!¡± ¡°Wow, really!¡± The two little fellows held hands and ran to stare at the sugar. When Zhou Yu heard this news, his pupils dilated. He placed the firewood on the ground and rushed over. ¡°It¡¯s real.¡± Zhang Lan nodded excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s done! Come and take a look.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled. They had produced about half a kilogram of sugar. ¡°Hubby, look, look. We used just four beetroots to make almost half a kilogram of sugar!¡± Zhang Lan was very excited. ¡°Then we¡¯ll make a killing with so many beetroots! Haha, if Old Madam Lu finds out, she¡¯ll definitely be furious!¡± If the other party knew that their family used one copper coin for one and half kilograms of beetroots and sold them for 50 copper coins, Old Madam Lu would definitely be so jealous that smoke would rise from her head. Zhang Lan instantly felt better. The old woman from the Lu family had disgusted her today. At this moment, the two little fellows could not help themselves but to grab the still soft sugar and eat it. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really candy. It¡¯s so sweet.¡± Zhou Junjun curled his fingers and was extremely happy. Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but rub their heads. ¡°You would have to brush your teeth properly tonight after eating sugar.¡± Then, she said to Zhou Yu, ¡°But, Father, Mother, there are so many beetroots. If it¡¯s just the three of us, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll be exhausted even before we finish the pile.¡± ¡°Besides, we¡¯re building a house tomorrow. We would be quite busy at home.¡± Zhang Lan nodded. ¡°It¡¯s quite tiring. I¡¯m afraid my hand will break if I cut that many beetroots, not to mention that I have to stir it continuously thereafter.¡± Then, she changed the topic. ¡°However, as long as I can earn money, it¡¯s worth it no matter how tired I am!¡± Chapter 63 - 63 If You Dont Lead a Team, You Would Work Yourself to Death 63 If You Don¡¯t Lead a Team, You Would Work Yourself to Death Zhou Yu also nodded. ¡°Your mother is right. How can work not be tiring? Besides, we can earn a lot of money here.¡± Then, he said to Zhang Lan, ¡°But our daughter is still young. We can¡¯t tire her out. We have to do more.¡± Zhang Lan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s for sure. Previously, both of us were sick, and it was hard on our daughter. As the eldest sister, she supported the entire family. Now that both of us have recovered, I have to pamper her. How can I bear to let her work?¡± Zhou Xiaoli covered her face. It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t want to work. ¡°No, Father, Mother, listen to me. It¡¯s not just a matter of exhaustion.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve just discovered how to make sugar with beetroots. When we earn money, I¡¯m afraid it will make people jealous. At that time, we¡¯ll be alone and helpless. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll force us to hand over the method to make sugar.¡± Both of them were stunned when they heard that. ¡°You don¡¯t say. Our daughter is still the smartest. I forgot about these powerful connections.¡± Zhou Yu¡¯s face was filled with pride, but his words were filled with self-blame. Then, he asked, ¡°So, Missy, what do you think?¡± Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips. ¡°There was once a famous person who said, ¡®If you don¡¯t lead a team, you would work yourself to death.''¡± Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan looked at each other in confusion. ¡°What famous person said that?¡± ¡°My little lamb.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The two of them were even more confused. ¡°Little lamb? Can sheep talk?¡± Zhou Xiaoli laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not important, it¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is this sentence, ¡®Leading a team¡¯. We have to learn how to lead a team.¡± Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan remained silent as they listened to Zhou Xiaoli continue. ¡°Father, who is your best friend in our village?¡± Zhou Xiaoli emphasized, ¡°One who is especially good to you, one who is trustworthy.¡± Zhou Yu said without hesitation, ¡°Brother Liu must be one.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. She could tell that the two of them had gone through life and death together. Moreover, after interacting with him, she found that Liu Liangcai had a good character. ¡°Anyone else?¡± Zhou Yu thought for a moment. ¡°Also, the village chief has always taken good care of us.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. The village chief was an impartial person. It would be great if he could join them. No one in the village would dare to have any ill intentions on them. Hence, she said, ¡°Then Father, please invite Uncle Liu and the village chief to our house tomorrow night.¡± After a simple discussion, they made one and a half kilograms of sugar overnight. Early next morning, Zhou Xiaoli and Zhang Lan brought the sugar to sell in the county city. Unexpectedly, just as they were going to the sugar shop to sell sugar, they met the village chief¡¯s wife and Old Madam Ma. Hence, they found out that the Zhou family was selling sugar. They also found out that the Zhou family had made the sugar from beetroots. ¡°Sigh, as you know, the Lu family scammed us into buying the vegetables. I thought of making them into food to sell, but I didn¡¯t expect to be able to make sugar. I¡¯m lucky.¡± Zhang Lan explained casually to the village chief¡¯s wife. This was what Zhou Xiaoli had told her family. When someone asked, this would be the reason why they had sugar to sell. The village chief¡¯s wife and daughter-in-law did not know what sugar was, but they were sincerely happy for the Zhou family. ¡°Good people would be rewarded. If you can make it into sugar and sell it, you won¡¯t have to waste it.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The few of them chatted for a while more. Because the village chief¡¯s wife and Old Madam Ma were on their way to buy cotton, the two of them bade farewell and left. At this moment, the shopkeeper of the sugar shop walked out. ¡°Are you looking for me? What can I do for you?¡± The shopkeeper sized up the two of them, but his eyes were very calm. He did not look down on them because of their clothes. This made Zhou Xiaoli have a better impression of him. He smiled and said, ¡°Shopkeeper, I have a business deal with you. Does your shop accept sugar?¡± The shopkeeper raised his eyebrows. He did not expect them to sell sugar. He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. ¡°Our sugar has a fixed source. We don¡¯t accept odd sales.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was not discouraged. ¡°Shopkeeper, why don¡¯t you take a look at my sugar first?¡± Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, the shopkeeper stroked his beard and laughed. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s nothing more than malt candy. The dried fruits and sweets of my Qing Tao Workshop are imported together. They don¡¯t accept odd sales. Miss, you should go to the market on West Street and set up a stall over there.¡± Zhou Xiaoli also smiled. ¡°Shopkeeper, I¡¯m not selling malt candy. Have you heard of cane sugar?¡± With that, she opened the bag and handed it to the shopkeeper. When he heard about cane sugar, the shopkeeper was shocked. When he saw that there was indeed a large piece of sugar in the bag, his eyes widened. ¡°Where did you get this? You have to know that this sugar was invented by Prime Minister Sun¡¯s granddaughter in the capital. The production is very limited and very expensive. Our Qing Tao Workshop has a branch in the capital, and that was the only way we managed to get a few kilograms of it.¡± At this point, the shopkeeper of the sugar shop realized that he had lost his composure. He quickly adjusted his emotions and invited Zhou Xiaoli and Zhang Lan into the shop. After hearing Zhou Xiaoli say that she made these sugar herself, the shopkeeper¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Miss, I¡¯m willing to pay 100 taels of silver for the recipe in your hand. What do you think?¡± Zhou Xiaoli naturally refused. ¡°Forgive me for not agreeing to that. I can cooperate with you and provide sugar only to your shop. Shopkeeper, would you consider it?¡± ¡°Also, if we develop any new desserts in the future, we will prioritize cooperation with the shopkeeper. How about that?¡± The shopkeeper of the sugar shop was very regretful when he saw that Zhou Xiaoli would not sell the recipe. However, seeing how Zhou Xiaoli had promised to prioritize cooperation with him, he nodded in agreement. Although he did not think that Zhou Xiaoli would have any new desserts thereafter. After all, based on their clothes, it is clear that they came from poor families. It was probably just luck that they could make cane sugar. In the end, the two of them happily signed a cooperation agreement. Only then did Zhou Xiaoli bid farewell and leave. After that, they drove the cart back to the village. The news of how the Zhou family were scammed to buy the beetroots by the Lu family but managed to turn them into treasures and sold them, spread throughout the village. When the news spread, Zhou Xiaoli was not surprised at all. Old Madam Ma was the loudspeaker in the village. Whatever she knew was equivalent to the entire village knowing about it. When they entered the village, many villagers were still discussing it. ¡°I told you the Zhou family was lucky. Look, the beetroots were originally in the hands of the Lu family but it was trash that no one would want even if they were to throw it away. In the hands of the Zhou family¡¯s eldest son, it became a treasure!¡± ¡°Haha, she had wanted to cheat them, but who knew that she had sent them a treasure instead? Sigh, the old woman of the Lu family is probably so angry that her mouth is crooked!¡± ¡­ The old woman of the Lu family had naturally heard the news too. At this moment, she was listening to the discussions and sulked. Zhou Xiaoli didn¡¯t want to care about this, so she drove the cart home. This afternoon, Zhou Yu went to the village chief¡¯s house and the Liu family to invite them. At night. Liu Liangcai was the first to arrive at the Zhou family. As soon as he entered, he saw the dishes on the table and could not help but say, ¡°Brother Zhou, it¡¯s so late at night. Why did you ask Sister-in-law to prepare so many dishes?¡± Zhou Yu smiled and led him into the house. ¡°Have a seat. You¡¯ll know later.¡± After the two of them sat down, the village chief arrived not long after. Chapter 64 - 64 Cooperation 64 Cooperation ¡°Zhou Yu, what is this all about? Why did you ask me to come over so late at night?¡± The village chief walked in with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face. Hearing the village chief¡¯s voice, Zhou Yu and Liu Liangcai stood up. Liu Liangcai also smiled and teased, ¡°That¡¯s right. Village Chief, don¡¯t say that you¡¯re confused. I¡¯m also very confused. Brother Zhou has always been mysterious and didn¡¯t say anything. Look, now that the village chief is here, don¡¯t keep us in suspense.¡± The last sentence was directed at Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu smiled and invited the two of them into the house to sit down. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli and Zhang Lan walked in with two dishes. Zhou Yu smiled and said, ¡°There, don¡¯t be anxious. My daughter is here. My daughter has to tell you about this. She¡¯s smart and can explain it clearly. I¡¯m not as eloquent, haha.¡± In the Zhou family, Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan listen to Zhou Xiaoli. The village chief and Liu Liangcai also knew about this. Therefore, they did not feel like they were being made fun of by asking them to listen to a little girl. Instead, they looked over to Zhou Xiaoli, waiting for her to speak. Zhou Xiaoli did not speak immediately. Instead, she held up the wine pot and poured wine for the three of them. In the end, she poured herself a cup of tea and smiled at the two of them. ¡°In the past, our family was in trouble and our parents were sick. It¡¯s all thanks to your care that we manage to pull through. Allow me to use tea in place of wine and make a toast to both of you.¡± Seeing this, the two of them hurriedly picked up their wine cups and drank it in one gulp along with Zhou Xiaoli. Then, the village chief laughed and said, ¡°Little Li, you¡¯re too polite. This is what we should do.¡± Liu Liangcai also said, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Not to mention that I¡¯m indebted to your father, we are afterall from the same village so we should help each other.¡± However, Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Even though that¡¯s what you said, no matter what, our entire family will remember your kindness to our family.¡± ¡°Ever since I was young, my mother has taught me about gratitude. As such, I will definitely repay those who have shown me kindness. Naturally, if there are people who want to find trouble with me, I won¡¯t be soft-hearted as well.¡± The two of them nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s true. We don¡¯t cause trouble and would repay kindness, but we¡¯re not afraid of trouble and we would take revenge if necessary!¡± Zhou Xiaoli went straight to the point and said with a smile, ¡°Therefore, the two uncles are good brothers with my father. As the saying goes, good brothers naturally share blessings and difficulties together.¡± ¡°Now that my family has discovered a way to make money, we want to cooperate with the two uncles to earn money together.¡± At this moment, both of them looked at Zhou Xiaoli with a serious expression on their faces, waiting for her to continue. ¡°Uncles, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard that we went to the county city to sell sugar today.¡± They both nodded. The village chief said, ¡°When your aunt came back today, she also said that this is a sign that even the heavens were taking pity on your family for the past sufferings. It¡¯s a blessing.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled, turned around, and placed two sugar cubes in front of the two of them. She continued, ¡°Uncles, I¡¯m selling this kind of sugar, not the malt sugar we usually eat.¡± ¡°This is called cane sugar. The capital had just started selling this thing, but the production is limited. It¡¯s very expensive.¡± When they heard that this was something that only existed in the capital, their hands trembled as they picked up the cane sugar. ¡°This¡­ Isn¡¯t this very expensive?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Yes, cane sugar is sweeter than malt sugar, so the price is slightly higher. I¡¯ve reached an agreement with the shopkeeper of the county¡¯s sugar shop. They will buy it from us at 60 copper coins per half kilogram.¡± The two of them widened their eyes. ¡°If the purchase price is so high, wouldn¡¯t it be even more expensive to sell it?!¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. In the current market, sugar is being sold at 10 copper coins per 30 grams.¡± Hearing that it was so expensive, the two of them could not help but swallow their saliva. Then, he asked, ¡°So, lass, are you saying that you want to work with us to sell sugar?¡± The two of them spoke with trembling voices. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and nodded affirmatively. ¡°That¡¯s right. After discussing with my parents, I invited the two of you here. I want to work with you to make and sell sugar. What do you think?¡± This was a big deal. They would definitely earn a lot of money if they were to join in. Both of them knew what was going on, so they were naturally happy to join. However, at the same time, they were touched that Zhou Xiaoli was willing to let them in on such a good business opportunity. They were a little confused and at the same time, felt like they were dreaming. The village chief was a little uncertain. ¡°Well, Little Li, we don¡¯t know anything. Aren¡¯t we taking advantage of you in this case.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh, ¡°Uncle Village Chief, what you said is wrong. It would be the greatest help to us if you could join us.¡± ¡°Making sugar is not an easy task. My parents and I can¡¯t manage it all. If we hire workers to make the sugar, trust is an issue.¡± ¡°As for Uncle Village Chief and Uncle Liu, you are people that our entire family trusts. We are all very willing to have you join us.¡± Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, the two of them couldn¡¯t help but look at each other with obvious excitement on their faces. They clapped and said in unison, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll listen to you. We¡¯re willing to join!¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and took out a ledger. She then explained the details. ¡°Uncles, I¡¯ll split it into shares for you to invest.¡± ¡°Invest?¡± The two of them were dumbfounded again. Zhou Xiaoli did not explain. Instead, she continued, ¡°Hm, this batch of beetroots was paid for by my family. It¡¯s a total of 308 copper coins. Uncles, give me 102 copper coins each as your capital.¡± ¡°Moving forward, the three families will pay for the beetroots together. We¡¯ll split the profits 40%, 30% and 30%.¡± ¡°Because the recipe and sales channel were provided by my family, my family takes 40% and the two uncles would take 30% respectively. What do you think?¡± ¡°30%?¡± Their eyes widened upon hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words. Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°Mm, do you think it¡¯s too little?¡± The two of them quickly waved their hands. Liu Liangcai said with trembling hands, ¡°No, no, it is because that¡¯s too much.¡± The village chief also said, ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s no need for 30%. Just give us 20%.¡± Liu Liangcai nodded repeatedly in agreement. Zhou Xiaoli had her own plans for this distribution. When their orchard was completed, they would shift their focus to the orchard. As for the sugar business, it would probably be handed over to the two families. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoli gave them 30% of the profits. Hence, she smiled and said, ¡°Uncles, listen to me. My family is small in size and my brother is still young. In the future, I still have to rely a lot on you. 30% is not much.¡± After being persuaded by Zhou Xiaoli, the two of them could not persuade Zhou Xiaoli to give up, so they nodded in agreement. However, they secretly made up their minds that they had to do more work to deserve the 30%! Zhou Xiaoli did not know what the two of them were thinking. She took out the contract that she had prepared earlier and placed it on the table. The same document in three copies. ¡°Uncles, please don¡¯t take it to heart. As the saying goes, even blood brothers should settle their accounts clearly. In order for our three families to cooperate for a long time, we have to sign a contract.¡± ¡°The contract includes the distribution of the shares of the three families, the confidentiality obligations of each family, and the compensation for breach of contract.¡± Chapter 65 - 65 Lets Get to Work! 65 Let¡¯s Get to Work! Seeing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s formality, the two of them were stunned. However, they did not think that the contract was a sign that Zhou Xiaoli did not trust them. Instead, they felt that Zhou Xiaoli was very thoughtful. The village chief could not help but laugh and lament, ¡°You don¡¯t say, Little Li is really smart. This contract should be signed! I¡¯ve seen some big businessmen in the city discussing business, and they all do this.¡± Liu Liangcai also nodded. ¡°Little Li is so thoughtful at such a young age. She¡¯s really extraordinary. If I had such a smart daughter, that would be my biggest blessing.¡± Hearing the two of them praise their daughter, Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan felt honored. They were extremely proud in their hearts, but on the surface, they were very humble as they spoke. The village chief and Liu Liangcai hit it off immediately. ¡°Then let¡¯s sign it quickly.¡± As the two of them spoke, they were about to press their fingerprints. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°Uncles, there¡¯s no need to rush.¡± Then, she looked at Zheng Heping and said, ¡°Uncle Village Chief, you are an educated man. Please read the contract to everyone. If both of you do not think that there is any problem, we can go ahead to sign the contract then.¡± As she spoke, she handed the contract to Zheng Heping. The village chief laughed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll recite it!¡± With that, he took the contract and stood up. He coughed and read it aloud. The contract was drafted by Zhou Xiaoli, and it was written in simple words so everyone could understand it. After reading the contract, no one had any objections. The three men pressed their thumbprints on the contracts and each of them took a copy. The collaboration was finalized. ¡°Come, come, come. We¡¯ve been talking for so long. Hurry up and eat.¡± ¡°Hahaha, Sister-in-law¡¯s cooking is really good.¡± ¡°Come, come, let¡¯s celebrate the success of our collaboration.¡± ¡­ The room was filled with laughter. Because they still had to work the next day, the three of them did not drink till the wee hours. After expressing their friendship, they stood up and bade farewell. After sending the two of them off, the family washed up and went to bed early. However, the Liu family and the Zheng family were destined to have a sleepless night. In the Liu family, Lin Xiujuan sat on the bed with the contract in her hand. She looked at it happily. Liu Liangcai wiped his feet and looked at his wife. He teased, ¡°You¡¯ve been staring at it for the past 15 minutes. You can¡¯t read, so what can you tell from it?¡± Lin Xiujuan was in a good mood and didn¡¯t mind her husband¡¯s words at all. ¡°I¡¯m happy even if I can¡¯t read! Sigh, look, I told you that the eldest daughter of the Zhou family is protected by an immortal. It¡¯s true!¡± Liu Liangcai smiled. He thought of something and reminded her. ¡°We¡¯ve signed a confidentiality agreement. You have to keep your mouth shut and not show off to others.¡± Lin Xiujuan nodded. ¡°Aiya, I know. I¡¯m not stupid. Even if I don¡¯t sign the contract, we have to keep it a secret. If the recipe is leaked, we won¡¯t be able to earn money!¡± Liu Liangcai smiled. ¡°You¡¯re smart this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always smart.¡± As she spoke, Lin Xiujuan carefully folded the contract and locked it in the box with the family assets. She then hid it in the crack under the bedside table. Only then did she feel relieved. She hurriedly climbed into bed and urged, ¡°Hubby, hurry up and sleep. We still have to work at the Zhou family tomorrow.¡± At the same time. The situation at the village chief¡¯s house was similar. ¡°Little Li gave us 30% of the profits, which means for every half kilogram of sugar, we would get 18 copper coins. After deducting the cost of less than one copper coin, we are looking at a very big profit.¡± The village chief tapped his pipe and spoke unhurriedly. His sons and daughters-in-law listened attentively. They didn¡¯t know what 30% profit was, but after the village chief explained it in monetary terms, they widened their eyes in excitement. The village chief took a puff of his cigarette and continued, ¡°I often tell you that the most important thing in life is to be loyal! If others are kind, we can¡¯t be heartless. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Everyone in the house nodded. As the eldest in the family, Zheng Yonggui was the first to stand up. ¡°Yes, Father is right. From now on, Zhou Yu and us are one family!¡± The second, third, and fourth brothers of the Zheng family nodded along with their eldest brother. ¡°We will definitely work hard.¡± The village chief was extremely satisfied and continued to instruct, ¡°Alright, tomorrow, Eldest Brother, Eldest Daughter-in-law, you two will go to the Zhou family to help first.¡± ¡°Alright, everyone knows the situation. That¡¯s all. Hurry up and go to sleep.¡± ¡­ However, the Zhou family did not know the current situation of the two families. They had long fallen asleep. The night passed in silence. The next day, early in the morning, the Zhou family had just finished eating when Liu Liangcai, Lin Xiujuan, and his son, Liu Fengfeng, came with pots and basins. As soon as she entered the courtyard, Lin Xiujuan was raring to start. ¡°Sister, if you need me to do anything, just tell me.¡± As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves. Lin Xiujuan loved money, was stingy, and had a sharp tongue. However, she doesn¡¯t cheat nor slack off. Moreover, she was a straight person. She would be straightforward with her likes and dislikes and would not play dirty. More importantly, the fact that she loved money made her very easy to control. This was also one of the reasons why Zhou Xiaoli would not refuse to cooperate with the Liu family over Lin Xiujuan. Zhang Lan was boiling green bean tea then. When she heard this, she poked her head out of the kitchen and shouted, ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. My family is going to start building the house today. My husband just brought Li¡¯er to the homestead and will be back soon. We¡¯ll wait for them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make a pot of green bean tea first and send some to the construction workers. We¡¯ll leave some for ourselves. It¡¯ll be easier to relieve the heat when we¡¯re tired from work.¡± However, Lin Xiujuan did not want to be idle. ¡°What are you waiting for? If Brother Zhou doesn¡¯t come back, we can work by ourselves.¡± As she spoke, her gaze landed on the beetroots. ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anymore. We definitely have to wash the vegetables!¡± ¡°You make the tea and I¡¯ll wash the vegetables. Fengfeng, help Mother put the beetroots in the basin!¡± Then, she said to Liu Liangcai, ¡°Hubby, stop standing there. Hurry up and fetch water.¡± As she spoke, Lin Xiujuan started working. Liu Liangcai responded, picked up the shoulder pole, and walked out of the door. At this moment, the village chief¡¯s wife, Liu Yan, came with her son and wife. As soon as she entered, she saw that Lin Xiujuan had already started working. Liu Yan was embarrassed immediately. ¡°Aiya, why did they start working before we came? Yun Yun, quick, bring our basins down from the cart.¡± ¡°Yonggui, hurry up and fetch water.¡± Liu Yan instructed her son and daughter-in-law to work. She had already rolled up her sleeves and brought the pot into the courtyard from her cart. She said to Zhang Lan, ¡°I heard from my husband that you were afraid that your family didn¡¯t have enough pots, so I brought a big one. This is my family¡¯s biggest pot.¡± Zhang Lan had a constant smile on her face. She looked at the pot and was overjoyed. ¡°Aiya, this is good. I was just thinking that my pot would not be big enough.¡± ¡°However, there are now many pots, but there aren¡¯t that many stoves.¡± On the other side, Lin Xiujuan said loudly, ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not a big issue! My husband is skilled at building stoves! When he comes back after getting water, let him build one in the courtyard. It¡¯ll be very fast.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good! Let my Yonggui help too,¡± Liu Yan said with a smile. Chapter 66 - 66 The Retribution of the Wang and Sun Families 66 The Retribution of the Wang and Sun Families Everyone was busy talking with smiles on their faces. At the same time, things were also progressing smoothly on Zhou Yu¡¯s and Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s end. Foreman Cao brought two construction workers with him so that Wei Chiyu¡¯s house could be built at the same time as theirs. At this moment, Wei Chiyu and Zhou Yu were talking to Foreman Cao. Zhou Xiaoli circled around the homestead. The builders had already started work and were now clearing the foundation. Foreman Cao¡¯s reputation preceded him. Zhou Xiaoli was rest assured with him watching over the construction. However, some pleasantries still had to be said. After walking around, Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°Foreman Cao, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to help me take care of things in the future. You know the situation for me and the Wei family. It¡¯s not convenient for us to cook for everyone.¡± ¡°However, my mother made a big pot of green bean tea at home. When it is chilled, she will bring it over for everyone to drink later.¡± After a few interactions, Foreman Cao had a very good impression of Zhou Xiaoli. This girl was smart and had a pleasant voice. She was very likable. Now that he heard Zhou Xiaoli that they have prepared green bean tea for them, his liking for the Zhou family went a notch higher. He immediately smiled and promised, ¡°With me around, you can be free to do whatever you need to do. I¡¯ll definitely do my best to build your house, beautiful and sturdy.¡± With that, he shouted at the construction workers, ¡°Did you hear that? The Zhou family¡¯s young lady said that there will be green bean tea later. You have to work hard.¡± When the workers heard this, they beamed with joy. Normally, when a family wants to build a house, the nice families would cook some water for them to drink. If it happened that the owners were nasty, they would not even have water to drink. This time, the Zhou family actually made green bean tea for them. How generous of them. Immediately, a few lead workers smiled and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young lady of the Zhou family. We brothers will guarantee that we will do the job beautifully.¡± Everyone was in high spirits. At this moment, the village chief happened to return to the village from outside. When he saw them building a house, he smiled and greeted them. After that, he led a crippled old man into the village. After the village chief left, Zhou Xiaoli frowned slightly. The way the old man looked at her just now made her feel strange. However, she could not put her finger on it. Since she could not figure it out, Zhou Xiaoli did not think too much about it. She turned to Foreman Cao and said, ¡°Foreman Cao, I¡¯ll leave this place to you.¡± Foreman Cao immediately nodded. ¡°You guys go ahead. Leave this to me.¡± ¡°Besides, there¡¯s still Brother Wei here. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Wei Chiyu looked at Zhou Xiaoli, pursed his lips, and asked, ¡°I have nothing to do recently. Do you need me to do anything?¡± Zhou Xiaoli thought for a moment. ¡°Oh, there is one.¡± As she spoke, she looked around and finally pointed to a tree beside the homestead. ¡°Dig a pit here later and make a simple stove. When the time comes, boil water for everyone to drink. It¡¯ll save you the trouble of carrying it around.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± After giving them instructions, Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu were afraid that the village chief and the Liu family would be anxious, so they hurried home. When they reached home, they realized that everyone was already busy. Some were washing the vegetables while others were cutting vegetables, building the stove or chopping firewood. Everyone was busy. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was about to help, the village chief¡¯s wife and Lin Xiujuan hurriedly chased her away. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere. There are so many of us. We don¡¯t need you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. You¡¯re the brain of our operation. Don¡¯t tire yourself out. Hurry up and rest. Just watch us do it.¡± ¡­ As a result, Zhou Xiaoli successfully became an idler. Other than Zhou Xiaoyu, who was too young to help, everyone else in the courtyard was very busy. Even Zhou Junjun and Liu Fengfeng were ordered to return to the village chief¡¯s house to get the shredder. ¡°Aiya, since we need to cut the beetroot into thin slices, the shredder is the best equipment to use!¡± Lin Xiujuan, who was the first to use the shredder, couldn¡¯t help but sigh in contentment. The village chief¡¯s wife was holding a kitchen knife to slice the beetroot then. She couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Of course. Later, when the two boys bring my family¡¯s shredder, I¡¯ll be liberated.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, the door was pushed open forcefully. Liu Fengfeng and Zhou Junjun ran back. ¡°We¡¯re back! We¡¯re back!¡± When the two brats were together, they were very crazy. The two of them chased each other into the courtyard. Lin Xiujuan immediately put down her work and hurriedly ran to the door to close it. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you close the door?¡± As she spoke, she even locked the door, relieved that she had closed the door quickly. ¡°We¡¯re all busy in this courtyard so we have to close this door properly. Don¡¯t let those despicable people who like to sneak and peek have the chance to steal it.¡± Liu Yan and Zhang Lan nodded repeatedly. ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s right. We have to be careful.¡± As she spoke, she instructed the three children, ¡°In the future, when you go in and out of the house, you have to close the door, understand?¡± ¡°We got it!¡± The children responded in unison. At this moment, Liu Fengfeng said, ¡°Mother, we just met Sun Er on the street!¡± ¡°What!¡± Lin Xiujuan was immediately furious. ¡°You met Sun Er? Why was this scourge let out of jail?!¡± She was still brooding over the time when Sun Er stole from her family. Liu Fengfeng shook his head. ¡°No, Mother. I heard from the people on the street that they weren¡¯t locked up in jail.¡± ¡°What is it? He escaped. I think that¡¯s what he said, right, Zhou Junjun?¡± Zhou Junjun nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes. That¡¯s what they said. They also said that he had gambled and was beaten up. It¡¯s terrible.¡± The two children probably didn¡¯t hear it clearly. They half-heartedly repeated what they had heard, so everyone was confused. Coincidentally, Zhou Xiaoli also wanted to know what Wei Chiyu had done to the two of them. She immediately said, ¡°The two children are still young, so they can¡¯t explain it clearly. I¡¯ll go out and take a look.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Little Li, go out and take a look. We can¡¯t let these two troublemakers go just like that!¡± Lin Xiujuan was the first to agree when she heard that Zhou Xiaoli was going out to get information. Zhou Xiaoli nodded and left. After a while, Zhou Xiaoli returned under everyone¡¯s anticipation. After locking the door, she said unhurriedly, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Wang Gou and Sun Er did escape on the way to the magistrate office.¡± ¡°However, they owed the casino a lot of money previously. As soon as they escaped, they met the casino¡¯s debt collectors and were arrested.¡± ¡°The people in the casino are ruthless people. If one doesn¡¯t return their money, they may even beat the person to death. Both of them had their fingers chopped off. They were also tortured and became mentally unstable.¡± ¡°Since they have gone crazy, the casino sent them back home. At the same time, they demanded that their families return the money. It¡¯s more than 100 taels.¡± ¡°The people from the gambling den brought thugs and emptied their houses. They even threatened to leave Wenshui County. Otherwise, they would beat them up every time they saw them.¡± ¡°At this moment, the Sun family is being forced by the thugs in the gambling den to leave the village with their silly son.¡± Chapter 67 - 67 What Kind Of An Elder Are You? 67 What Kind Of An Elder Are You? Zhou Xiaoli explained everything in one breath. Hearing this, everyone felt relieved and sighed. ¡°This family has nothing left. If they¡¯re chased out of Wenshui County, they¡¯ll probably die outside.¡± ¡°They deserved it and they did it to themselves. If they didn¡¯t discipline their son well, I knew they would suffer retribution sooner or later. Look, retribution is here.¡± Lin Xiujuan vented her anger. After this incident, the Wang and Sun families could no longer cause trouble. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but praise Wei Chiyu in her heart. His friends in the underworld were really good at dealing with such scoundrels. They had good reasons and completely resolved these two troubles. While Zhou Xiaoli was pondering, the first pot of syrup was ready. They made a pot of syrup with about five kilograms of beets. In addition to the time taken to wash and shred the vegetables, it would take an hour to boil a pot of syrup. At this moment, Liu Liangcai¡¯s earthen stove was also ready. It was made of yellow mud and stone. Just one final step of burning it to seal it and it would be ready for use. The efficiency was greatly increased when two pots were cooked at the same time. Washing, shredding and making of sugar were done by the women. The children were in charge of managing the fire. The three men were in charge of fetching water and chopping the firewood. When the women were tired of stirring sugar, they would also help them for a while. In one morning, they had churned out more than five kilograms of sugar. Their faces were filled with joy as they looked at the sugar. ¡°Come, everyone, take a break first.¡± Zhang Lan came out of the kitchen with a smile and called everyone to rest. ¡°We had all been busy the entire morning. Come and have some green bean tea. I¡¯ve added the sugar we just made. It¡¯s delicious.¡± With that, everyone stopped. As Zhang Lan scooped out the green bean tea into smaller bowls, Zhou Junjun and Zhou Xiaoyu immediately ran over to take the bowls and bring it to the uncles and aunties. Liu Fengfeng was originally looking at the green bean tea with hunger but when he saw Zhou Junjun and Zhou Xiaoyu serving tea to their elders, he immediately imitated them. Liu Liangcai was very satisfied with his behavior. Everyone had a bowl of green bean tea. Instead of sitting at the dining table, they squatted under the shade of the tree in the courtyard and drank it. The green bean tea had already turned cold. Every green bean was cooked till it was mushy, the best way of having green bean tea. It was filling and sweet, making everyone feel extremely satisfied. ¡°I wonder if it was because we made the sugar ourselves that the tea felt sweet. Why is it so sweet? The sweetness makes me so happy.¡± Liu Yan held the bowl and could not bear to drink it in big mouthfuls. She only took small sips, wanting to taste the sweetness a while longer. ¡°That¡¯s right. The sweetness goes right to the heart.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°Cane sugar is sweeter than malt sugar.¡± Liu Yan¡¯s daughter-in-law, Wang Yuncai, smiled shyly and said, ¡°I still think it¡¯s sweeter since we made it ourselves.¡± Everyone laughed and the atmosphere was very relaxed. However, at this moment, a violent knocking sound suddenly came from the door, breaking the peace. Zhang Lan stood up and did not open the door immediately. Instead, she asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± There was another series of bangs in response. It was as if the person was trying to smash open the door. Then, Lai Jinniang¡¯s voice came from the door. ¡°Zhang, open the door!¡± Hearing this familiar voice, Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu¡¯s expressions changed at the same time. Zhou Xiaoli also frowned. What was Lai Jinniang doing here? Could it be that she wanted to snatch the sugar recipe? Thinking of this, she quickly said, ¡°Bring the sugar into the house first.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Xiujuan, Liu Yan, and the others had already moved the pot to the kitchen. In case Lai Jinniang rushed into the kitchen to peek, Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yan even locked the door from the inside. As they did not open the door for a long time, the knocking on the door became more and more urgent, accompanied by Lai Jinniang¡¯s cries and the sounds of people discussing outside. ¡°Okay, you can open the door now.¡± Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yan whispered after the kitchen door was locked. Zhou Xiaoli stopped Zhang Lan from opening the door. ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll go.¡± With that, she walked towards the door. The door opened, and the scene in front of her made Zhou Xiaoli raise her eyebrows. Lai Jinniang and Zhou Guihua¡¯s faces were pale. They were hugging each other and were in tears. Many villagers came to watch the show and asked with curiosity what was wrong. Seeing that the door had opened, Lai Jinniang and her daughter cried even harder. ¡°Boohoo, I really have no choice.¡± ¡°Mother, wuwuwu, what should we do? What if Eldest Brother is unwilling to give it to us? What should Father do?¡± ¡°Guihua, your brother isn¡¯t a heartless person. Now that your father is sick in bed and urgently needs to include pearl as part of his medicine, your brother won¡¯t leave him in the lurch for sure.¡± ¡­ From their crying conversation, the people around them finally knew what was going on. It turned out that Old Zhou had fallen ill and needed pearls as part of his medicine. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°Sigh, no, if they need pearls as part of the medicine, why are you looking for Zhou Yu?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Sister-in-law Lai, hurry up and get your son to bring your old man to the county city. What are you crying for?¡± Everyone raised their doubts. Lai Jinniang instantly cried that she was poor. Her son¡¯s medicine shop was in trouble, and her family had no money. As they spoke, they brought up Zhou Yu and his family. ¡°The heavens don¡¯t let down those who are determined. Yesterday, I heard that my eldest son had found a few pearls from sea clams. My old man is finally saved. Boohoo.¡± After hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli suddenly realized that it was because of the pearls in her hand! However, how did they know about it? Could it be that someone saw her when she was selling sugar in the county city last time? The last time she went to the county to sell sugar, she had gone to a jewelry shop with Zhang Lan to sell the pearls, but the jewelry shop didn¡¯t accept them. Hence she took them back. When the surrounding onlookers heard that the Zhou family found pearls in sea clams, they all had a shocked or envious expression on them. On the other hand, Zhou Xiaoli quietly watched the two of them cry. She remained expressionless and did not respond to them at all. Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu also kept a straight face and did not say anything. Seeing that Zhou Yu and the others did not respond, Lai Jinniang gritted her teeth and cried as she walked towards Zhou Yu. She cried, ¡°My eldest son, your father is sick. Can you bear to leave him in the lurch?¡± Zhou Yu pursed his lips and gritted his teeth. The muscles on his face were tense as he looked at Lai Jinniang with a complicated expression. His feelings for Lai Jinniang and Zhou Dashan were very complicated. They had indeed saved his life, adopted him, and raised him up. He was indeed indebted to them. However, they did not care for him and could even be said to be mean to him. Regarding this, he always felt puzzled. Since she hated him so much, why did she pick him up from the side of the road and raise him? At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s mocking voice suddenly rang out, ¡°Madam Lai, have you forgotten that our two families have already severed ties? You were the one who suggested it.¡± ¡°The village chief and the villagers are witnesses to it. Are you going back on your word?¡± As soon as these words were spoken, many villagers who had witnessed the severance of ties began to discuss. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. I remember now. The mayor was there too. If that¡¯s the case, Madam Lai, you¡¯re not being honest.¡± ¡­ Madam Lai¡¯s expression immediately turned ugly, and she said fiercely to Zhou Xiaoli, ¡°You uncultured thing! Who are you to interrupt the elders when they are talking?¡± As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Yu¡¯s expression immediately changed. He reached out and pulled Zhou Xiaoli behind him. With a dark expression, he said, ¡°In my family, my girl can speak whatever and whenever she wants. Besides, what kind of an elder are you?!¡± Chapter 68 - 68 Bring Misfortune to Madam Lai 68 Bring Misfortune to Madam Lai Zhou Yu was muscular and at this moment, because of his anger, the muscles on his arms bulged even more. Lai Jinniang was frightened by it and couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back. Then she sat on the ground and began to cry. ¡°You unfilial thing! Your father and I raised you for so many years for nothing. Now your father is lying unconscious in bed and you just want to leave him in the lurch. You ingrate!¡± ¡°If the old man goes, I won¡¯t be able to live either. Let me go with the old man. When we see the King of Hell, we¡¯ll sue you for being heartless!¡± Lai Jinniang cried and wiped her tears, looking very sad. Some of the onlookers started to persuade him. ¡°Zhou Yu, even if your family is no longer related to them, the Old Zhou family has raised you up after all. Now that Old Zhou is sick in bed, you shouldn¡¯t leave him in the lurch. That would be heartless of you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. After all, they had raised you up. You have to be grateful to them for raising you up.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we do this? Zhou Yu, take out the pearls and use them to treat Old Zhou¡¯s illness. It can be considered as repaying the Old Zhou family for raising you for more than 20 years! Today, everyone here will be your witness. Your kindness will be repaid!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. We¡¯re all your witnesses. Just give it to them.¡± ¡­ The people around them were all talking at once. Most of them were persuading Zhou Yu to take out the pearls to save a life. This was pure moral kidnapping. At this moment, even if Zhou Yu said that the pearls had been sold, they would persist to use the moral kidnapping tactic on them and ask Zhou Yu to take out the money from the sale of the pearls to treat Old Zhou. Zhou Xiaoli narrowed her eyes and couldn¡¯t help but think of the compass she had just made. It was time to settle the score with Lai Jinniang¡¯s family. Hence, she walked out from behind Zhou Yu and sighed. ¡°Madam Lai, it¡¯s not that my father doesn¡¯t want to give you the pearls. Everyone in the village knows that my father values relationships the most.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you had picked up my father from the roadside back then that he had worked hard in the Zhou family for the last few decades. No matter how much you pick on him, he has always worked hard to support the family.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t give you the pearls because he was afraid that it would harm you instead!¡± Hearing this, Lai Jinniang snorted and opened her mouth to scold Zhou Xiaoli, but she glanced at Zhou Yu. In the end, she changed her words abruptly. ¡°Why do you say that? We would be able to save him with the pearls. Why would it harm us instead?¡± ¡°Sigh!¡± Zhou Xiaoli sighed and had a helpless expression on her face. ¡°Actually, the origin of these pearls is not ordinary. Everyone knows that when I was born, there were auspicious clouds in the sky. It was considered a good omen.¡± ¡°But for the past 10 years, there has been a lot of trouble in the family. Just a few days ago, when Father and I were fishing at sea, we dreamed of the Dragon King. He said that I was framed by a villain.¡± ¡°As long as we follow his instructions and find a clam spirit on the beach, we can open it and place the pearls inside at home to worship it. Then, we can protect our family.¡± ¡°However, the clam spirit is extremely powerful. Ordinary people can¡¯t subdue it. If other families take it, it will create a backlash and they will suffer from bad luck!¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words were a mixture of truth and falsehood. Everyone looked at each other in dismay. Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan were also stunned. They didn¡¯t know what Zhou Xiaoli was planning, but they knew they had to cooperate. He immediately nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true. Li¡¯er told us when she came back. After she came back, we accompanied her to look for it. As expected, we found the sea clam!¡± However, Lai Jinniang obviously didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°Oh Heavens! Old man, why is your life so hard? Now that you¡¯re bedridden, he¡¯s still making up such a ridiculous lie!¡± Zhou Xiaoli knew that she would not believe her, so she pretended to be anxious and said, ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? It¡¯s true. I¡¯m really not lying to you. If you take the pearls back, you will be doomed!¡± Hearing this, Lai Jinniang and Zhou Guihua cried even louder. Zhou Xiaoli also pretended to be angry. ¡°Alright! Since you don¡¯t believe me, take it. Don¡¯t cry and beg us to take it back when you¡¯re unlucky!¡± After saying that, she entered the room angrily. After a while, she came out with a pearl. ¡°Here, take it! If you¡¯re not afraid, take it!¡± Lai Jinniang hesitated. At this moment, Zhou Guihua whispered from her side, ¡°Mother, she must be lying to us. Dragon King, clam spirit, none of the novel writers would even dream of writing such a thing!¡± Lai Jinniang felt that what her daughter said made sense. She immediately went up and snatched the pearl away. Zhou Xiaoli did not dodge and let Lai Jinniang take it. She said expressionlessly, ¡°Since you don¡¯t listen to my advice, don¡¯t come and beg us if you¡¯re unlucky! The pearl is very powerful. If you sell it, you¡¯ll only be even more unlucky!¡± When Lai Jinniang and Zhou Guihua had the pearl in their hands, they were overjoyed. They thought to themselves that only a fool would give it back. ¡°Aiya, the old man is finally saved. Boohoo.¡± The two of them hugged each other and expressed their gratitude. Then, they hurriedly ran home with the excuse that they had to save the old man. The surrounding villagers were all curious and asked Zhou Xiaoli if what she said was true. After getting Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s affirmation, many people still didn¡¯t believe it. They thought that this was Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s excuse, but she didn¡¯t manage to fool Lai Jinniang. She was just sticking with her story now. Some were skeptical and said that they would wait and see if Lai Jinniang and the others would turn unlucky. The onlookers then dispersed one after another. Zhou Xiaoli and the others also returned home and closed the door. Because the Liu family and the village chief¡¯s family were still around, Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan suppressed the questions they had in their hearts and did not immediately ask Zhou Xiaoli about it. Seeing that the outsiders had left, Liu Yan, Lin Xiujuan, and the others opened the kitchen door and walked out. Although they did not see what had just happened, they heard it clearly. ¡°I never knew that she could be so despicable! She¡¯s such a blood sucker!¡± Lin Xiujuan spat and cursed. However, she changed the topic abruptly and said, ¡°However, your family is so lucky in finding a pearl! Too bad it was taken away by that blood sucker, or I could have seen for myself what it looked like!¡± Towards the end, her voice was filled with endless regret. ¡°Erhem!¡± Liu Liangcai covered his mouth and coughed. He pushed Lin Xiujuan, signaling her with his eyes not to continue adding insult to injury. Zhou Yu must be feeling terrible that he had such a terrible stepmother. Zhou Xiaoli, on the other hand, was not angry at all that the pearl had been snatched away. She said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Madam Lai wants to court death. I can¡¯t stop her.¡± This time, not only Lin Xiujuan, but even the village chief¡¯s wife was curious. ¡°Little Li, is what you said about the Dragon King visiting in your dreams true?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and said without batting an eyelid, ¡°Of course it¡¯s true.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words were so certain that the village chief¡¯s wife and the others did not know whether they should believe her or not. The main thing was that the entire story seems fictional. Whether they believed it or not, Zhou Xiaoli did not care. Because she would definitely bring misfortune to Madam Lai! Chapter 69 - 69 Feng Shui Deadly Formation 69 Feng Shui Deadly Formation At night. In the dead of night, and under the cover of the dark sky, the entire village fell into a deep sleep. Zhou Xiaoli quietly walked out of her house. Looking at the dark night, she sighed to herself. ¡°It¡¯s a dark and windy night. Suitable for commiting murder and arson.¡± She closed the door and walked into the night. She headed in the direction of the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard. After a while, she arrived at the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard. The Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard was a typical courtyard which sat in the north and faced the south. Zhou Xiaoli took out the compass she made and circled the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard. This compass had taken her a lot of time and effort to make, and it was finally completed. Today, she would test the compass on Lai Jinniang¡¯s family. In Feng Shui, there were eight directions, which corresponded to the eight divinations: Zhen, Li, Dui, Kan, Xun, Kun, Qian, and Gen. It was used to divine the fortune. The eight divinations directly corresponded to the good and bad luck of people, events, and things represented by the eight directions. For example, the southwest direction corresponded to the ¡°Kun¡± hexagram in the Eight Trigrams. Kun¡¯s original meaning was the ground, and in the five elements, it represents earth. If the energy field of the southwestern side of the house was obstructed and there was an evil spirit causing trouble, the health of the mistress of the house would be affected. There would be constant disasters and illnesses, and the family would not get along well. Various troubles would occur. The four directions corresponded to the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise. The four directions were even more particular. If they were to cross paths accidentally with the four beasts, there would definitely be trouble in the family! And this was what Zhou Xiaoli was going to make use of. She was going to use an evil item to disrupt the current Feng Shui formation and agitate the four beasts, thereby forming a new evil Feng Shui formation which could kill without any signs. She learned this Feng Shui formation from books. It was extremely dangerous. Minimally, it would cause havoc in the family and the family would not have many descendants. In serious cases, the family would suffer calamities and lives may be lost. After a series of arrangements, the energy field of the courtyard changed. Zhou Xiaoli had the Heavenly Eye, so she could clearly see that a layer of baleful aura was gathering above the courtyard slowly. After the formation was completed, Zhou Xiaoli put away the compass in satisfaction. She did not expect that even though she was inexperienced in Feng Shui, the compass she made was quite effective. Just as she thought of this, a voice suddenly rang out behind her. ¡°Girl, you¡¯re quite bold.¡± In the middle of the night, when there was not even a single ghost to be seen, a voice rang out from behind her. Even Zhou Xiaoli, no matter how bold and daring she was, was still frightened by it. Moreover, what she did could not be known to others. With a dangerous look in her eyes, she looked in the direction of the voice and saw a figure standing in the night. She could not see clearly, but from the outline, it seemed to be a man. Although his voice was deep, it was also of someone who had gone through vicissitudes of life. He seemed to be an old man. When Zhou Xiaoli looked at him, the black figure had already walked towards her. Looking at the way the black shadow walked, it seemed to be unsteady. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but recall the strange old man she had seen following the village chief into the village when she was at the homestead this morning. At the same time, Zhou Xiaoli had already put up her guard and held her crossbow in her hand. The old man did not seem to have any ill intentions. He stopped when he was one meter away from Zhou Xiaoli. He smiled and said, ¡°Aiya, little girl, I¡¯m old and crippled. Hurry up and put away your crossbow. You¡¯re scaring me.¡± He said he was frightened, but there was not a trace of fear in him. Zhou Xiaoli did not move. She did not understand why the old man had come. At this moment, the old man¡¯s gaze landed on the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard behind her. He could not help but ask, ¡°Girl, did this family offend you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Zhou Xiaoli threatened. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s attitude towards the strange old man who had appeared silently and frightened her, and who might have witnessed the entire process of her setting up the formation, was not good. ¡°Aiyaya.¡± The old man immediately became energetic. ¡°You little girl, you have a fiery temper. Yes, you have a personality. It suits my temper just right.¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My surname is Yuan, and my Taoist name is Daoren.¡± After the old man finished speaking, he seemed to be waiting for something. After a long time, Zhou Xiaoli did not react at all. He could not help but be surprised. ¡°You don¡¯t know me?¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°Must I know?¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not care who this person was. She only cared if this weird old man would destroy her formation. The old man was stunned for a moment before he chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s true too, hahaha.¡± ¡°Hey, girl, who is your master?¡± As he spoke, he pointed at the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard. As expected, this old man knew what was the formation she set. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but frown. The old man said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t hinder you. It¡¯s just that this formation is quite nasty. You have a temperament, which is exactly the same as me when I was young.¡± After saying that, he laughed happily. After talking for so long, Zhou Xiaoli did not sense any hostility from the old man, so she gradually let down her guard. ¡°I don¡¯t have a master.¡± It was a reply to his previous question. When the old man heard this, he slapped his thigh and was clearly excited. ¡°It was just as I had predicted! My destined disciple should appear soon. Girl, do you want to take me as your master?¡± The other party did not ask her why she knew these formations, which made Zhou Xiaoli have a better impression of him. However, she had no intention of becoming his disciple. She immediately rejected him. ¡°No.¡± ¡°What, no?¡± The old man was shocked. ¡°Why? I¡¯m a master. Are you sure?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. She was not very interested in this. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± With that, she walked towards home. The old man did not seem to give up. He chased Zhou Xiaoli all the way to her house and kept talking about how Zhou Xiaoli was the destined disciple. ¡°Girl, you have to think about it carefully. I¡¯ll look for you tomorrow.¡± Even after Zhou Xiaoli closed the door, Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s voice still came through the gap. Zhou Xiaoli ignored him and returned to her room. The night passed in silence. The next day, it was another busy morning. Yesterday, they had made a total of 13 kilograms of sugar, and they planned to make more before bringing them to the county city to sell. Hence, the Liu family and the village chief¡¯s family arrived early in the morning. In order to prevent any complications, it was decided that the village chief¡¯s wife, Liu Yan, the village chief¡¯s eldest son, and eldest daughter-in-law would represent the village chief¡¯s family. As usual, they did not let Zhou Xiaoli work. As she was bored, she brought a pot to the homestead. ¡°Ah, the young lady of the Zhou family is here. Aren¡¯t you busy today?¡± Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli had come over, the workers greeted her warmly. They were bought over by the green bean tea given to them yesterday. They felt that it was very generous of the Zhou family to offer green bean tea to them. They did not expect that they would even add sugar to the green bean tea! Zhou Xiaoli smiled and replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not busy today. I¡¯m here to make tea for everyone. It¡¯s been hard on everyone.¡± ¡°Not at all, not at all.¡± The workers expressed that they were lucky to be able to work for the Zhou family. After greeting everyone, Zhou Xiaoli prepared to make tea. She knew she could rely on Wei Chiyu. A pit had already been made under the shade of the tree, which was big enough to place the pot on it. Just as Zhou Xiaoli arrived, Wei Chiyu arrived as well. He even brought two buckets of water with him. Moreover, he had prepared dry firewood in advance, which was piled neatly beside the pit. Zhou Xiaoli was very surprised. ¡°When did you prepare these dry firewood?¡± Wei Chiyu held a flint to start the fire as he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say yesterday that you wanted to cook green beans here?¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Zhou Xiaoli stood at the side and looked at Wei Chiyu. He was trying to ignite the fire sincerely. The sunlight shone through the branches and mottled on the side of his handsome face. The contours of his face were perfect. Chapter 70 - 70 Address Me As Your Big Sister 70 Address Me As Your Big Sister However, it was a pity that his facial features were so handsome. The person who owned it did not seem to know it. In fact, he was a little sloppy on purpose and did not care about his image at all. Just like now, Wei Chiyu was dressed in rough clothes and looked sloppy. With straws in his hand, he squatted down to start a fire without a care to his image at all. Seeing that the fire wouldn¡¯t start, he even lay on the ground and blew into the pit. He was really down-to-earth. However, it was soon obvious that Wei Chiyu was not very good at starting fires. Or perhaps, the newly dug pit was a little damp and the fire could not be started. Wei Chiyu¡¯s face darkened under the thick smoke. Puff! Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud when she saw Wei Chiyu¡¯s face streaked with smoke. Wei Chiyu had wanted to put on a good show in front of Zhou Xiaoli, but the fire had not started up, so he was more or less anxious about it. The tips of his ears turned red when he heard Zhou Xiaoli laughing out loud, but he pretended to be calm and asked, ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± He was clearly only 13 years old, but Wei Chiyu always acted very mature for his age. Now that he was embarrassed, his act of pretending to be calm became much more vivid. Looking at him like this, Zhou Xiaoli had the thought of teasing him again. She couldn¡¯t help but smile and ask, ¡°Do you want to know?¡± Wei Chiyu pursed his lips and nodded. ¡°Then, address me as your big sister.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled slyly. ¡°Address me as your big sister and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Hearing this, Wei Chiyu looked at her with a steady gaze and yet, his amber eyes were filled with doubt. So alluring. He had a cold personality. Even the coarse linen clothes could not hide his good-looking face. If she were a young lady from an ordinary family, her heart would have been pounding. Unfortunately, Zhou Xiaoli was no ordinary girl. She had seen many beautiful fairies in her previous life and was already immune to their beauty. Wei Chiyu stared at her for a long time before saying, ¡°Stop fooling around.¡± Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but purse her lips, revealing a trace of regret. ¡°Alright, it seems that someone doesn¡¯t like me anymore and thinks that I¡¯m being unreasonable. Forget it, I¡¯d better leave!¡± As she spoke, she shook her head and looked sad. She turned around and was about to leave. However, just as she turned around, someone grabbed her wrist. Zhou Xiaoli turned around and saw Wei Chiyu was the one who grabbed her wrist. Wei Chiyu seemed a little stunned himself, as if he did not expect himself to pull Zhou Xiaoli back subconsciously. However, he had no intention of letting go, as if he was afraid that Zhou Xiaoli would really leave. ¡°Elder, Elder Sister.¡± Just as Zhou Xiaoli was feeling puzzled, Wei Chiyu¡¯s voice rang out. The young man¡¯s original voice was rather deep and his personality was cold. However, she inexplicably heard a hint of temptation when he called her ¡°elder sister¡±. It was as if there was a hook attached to it. Hearing it made Zhou Xiaoli feel numb. As if noticing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s reaction, Wei Chiyu¡¯s lips curled into a triumphant smile. ¡°Elder Sister, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Xiaoli trembled again and hurriedly said, ¡°Enough, enough, I heard you.¡± Wei Chiyu was puzzled. ¡°Don¡¯t you like to hear it, Elder Sister?¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s voice was very pleasant to the ears. Zhou Xiaoli had noticed this long ago. Now that the words carried a hint of flirtatiousness, she couldn¡¯t handle it. ¡°Oh, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do. You can cook green bean tea for the workers.¡± She was clearly the one to tease Wei Chiyu. Why did it seem like she was the one being teased in the end? With that, Zhou Xiaoli prepared to run. She ran all the way home and saw the strange old man from yesterday sitting at her door. Seeing Zhou Xiaoli coming over, Yuan Zhengchun instantly stood up. Zhou Xiaoli was puzzled. ¡°Why are you here again?¡± ¡°Sigh, child, of course I¡¯m here to look for you. Didn¡¯t we agree yesterday? How is it? Have you considered it? Do you want to acknowledge me as your master?¡± Yuan Zhengchun was persistent. Zhou Xiaoli shook her head. ¡°No, you can leave. I don¡¯t want to be your disciple.¡± With that, the door opened and she entered the house. The moment she closed the door, she could still hear the old man¡¯s voice. ¡°Kid, think about it carefully. I¡¯ll come back tomorrow.¡± After saying that, there was no movement outside the door. It seemed like he had left. Zhang Lanzhou came forward and was a little worried. ¡°Li¡¯er, who is that old man? I saw him coming to our door this morning. When I asked him, he said that he was waiting for you and didn¡¯t come in. It¡¯s strange.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and comforted Zhang Lan. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mother. Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s just a bored old man.¡± At this moment, Liu Yan heard their conversation and asked, ¡°Is it the crippled old man who just entered our village?¡± Zhang Lan immediately nodded. ¡°Yes, yes. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen that old man. Sister, do you know him?¡± Liu Yan shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know him, but this old man is indeed very strange. Moreover, he seems to be related to the county magistrate. A month ago, the county magistrate transferred an account to our village and asked my husband to fetch him in person.¡± When everyone heard this, they were all curious. ¡°The county magistrate specifically mentioned him? He even asked the village chief to pick him up personally. Who is that old man?¡± Liu Yan shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Even my man doesn¡¯t know much. I only heard that he¡¯s a charlatan or something. He set up a stall on the street to read fortunes for people.¡± ¡°However, this old man is really strange. After entering our village, he didn¡¯t stay in the village but insisted on living on Qingyuan Mountain.¡± Everyone was curious and guessed who this old man was. However, Zhou Xiaoli did not find it strange. Just last night, when the old man mentioned his name, he must have been very famous. No one would dare to offend a good metaphysical master. As for living on the mountain, Taoist priests preferred to live among nature anyway. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoli stopped listening to their gossip. Instead, she took the ledger book and checked the progress of the sugar production today. Yuan Zhengchun was really persistent. He said that he would come the next day, and he really came the next day. No matter how cold Zhou Xiaoli was to him, he was unmoved. Finally, after three days of persistent visits, Zhou Xiaoli decided to meet him. Thus, on the morning of the fourth day, Zhou Xiaoli washed up and waited outside the door. At seven o¡¯clock in the morning, Yuan Zhengchun arrived at the Zhou family¡¯s door again. However, this time, he saw Zhou Xiaoli waiting at the door. He immediately knew Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s answer. He stepped forward excitedly and laughed, ¡°Kid, I already know your attitude, hahaha.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said arrogantly, ¡°Don¡¯t rush, this does not mean that I have promised you anything. I¡¯m just giving you a chance.¡± Yuan Zhengchun was not angry at all. He laughed and said, ¡°Girl, you¡¯re really bold. It¡¯s usually others who beg me.¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s God¡¯s will that I like your attitude. Tell me, how do you want to test me, your future master?¡± Yuan Zhengchun immediately nodded. ¡°Of course. However, if you want to go to my residence, you have to find it yourself.¡± ¡°I live on Qingyuan Mountain. It¡¯s a place with good Feng Shui. Come and find me.¡± Chapter 71 - 71 Old Zhous Family Begins to Have Incessant Troubles 71 Old Zhou¡¯s Family Begins to Have Incessant Troubles Zhou Xiaoli could not help but raise her eyebrows. Yuan Zhengchun stroked his beard and chuckled. ¡°Why? It can¡¯t be that you¡¯re the only one allowed to set tests.¡± ¡°As your master, can¡¯t I find out more about you?¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s make a deal. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± After saying that, Yuan Zhengchun stroked his beard and left in satisfaction. After Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s figure disappeared from sight, Zhou Xiaoli turned around and returned home. Everyone in the courtyard heard their conversation at the door. Lin Xiujuan became curious. ¡°Little Li, who is that old man? Why did he take you in as his disciple?¡± Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°It¡¯s just what you said. He¡¯s a fortune-teller. He saw that I had a unique face and wanted to take me in as his disciple.¡± Hearing this, Liu Yan¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°He¡¯s a fortune-teller. Did you agree to acknowledge him as your master?¡± Seeing Zhou Xiaoli nod, Liu Yan looked at Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu, who did not say anything. ¡°I say, as her parents, why don¡¯t you persuade her? How can this young lady learn such things? How can she get married in the future?¡± Lin Xiujuan also said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Although Little Li has a big mind and you¡¯ve always listened to her, it¡¯s not a small matter to become a disciple. It would be just fine for a girl to learn some embroidery. Why would she learn fortune-telling? If her reputation is sullied, it would be hard to find a marriage for her in the future.¡± How could Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu not know about this? The two of them had not slept well the entire night. Not to mention a girl, even if it was a boy, very few parents would let their child learn about Feng Shui. The more the child came into contact with spirits and ghosts, the more unlucky it would be. Not to mention if the person is a girl. If she had this reputation, no one would want to marry her. However, last night, Zhou Xiaoli had spent the entire night explaining to the two of them. Zhou Xiaoli carefully analyzed the situation for them. Although the two of them were still worried, they accepted it. Zhang Lan looked conflicted, but she supported her daughter and said, ¡°Li¡¯er said that the old man is an accomplished person, not an ordinary charlatan. He¡¯s very capable.¡± Although he did not agree deep down, Zhou Yu also said, ¡°I heard that he¡¯s a powerful figure. Many people are fighting to be his disciple. It won¡¯t ruin Li¡¯er¡¯s reputation.¡± This was what Zhou Xiaoli had said when she convinced the two of them. Her original words were, ¡°Many children from reputable families are fighting to become his disciple.¡± Zhou Yu actually did not believe it. However, this was actually true. Ordinary people¡¯s contact with metaphysics would usually come from the blind fortune-tellers who set up stalls by the roadside. Therefore, in their hearts, when it came to fortune-telling, most of them were scammers. However, the richer the family, the more they wanted to believe in these things. Therefore, they respected the people who have truly mastered metaphysics. If any family has a child who was a disciple of a metaphysical master, the family would definitely prosper. Not to mention, Yuan Zhengchun had a great reputation. Based on the title of being his disciple, even if that person was not capable, he or she would still have a good social standing in society. Seeing that Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu had agreed, as outsiders, they could not say anything else. Zhou Xiaoli glanced at the beetroots and changed the topic. ¡°We¡¯re halfway through the beetroot pile. We¡¯ll go to the county city tomorrow to sell the sugar. We should also discuss who we should send to purchase more beetroots tomorrow.¡± Hearing this, everyone¡¯s attention instantly shifted to making sugar. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We were just saying that the beetroots would be gone in two days.¡± Liu Yan nodded. ¡°It¡¯s time to buy some more beetroots.¡± Liu Liangcai was the first to suggest, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go out to purchase beetroots tomorrow? Yesterday, I heard that Fengfeng¡¯s grandmother¡¯s village harvested a batch of beetroots.¡± Zheng Yongfu nodded repeatedly. ¡°I think it¡¯s fine. You go tomorrow and I¡¯ll go the day after tomorrow. Let¡¯s try to purchase more when the beetroots have just been harvested.¡± Hearing this, everyone agreed. Lin Xiujuan said, ¡°I think that¡¯s fine. After these few days, we¡¯re very familiar with the sugar production process. We don¡¯t need your help anymore.¡± ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Just, who would be the one to sell sugar?¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°It¡¯s our first time selling sugar tomorrow. I¡¯m more familiar with this. I¡¯ll go.¡± Liu Yan thought for a moment and said, ¡°You¡¯re a girl. It¡¯s not safe on the road. How about this? Let your brother go with you!¡± Upon hearing the nomination, Zheng Yongfu immediately patted his chest. ¡°No problem. I will definitely ensure Sister Zhou¡¯s safety and not let Sister Zhou lose a single strand of hair.¡± Everyone could not help but laugh playfully. ¡°Then when we come back, we have to count how much hair that little girl Li has lost.¡± Everyone burst into laughter. Now that everything was settled, Zhou Xiaoli was ready to face Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s test in the afternoon. At this moment, there was another knock on the Zhou family¡¯s door. ¡°Madam Zhang, Madam Zhang, open the door.¡± Hearing this familiar voice, it was Lai Jinniang. However, this was the first time she had knocked on their door and spoke in such a kind tone. ¡°What is this ruffian Madam Lai doing here?¡± Lin Xiujuan cursed and hurriedly moved the pot of sugar into the kitchen with everyone. After hiding everything, Zhang Lan went to open the door. The door opened, and sure enough, Lai Jinniang and Zhou Guihua were standing outside. However, this time, the two of them were clearly pale and in low spirits. They were clearly thinner as compared to when they saw them four days ago. Zhou Xiaoli poked her head out from behind Zhang Lan to take a look. She could not help but nod in satisfaction. This time, their faces were really pale. The formation she set up would consume their health. However, it had only been four days and they were already so weak? The effect was really impressive! ¡°Well, Little Li, we thought about it. Since the Dragon King gave the pearl to you, it¡¯s better that you keep it.¡± As she spoke, she handed the pearl over. Lai Jinniang¡¯s tone was anxious and afraid. Zhang Lan did not move. Instead, she subconsciously turned to look at Zhou Xiaoli. Only then did Zhou Xiaoli walk out from behind Zhang Lan. She pretended to be surprised and shouted, ¡°Ah! Madam Lai, what¡¯s going on? It¡¯s only been four days since I last saw you. How did you become so thin!¡± She was deliberately provoking her. Sure enough, Lai Jinniang and Zhou Guihua¡¯s faces turned even pale. At the same time, they trembled, looking very afraid. At this moment, many villagers had already come over to watch the commotion. When they heard this, someone started talking. ¡°Did you know, I don¡¯t know what the old Zhou family has been doing in the past few days. They¡¯re always wailing in the middle of the night. They don¡¯t sleep every day. It would be strange if they weren¡¯t weak!¡± The person who spoke was Lai Jinniang¡¯s neighbor. She had been woken up every night by the Old Zhou family in the past few days. It was obvious that she was unhappy. Hearing her neighbor discuss what happened at night, Lai Jinniang became even more agitated. ¡°Pearl, here, I¡¯ll give it back to you!¡± As she spoke, she stuffed it into Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hands. When she heard that Lai Jinniang had come, Zhou Xiaoli guessed that she was here to return the pearl. In the past four days, many things had happened in the old Zhou family. Zhou Xiaoli was very confident in her formation and did not deliberately inquire about the old Zhou family¡¯s affairs. However, everyone on the street was talking about it, and she had heard a little about it. It was said that yesterday, Madam Lai¡¯s eldest grandson, Zhou Anfu, fell into the well. Fortunately, someone saw him and saved him in the nick of time. However, he was frightened and had a high fever. He had yet to wake up. Chapter 72 - 72 Venting Anger 72 Venting Anger The day before yesterday, Lai Jinniang¡¯s eldest son, Zhou Fugui, was arrested by the magistrate¡¯s office for adulterating medicinal herbs. This time, even his brother-in-law could not save him. The pharmacy was closed down, and he was bankrupt for real. Two days ago, her youngest son, Zhou Fuchun, was hit by a carriage in the county city and almost lost his life. In the end, although he survived, his legs were broken. He even lost his ability to have children. In the past few days, the Old Zhou family¡¯s mental state and physical condition had been deteriorating. All of them were sickly. In his anger, Old Zhou became bedridden. When the Old Zhou family first started to have trouble, there were villagers who were present at the time and knew the story that the pearl would bring bad luck to those who lusted for it. They laughed and said that the Old Zhou family had indeed started to experience bad luck because of the pearl. However, at that time, they were just joking. Not one connected the Old Zhou family¡¯s misfortunes to the pearl. Even Lai Jinniang didn¡¯t care and was ready to sell the pearl to treat her youngest son. However, in the next few days, the Old Zhou family was plagued with troubles one after another. The family was also in chaos. In the middle of the night, they wailed and howled, disturbing the neighbors. Once, twice was a coincidence, but when trouble happened three or four times, would it still be considered as a coincidence? This time, without any reminder from others, almost everyone who knew the situation attributed the Old Zhou family¡¯s disasters to the pearl. Lai Jinniang was finally afraid. This morning, after being scolded by her youngest son who had broken his legs, she brought the pearl back to Zhou Xiaoli. Zhou Xiaoli lowered her head and looked at the pearl that was stuffed back into her hand forcefully. She could not help but sneer. Did she think that she could just return the pearl and everything would be ok? It was not that easy. ¡°Madam Lai, you don¡¯t want it anymore?¡± Zhou Xiaoli raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°This is a life-saving medicine primer. You should take it back to save people.¡± As she spoke, she handed the pearl to Madam Lai. ¡°Ah, no, no.¡± As soon as the pearl was brought near to her, Lai Jinniang retreated in fear as if she had seen something terrifying. Zhou Xiaoli sneered in her heart, but she put on a sincere expression. ¡°How can we allow that to happen? Although your family is unkind to us, my father has always had a good reputation. He can¡¯t be labeled as unfilial. Why don¡¯t I personally send it to the old man of the Zhou family and let him use it in his medication?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was about to walk towards the Old Zhou family courtyard. Although it was only a few days of torture, Lai Jinniang was very sensitive. When she saw that Zhou Xiaoli had wanted to take the pearl back to her house, She was about to go crazy from fear. She rushed forward to stop Zhou Xiaoli and shouted in a high-pitched voice, ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t, I already said I don¡¯t want it! Are you an idiot? I¡¯m lying to you. The old man doesn¡¯t need the pearl as a primer for his medicine at all!¡± As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings instantly fell silent. It seemed that Lai Jinniang was really frightened. At this moment, she spoke without thinking and even revealed the truth. When she calmed down, she quickly covered her mouth. Zhou Xiaoli, on the other hand, widened her eyes and pretended to be shocked. ¡°What! You said that you were lying to me. You didn¡¯t need the pearls as a primer?¡± Then, she thought of something and said with a look of understanding, ¡°Oh, I know. Did what I said back then come true? Your family is unlucky and hence, you want to return the pearl now?¡± ¡°Ha! Madam Lai, why are you so shameless? I already said it back then. When the time comes, don¡¯t beg us. It¡¯s useless even if you beg us. Your family will continue to be unlucky and even implicate your descendants!¡± Lai Jinniang¡¯s face turned much paler when she heard that she would be unlucky and her descendants would be implicated. She looked at Zhou Xiaoli and roared, ¡°Then, what do you want? Do you want our family to die?¡± Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli was so angry that she laughed. ¡°What do I want? Ha! Madam Lai, don¡¯t you recognize your mistake? All the trouble in your family was caused by you!¡± Lai Jinniang was at a loss. She looked at Zhou Xiaoli, gritted her teeth, and bowed. ¡°I apologize. It¡¯s all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have been greedy. Li¡¯er, since the Dragon King gave you the pearl, you must know how to resolve it, right?¡± Zhou Xiaoli crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised her eyebrows with a cold expression. ¡°Resolve it? Of course I know.¡± ¡°However, is this the attitude you should have when you want to ask someone for help?¡± When Lai Jinniang heard that it could be resolved, she heaved a sigh of relief and immediately changed her attitude. ¡°Li¡¯er, I beg you to save our family. No matter what, I raised your father¡­¡± Again! ¡°Stop!¡± Zhou Xiaoli interrupted Lai Jinniang impatiently and said coldly, ¡°My father has already repaid your kindness! If you wish to mention this again, get lost then!¡± Zhou Guihua, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She pointed at Zhou Xiaoli and was about to scold her when Lai Jinniang stopped her. Lai Jinniang smiled obsequiously. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t mention it again. Please help us.¡± Zhou Xiaoli glanced at Zhou Guihua, sneered, and said to Lai Jinniang, ¡°Kneel.¡± Lai Jinniang was stunned. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Kneel down. What, you don¡¯t even kneel when you ask someone for help?¡± Zhou Xiaoli repeated impatiently. ¡°Zhou Xiaoli, don¡¯t go too far!¡± Zhou Guihua finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She pointed at Zhou Xiaoli and scolded, ¡°Mother, you believe what that little b*tch said? She doesn¡¯t have the ability to resolve our misfortune. That b*tch is waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on us!¡± Hey! Smartie, you got it! Zhou Xiaoli sneered and shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°Whatever you say. Anyway, it¡¯s not my family that¡¯s in trouble.¡± As she spoke, she pulled Zhang Lan back and said with a smile, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s go home. I¡¯m tired.¡± As she spoke, she held Zhang Lan¡¯s arm and prepared to go home. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was about to leave, Lai Jinniang panicked and hurried to stop her from leaving. Zhou Guihua was furious. She grabbed Lai Jinniang. ¡°Mother, why are you begging her?!¡± Lai Jinniang glared at Zhou Guihua. ¡°Shut up.¡± As she spoke, she ran in front of Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Little Li, please save us.¡± Zhou Xiaoli held Zhang Lan¡¯s arm and looked at Lai Jinniang with pursed lips. Lai Jinniang gritted her teeth and finally knelt down in front of Zhou Xiaoli. Zhang Lan subconsciously wanted to dodge away. However, Zhou Xiaoli stopped her. ¡°Mother, you deserve it. Madam Lai owes you an apology!¡± Zhang Lan immediately stopped in her tracks and looked back at her daughter. She couldn¡¯t help but straighten her back and accept Lai Jinniang kneeling in front of her. It had been almost 10 years. She had suffered under Lai Jinniang for almost 10 years. As a daughter-in-law, she was filial to her in-laws and was not allowed to disobey them. This was the etiquette engraved in her bones. Not long after the eldest daughter was born, her husband turned into a fool. As such, their family had no say in the Old Zhou family. Moreover, she did not have her maternal family to back her up. She could only accept whatever Lai Jinniang wanted her to do. However, it was different now. She was no longer her mother-in-law. She no longer had to listen to her! Now, looking at Madam Lai kneeling in front of her and kowtowing to apologize, Zhang Lan immediately felt utter freedom and let out a fierce breath of anger in her chest. At the same time, her state of mind changed unknowingly. Chapter 73 - 73 Going Up the Mountain 73 Going Up the Mountain Seeing that Lai Jinniang had knelt down, Zhou Xiaoli nodded, but she was not satisfied. Instead, her gaze fell on Zhou Guihua. ¡°What about her? If she doesn¡¯t apologize, how can I help you?¡± Zhou Guihua was lawless at home since she had Lai Jinniang¡¯s love and often bullied their family. When Zhou Guihua heard this, she immediately exploded. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Zhou Xiaoli ignored her and looked at Lai Jinniang, waiting for her to deal with it. Sure enough, for the sake of the entire family, Lai Jinniang took a deep breath and shouted at Zhou Guihua, ¡°Come here, kneel down and apologize.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to kneel! Mother, are you stupid? It¡¯s obvious that they¡¯re making things difficult for us deliberately!¡± Zhou Guihua widened her eyes in disbelief and stomped her feet in anger. Lai Jinniang didn¡¯t have the heart to make Zhou Guihua kneel, but for the sake of her family, she screamed ruthlessly. ¡°Be good. Now that your eldest brother, second brother, and nephew have gotten into trouble one after another, do you really want to see our family destroyed?¡± Finally, under Lai Jinniang¡¯s persuasion, Zhou Guihua was dragged back and reluctantly knelt in front of Zhou Xiaoli. She said perfunctorily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong.¡± Zhou Xiaoli raised his eyebrows and said coldly, ¡°I can¡¯t hear you.¡± Zhou Guihua gritted her teeth and glared at Zhou Xiaoli. She shouted, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong.¡± Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips. ¡°Insincere.¡± Then, she sighed. ¡°Forget it. As long as you pay me back the 50 copper coins you owe me, along with the interest, I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± ¡°Let me calculate. With interest, I¡¯ll count you as 70 copper coins.¡± Hearing her request, Zhou Guihua immediately leaped up and stomped her feet in anger. ¡°What 50 copper coins? 100 copper coins? Zhou Xiaoli, don¡¯t go too far!¡± Zhou Xiaoli sighed, ¡°It seems that some people have forgotten. Let me help you recall.¡± ¡°That day, when you chased our entire family out of the house, you didn¡¯t give us anything. You only gave us a few dried taros and left us to fend for ourselves.¡± ¡°Fortunately, my father saved up 50 copper coins from doing manual labor. However, didn¡¯t you snatch the 50 copper coins away when we left the Old Zhou family?¡± Zhou Xiaoli explained the sequence of events word by word. The surrounding people could not help but sigh. ¡°Madam Lai is really something. I always thought that Zhou Yu had split up from the family, but it turns out that he was chased out!¡± ¡°Not giving him anything? Isn¡¯t it obvious that she wants to starve Zhou Yu¡¯s family to death? All these years, to say that the Old Zhou family is benevolent and treats their adopted son as their own, it¡¯s just a lie.¡± ¡°Pfft! They are pure evil. To think of snatching away even the last bit of money that the family could rely on. They are forcing him to death. They¡¯re too vicious. How can there be such a family in our Boyu Village!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We should chase them out of Boyu Village!¡± ¡­ The surrounding villagers were filled with righteous indignation, as if they wanted to expel Lai Jinniang and her family from the village. Seeing this, Lai Jinniang glared at Zhou Guihua and quickly apologized to Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the child did this. When I get back, I¡¯ll definitely discipline her. I¡¯ll return the money to you immediately.¡± As she spoke, she searched around and finally found 36 copper coins. Seeing that it was not enough, Lai Jinniang asked Zhou Guihua to take out her money too. Zhou Guihua was naturally unwilling to do so, but she couldn¡¯t dissuade Lai Jinniang. In the end, with Zhou Guihua¡¯s cries, Lai Jinniang gathered enough money. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll return the money to you. Help us resolve our bad luck.¡± Zhou Xiaoli took the money, but she was not in a hurry. Instead, she slowly counted the copper coins. She spoke under the other party¡¯s anxious gaze after counting the money. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s very simple to resolve the misfortune. We need to worship the pearl in my house for 49 days. At the same time, you have to do the ritual of kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times all the way from my doorstep to your doorstep. You also have to do this ritual three times. Only if you are sincere in apologizing to the Dragon King can your misfortune be resolved.¡± Hearing this method, Lai Jinniang frowned in disbelief. ¡°Really? Can it be resolved like this?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shrugged. ¡°Believe it or not, it¡¯s not my family that¡¯s going to suffer.¡± ¡°Alright! We¡¯ll kneel!¡± Lai Jinniang gritted her teeth. For the safety of the entire family, she pulled the crying Zhou Guihua along and kowtowed three times. Zhou Xiaoli stroked the round pearl in her hand and smiled. At this moment, Little Wolf suddenly rushed out of the courtyard with Zhou Xiaoyu chasing after him. ¡°Little Wolf, don¡¯t run. Wait for me.¡± The wolf pup had already grown up quite a bit. As it often ran up the mountain to look for prey, it was very agile. Now that it suddenly rushed out of the house, Zhou Xiaoyu could not catch up with its speed. After the wolf cub rushed out, it didn¡¯t run far. Instead, it rushed straight to Lai Jinniang and Zhou Guihua, stood in front of them, and bared its teeth at them. Lai Jinniang and Lai Jinniang stood still. They had heard that being bitten by a wild wolf could cause rabid dog disease. Just as everyone thought that the wolf cub was going to bite them, it suddenly leaned closer to them. After circling around, it raised its leg and peed on their legs. It swaggered home after peeing. Everyone was speechless. Zhou Xiaoyu blinked and grabbed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand. ¡°Sister, I was feeding the wolf cub meat when it suddenly ran out.¡± Zhou Xiaoli covered her mouth and laughed. Then, she made up a story and said, ¡°This should be the Dragon King testing their sincerity in making amends. He specially sent the little wolf to test the two of them.¡± Although the fabrication was ridiculous, many people believed in it. Therefore, Lai Jinniang and her daughter began to do the ritual of kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times all the way home with urine on them. Along the way, many villagers were attracted to watch them in action. Zhou Xiaoli could not be bothered to look at them anymore. She held Zhang Lan¡¯s arm and returned home. After lunch, Zhou Xiaoli informed Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu before heading up the mountain. Qingyuan Mountain was a mountain range that stretched endlessly. The mountain was lush and had excellent scenery. When she reached the foot of the mountain, Zhou Xiaoli took out the compass and calculated all the way up the mountain. There were many places with good Feng Shui on Qingyuan Mountain. After excluding those that were unsuitable for living and considering Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s legs, Zhou Xiaoli finally pinpointed a location. It was located halfway up the slope of Mount Qingyuan and had beautiful scenery. When she arrived, she could see a simple courtyard from afar. If an ordinary person saw this, they would think that this was an ordinary small courtyard of a farmer. There might be a woodcutter or hunter living here. However, what Zhou Xiaoli saw was a completely different scene. Although the small courtyard was simple and crude, the spiritual energy floating above was very abundant and did not dissipate for a long time. Living here would definitely purify one¡¯s body and mind. It could be said to be a place with good Feng Shui. Putting away her compass, Zhou Xiaoli strode over. The gate of the courtyard was wide open. When Zhou Xiaoli walked to the gate, she could clearly see what¡¯s happening in the courtyard. The courtyard was very clean. There was an osmanthus tree planted in the courtyard. At this moment, there were light yellow flowers blooming on it. Whenever the wind below, the fragrance of the flowers wafted over. The main door of the courtyard was wide open, and Yuan Zhengchun was properly dressed and waiting for Zhou Xiaoli at the front hall seats. Chapter 74 - 74 Apprenticeship 74 Apprenticeship Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli had arrived, Yuan Zhengchun stood up and walked out with a smile. ¡°I knew you could find this place! I was right, hahaha.¡± Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s laughter was vigorous and powerful. He did not seem to be of his age at all. Zhou Xiaoli walked into the courtyard and said with a smile, ¡°Old man, have you ever thought that the village chief must know where you live? I could have asked him about it.¡± Yuan Zhengchun stroked his beard and stood under the eaves. He smiled confidently. ¡°No, you won¡¯t ask for directions.¡± ¡°Ah, you trust me so much?¡± Yuan Zhengchun laughed again. ¡°No, no. I believe in my own judgment.¡± ¡°How is it? Have you thought it through?¡± Zhou Xiaoli stood in the courtyard with her hands behind her back and asked, ¡°Why do you insist on taking me as your disciple?¡± ¡°I knew you would ask about this.¡± Yuan Zhengchun stroked his beard and looked at Zhou Xiaoli. He said seriously, ¡°Kid, your physiognomy is the most peculiar I¡¯ve ever seen. Your entire physiognomy seems to be floating in the clouds, and it¡¯s unpredictable. I¡¯ve lived for so long, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a physiognomy.¡± Zhou Xiaoli thought that it was probably because she had reincarnated that her face was so strange. ¡°So, you insist on taking me in as your disciple because my physiognomy is peculiar?¡± Yuan Zhengchun shook his head. ¡°Not entirely. It¡¯s mainly because I calculated that my destined disciple had appeared. I happened to meet you, and you happened to be talented. You¡¯re the disciple I¡¯ve been looking for all these years.¡± ¡°So, kid, have you thought about it?¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and took out an oil paper bag from behind her. ¡°Look, I even brought my apprenticeship gift.¡± Yuan Zhengchun was taken aback at first, but he was instantly overjoyed. He clapped his hands together and said, ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no time like the present. Today is a good day, so let¡¯s do the apprenticeship ceremony today!¡± Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°¡­Alright, since I have already brought the gift to become your disciple, I don¡¯t have to bring gifts the next time then.¡± ¡°Aiyaya, listen to this. What kind of disciple did I take in? She hasn¡¯t even acknowledged me as her master and she¡¯s already unwilling to give me a gift.¡± Yuan Zhengchun pointed at Zhou Xiaoli and smiled dotingly. Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m such a stingy person. It¡¯s not too late for you to think about it before you become my master.¡± Yuan Zhengchun: ¡°No! You? Who asked that you are my destined disciple? Even if you¡¯re a crook, I¡¯ll admit it.¡± As he spoke, he tidied up his appearance and sat on the chair in the main hall. Beside him was the tea that he had prepared long ago. It could be seen that Yuan Zhengchun had already calculated that she would take him as her master today. After that, Zhou Xiaoli took him as her master, served him tea, and knelt in front of the ancestral tablets to listen to his teachings. Everything was done in one go, and the apprenticeship ceremony was over. The master and disciple were not particular about formalities. ¡°Here, this is for you.¡± After the apprenticeship, Yuan Zhengchun took out a box from his clothes and handed it to Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°This is the apprenticeship gift I have for you. See if you like it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli looked over and saw a palm-sized red wooden box lying in Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s hand. Although she could not see what was inside, but judging from the faint spiritual energy around the box, it was definitely a treasure. As expected, after opening it, she saw a red jade pendant inside. The jade was crystalline and delicate, emitting a sparkling luster. The jade pendant was carved into a small koi fish. The tail was in a wagging position as if it was swimming. Yuan Zhengchun tapped the jade pendant and said proudly, ¡°I carved it myself. It¡¯s consecrated. Take good care of it. At the critical moment, it may be able to help you.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll accept it. Thank you, Master.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes were filled with surprise. She accepted the gift without hesitation. She found the koi jade pendant to be very pleasing to the eye, right from her first glance at it. At this moment, Yuan Zhengchun thought of something and said, ¡°I had wanted to make a compass for you personally, but I saw that you already had one the day before yesterday?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Yes, I made it myself.¡± She thought of something and added, ¡°When I was very young, I once lost my way on the mountain and met an old Taoist priest who taught me how to do it.¡± When the original Zhou Xiaoli was six years old, Zhou Guihua and the children in the village tricked her into going up the mountain. It was not until night time that Zhang Lan found her and brought her home. As for what the original Zhou Xiaoli had encountered on the mountain, it was all up to Zhou Xiaoli now to explain. In any case, Yuan Zhengchun did not suspect anything. He nodded and said, ¡°This is your fate.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your compass? Let me see it.¡± Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli handed the compass she carried with her to Yuan Zhengchun. ¡°Yes, you did well, but there are some small flaws.¡± ¡°The compass is very important to our sect. It¡¯s most important to use it only when fated and to use it appropriately. Leave this compass with me and I¡¯ll help you repair it. You can use this in the future.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded in agreement. ¡°Master, when are we going to start class? Do we start now?¡± Yuan Zhengchun could not help but smile. ¡°Why are you so anxious now? Not now. Someone will come over later.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. Immediately after, Zhou Xiaoli heard Wei Chiyu¡¯s voice. ¡°Master Yuan, I brought you the tea you wanted.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was quite surprised to hear this voice. Looking at the door, she realized that it was indeed Wei Chiyu! The two of them looked at each other. Wei Chiyu also recognized Zhou Xiaoli, and a trace of surprise appeared on his face. On the other side, Yuan Zhengchun walked over after hearing about the tea. ¡°Aiyaya, good, good. There¡¯s more tea to drink.¡± ¡°Yes, this is the taste.¡± After Yuan Zhengchun took the tea, he remembered to introduce the two of them. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I forgot to introduce you. Chiyu, this is my new disciple. You should know each other.¡± Wei Chiyu had always paid attention to Zhou Xiaoli. When he heard Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s words, a hint of a smile appeared in the corners of his eyes. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re my senior sister.¡± ¡°S-Senior Sister?¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she looked at Yuan Zhengchun in disbelief. ¡°Master, no, didn¡¯t you say that you had not taken in any disciple before?¡± Yuan Zhengchun explained, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s like this. Chiyu is a pitiful child¡­¡± Wei Chiyu was sent to the Lu family when he was five years old. However, Old Madam Lu was mean and treated Wei Chiyu very harshly. She often did not give him food for a few days at a stretch. There was once when he was so hungry, Wei Chiyu, who was only five years old then, braved the snow and went up the mountain to find food. He almost froze to death in the snow and was saved by Yuan Zhengchun who happened to pass by. After knowing about the child¡¯s experience, Yuan Zhengchun felt pity for him. Coincidentally, he was hiding from his enemies at that time, so he stayed on the mountain and asked him to come up the mountain to look for him when he was hungry. As days went by, Yuan Zhengchun realized that this child was very smart. He started to teach him his skills, intentionally or unintentionally. Even his martial arts skills were taught by Yuan Zhengchun. It could be said that if Yuan Zhengchun had not saved him and taught him his skills, Wei Chiyu might not be able to stay alive until now. Chapter 75 - 75 Thank You for Letting Me Into The Sect 75 Thank You for Letting Me Into The Sect Thus, even if Yuan Zhengchun did not take Wei Chiyu in as his disciple, Wei Chiyu considered Yuan Zhengchun as his master. He had indeed treated him as his master. Later, Yuan Zhengchun left Boyu Village. However, no matter where he went or how far away he was, Wei Chiyu would always visit him during festivals. Yuan Zhengchun also liked Wei Chiyu very much and cherished his talent, so he tacitly agreed to Wei Chiyu calling him master. However, he made it clear that Wei Chiyu was not his disciple yet. If he wanted to enter the sect, he had to wait until he had taken in his first disciple. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± After hearing all this, Zhou Xiaoli first lamented that Wei Chiyu was such a loyal person. Then, she felt sympathetic to Wei Chiyu for the childhood that he had. She had not expected his childhood to be even more tragic than she had imagined. Just as Zhou Xiaoli was sympathizing with Wei Chiyu for his traumatic childhood experience, she suddenly heard him say something. ¡°Therefore, I have to thank my Senior Sister for finally letting me enter the sect.¡± Wei Chiyu cupped his hands and greeted Zhou Xiaoli. His attitude was impeccable. There was nothing wrong with what he said, but thinking about it, Zhou Xiaoli felt that something was wrong. At this moment, Yuan Zhengchun shook the tea in his hand and smiled boldly. ¡°Stop standing in the courtyard. There¡¯s nothing to see. Do you want to come in and have a cup of tea with me?¡± That immediately took Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s attention. She immediately smiled and said, ¡°Alright, Master. What kind of tea is this?¡± Yuan Zhengchun immediately showed off proudly. ¡°This is good tea. I got it from the Northern Court.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Oh, really? Then I¡¯ll have a taste.¡± Yongchang Country has always liked tea, and tea culture is very prevalent and animated, especially tea from the Northern Court area. Looking at Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s glowing eyes, Yuan Zhengchun held the tea tightly. ¡°I only have this much. Don¡¯t drink it all.¡± ¡°Master, you¡¯re so stingy. I also received some good tea leaves a few days ago. Let me compare whose tea is better, Master¡¯s, or mine.¡± Yuan Zhengchun said without hesitation, ¡°Of course, the better one would be mine.¡± ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was not to be outdone. Thus, the master and disciple began to quarrel. Wei Chiyu, who had been forgotten, said, ¡°Master, I¡¯ll boil the water.¡± ¡°Ah, alright, alright. Go, go.¡± Yuan Zhengchun paused for a moment and waved at Wei Chiyu. Then, he continued the discussion with Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°I can guarantee that your tea is definitely not as good as mine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Although my tea is not famous yet, it might not lose to the tea from the Northern Court.¡± With that, the master and disciple entered the room together. Wei Chiyu silently carried a bundle of firewood into the kitchen to boil water. After a while, Wei Chiyu came in with hot water. After the three of them sat down, Yuan Zhengchun began to cook tea. As he finalized the last step of the tea ceremony, the fragrance of the tea wafted out. ¡°Mm, Master, you¡¯re really good at cooking tea.¡± Zhou Xiaoli took a sip and was quite amazed. ¡°Hahaha, of course.¡± Yuan Zhengchun, who was praised, raised his head proudly. ¡°The main thing is that the tea is good. How is it? Is it better than yours?¡± Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli shook her head. ¡°No, I still think my tea is more fragrant.¡± It was obvious that Yuan Zhengchun did not believe her. Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I bring up a tael of the tea leaves another day? I guarantee that Master will remember it for life.¡± Upon hearing that there were new tea leaves for him to try, Yuan Zhengchun immediately perked up and agreed. ¡°Oh, you dare to say that yours is better? Alright, I¡¯ll wait. I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me when the time comes.¡± ¡°Definitely not.¡± The three of them chatted for a while more. Seeing that it was getting late, Yuan Zhengchun was about to chase them home. ¡°Come on, go now. You¡¯re going to finish all my tea.¡± The two of them smiled and said goodbye to their master. Then, they left Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s courtyard and walked side by side along the mountain path. They were silent for a long time. Zhou Xiaoli turned to look at him and could not help but think of a five-year-old child going up the mountain alone and looking for food in the snow. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s voice interrupted Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s thoughts. She pursed her lower lip. ¡°You. That.¡± Zhou Xiaoli didn¡¯t bring up the sad past in the end. Instead, she changed it to a question. ¡°What have you learned from the Master all these years? Have you also learned fortune-telling and divination?¡± Wei Chiyu shook his head. ¡°No. Master said that there are too many tribulations in my life, and it¡¯s not suitable for me to learn divination.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli nodded. Indeed, divination was considered as revealing Heaven¡¯s secrets. One would be punished by the Heavens for it. Therefore, ordinary metaphysics people would commit five faults and three deficiencies. The so-called five faults were none other than ¡°widower, widow, orphan, loner, and disabled.¡± To put it bluntly, three deficiencies refers to the three disadvantages of wealth, life, and power. For example, Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s legs were crippled and he had committed the fault of ¡°disabled¡±. Then, she looked at the man beside her. His appearance was actually quite strange. At a glance, there were indeed many calamities in his life. Moreover, they were all extremely dangerous calamities. However, there was a hidden turning point amidst the difficulties. She patted her chest and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. It¡¯s a good thing that you don¡¯t want to learn. I¡¯ll protect you in the future!¡± The corners of Wei Chiyu¡¯s mouth twitched when he heard her bold statement. As they spoke, they arrived at the foot of the mountain. At this moment, they suddenly heard the grass beside the road move. In an instant, a small wolf rushed out and ran straight towards Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Ah, Little Wolf.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was pleasantly surprised. She couldn¡¯t help but squat down and rub the wolf cub¡¯s head. ¡°Are you here to pick me up?¡± ¡°Howl~¡± Little Wolf barked as if in response. ¡°Wow, Little Wolf is awesome!¡± At this moment, Wei Chiyu suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it just happened to be back from its hunt.¡± As he spoke, he looked at the wild rabbit that the wolf cub had thrown aside. ¡°Ow!¡± The wolf cub instantly bared its teeth at Wei Chiyu. Zhou Xiaoli seemed to understand instantly. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re waiting for me here after your hunt?¡± ¡°Howl~¡± ¡°Aiya, the little wolf is awesome. Let¡¯s go home. I¡¯ll make you something delicious, okay?¡± Wei Chiyu: ¡°¡­¡± Thus, the two of them and the wolf slowly walked home under the setting sun. When they entered the village, they could see that the village was very lively. Lai Jinniang had just finished the ritual. After the three trips, her knees were probably bleeding by now. This was only physical pain. More importantly, there was the mental torture as well. Zhou Guihua couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She ran away before she finished her first trip. Lai Jinniang didn¡¯t want to do it alone, but she was so afraid of the bad luck that the pearl brought, so she pulled her eldest daughter-in-law out instead. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Little Wolf.¡± Zhou Xiaoli took one glance at them and no longer paid attention to them. At night. After a busy day, everyone was tired. As soon as it was dark, the family went to bed. After the sound of even breathing and snoring came from the room, Zhou Xiaoli quietly got out of bed. She put on her coat, opened the door, and stepped out into the night. Chapter 76 - 76 Meeting a Ghost 76 Meeting a Ghost Since Lai Jinniang had returned the pearl, she had to remove the Feng Shui formation she set up earlier. However, Zhou Xiaoli had no intention of letting them go just like that. She was prepared to remove the powerful Feng Shui Evil Formation and replace it with another Fortune Breaking Formation. Although it was not as domineering as the Feng Shui Evil formation whereby blood had to be shed, the new formation could still affect their fortune and make them poor. However, before she reached the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard, she heard a series of cries. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but feel a little curious about it. It seemed like they indeed wailed and cried every night? Did her formation have such an effect? Driven by curiosity, Zhou Xiaoli walked closer to see what was going on. However, just as she reached the wall, a white figure with disheveled hair suddenly flew out of the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard. By a stroke of chance, it happened to land in front of Zhou Xiaoli¡­ ¡°Aiya, what the f*ck!¡± Zhou Xiao Li was so shocked that she almost jumped out of her skin. Subconsciously, she picked up a brick from the ground and was prepared to hit the ¡®ghost¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± However, just as the brick was about to hit the ghost¡¯s face, the ghost opened its mouth and a familiar voice rang out. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but pause. Her eyes widened as she went over to take a look in disbelief. The ¡®ghost¡¯ seemed to be a little shy, but in the end, he lifted his hair from his face. It was indeed Wei Chiyu! Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing when she saw Wei Chiyu dressed like that. ¡°No, Wei Chiyu, is there something wrong with your brain? Why are you dressed like this in the middle of the night?¡± she whispered. Wei Chiyu felt a little awkward. ¡°I want to help you.¡± Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli immediately figured out what she had found strange earlier on. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no wonder that Madam Lai and her family would wail and cry every night then. I was wondering why would Madam Lai turn so weak in just four days? It¡¯s all because of you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded and asked, ¡°Did I manage to help you?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯ve helped me a lot.¡± Zhou Xiaoli held back her laughter. Most importantly, the thought of Wei Chiyu, who usually wore a straight face, had pretended to be a ghost to scare people made her want to laugh. No, she really couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. Hearing that he had helped, Wei Chiyu was a little proud of himself, but when he saw Zhou Xiaoli laughing, he felt a little doubtful. ¡°Then what are you laughing at?¡± Zhou Xiaoli had been laughing for quite some time. She wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes and said, ¡°Happy, I¡¯m happy that you helped me.¡± Wei Chiyu was skeptical. ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s good. Do you need me to continue scaring them in that case?¡± Zhou Xiaoli waved her hand. ¡°No, no need. I¡¯m going to remove the formation today. You don¡¯t have to scare them anymore.¡± Wei Chiyu: ¡°Okay.¡± At this moment, the door of the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard suddenly opened. Wei Chiyu reacted very quickly. He grabbed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s waist with one hand and spun around. The two of them hid in the alley between the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard and the neighbor¡¯s on the left. Although it was called an alley, it had become as such unintentionally. This was because the two families had a disagreement over the ownership of the tree in the middle of the alley when they were building the houses. As a result, two walls were built and a gap was formed in the middle. Therefore, it was not meant for pedestrians¡¯ use and it was very narrow. The two of them stuck together and squeezed into the narrow alley. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s head reached Wei Chiyu¡¯s chest. She was basically lying in between Wei Chiyu¡¯s arms, and she could clearly hear Wei Chiyu¡¯s steady and powerful heartbeat. In her previous life, she had never even held a man¡¯s hand before! Although she was thick-skinned and the two of them were just kids, but perhaps the space was too small, and she became a little nervous when she was suddenly in such close contact with Wei Chiyu. She couldn¡¯t help but move away, putting some distance between them. However, Wei Chiyu¡¯s voice suddenly sounded in her ear. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t move.¡± The next second, she heard footsteps coming from the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard. Zhou Xiaoli instantly stopped moving. All her previous efforts would be in vain if she was now discovered. At this moment, they heard the conversation between Lai Jinniang¡¯s eldest daughter-in-law and second daughter-in-law. ¡°Is there really a sound coming outside?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just heard someone talking earlier.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s not even a shadow outside.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m a little scared. Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Mother say that the bad luck has been resolved? Then, that ghost should have left. Look, that ghost came for just a short while before leaving tonight.¡± At this moment, a gust of wind suddenly blew past. The dried leaves on the ground slid noisily along with the wind. In the quiet night, the sound of the leaves being blown along the ground was especially loud. It sounded as if there was someone behind their backs and was slowly approaching. The two of them immediately turned around and ran home in fear. With a slam, they shut the door. Looking at how frightened they were, Wei Chiyu must have frightened them quite a bit these few days! ¡°Well, they¡¯re gone.¡± Zhou Xiaoli gently nudged Wei Chiyu and spoke in a low voice. Wei Chiyu finally reacted and let go of Zhou Xiaoli. The two of them walked out of the alley one after another. As Lai Jinniang and the others were still awake, Zhou Xiaoli could not change the formation then, so she sat outside the Old Zhou Family¡¯s wall and waited. Wei Chiyu had no intention of leaving. Seeing Zhou Xiaoli had sat down, he sat down beside her. Seeing Zhou Xiaoli looking at him, he opened his mouth and mouthed, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Since Wei Chiyu knew that she knew how to set up Feng Shui formations, Zhou Xiaoli did not chase him away. This time, the two of them did not speak again as they were afraid that the Old Zhou family members would hear them. The surroundings were a little quiet, and Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyelids began to droop as she waited. ¡°Little Li, they¡¯re asleep.¡± It wasn¡¯t until Wei Chiyu called her that Zhou Xiaoli stood up and began to move. By the time she was done, it was late at night. Wei Chiyu hadn¡¯t left yet. He was indeed waiting for her. Zhou Xiaoli yawned. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s done.¡± Without saying anything, the two of them walked side by side back home. A young man and a young woman taking a stroll under the moonlight. Unfortunately, when Zhou Xiaoli looked at Wei Chiyu, who was dressed as a ¡®ghost¡¯, she felt that there was zero romance in the air. Wei Chiyu did not go back immediately when he arrived at the Zhou family¡¯s door. Instead, he watched Zhou Xiaoli enter the house before leaving. After such a long time, they were home and Zhou Xiaoli was exhausted. She took off her clothes and fell asleep. The next day. At dawn, Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu sat up and prepared to get up. As the two of them sat up, the old bed creaked. Zhou Xiaoli had always been a light sleeper and she would wake up at the slightest sound. Therefore, when the two of them sat up, she opened her eyes. ¡°Ah, did I wake you up?¡± Zhang Lan whispered, then tucked Zhou Xiaoli in. ¡°It¡¯s still early. You should sleep for a while more.¡± ¡°Mother, you didn¡¯t wake me up. Aren¡¯t we going to the county to sell the sugar today?¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice was a little nasal as she had just woken up. ¡°I should get up too,¡±she muttered. Zhang Lan said softly, ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. It¡¯s still early. There¡¯s nothing for you to do at home anyway. Why do you need to get up then? Sleep a little longer.¡± Chapter 77 - 77 Like a Pig 77 Like a Pig ¡°Yes, your mother is right. Why are you up so early? Sleep more. At your age, you should sleep more. You can only grow taller if you sleep more, understand?¡± Zhou Yu agreed as he put on his coat. He even coaxed her to sleep, like a child. Ever since Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan recovered, the two of them no longer allow Zhou Xiaoli to work as hard as before. They did everything themselves. Even if she woke up early, the two of them would force her to go back to sleep for a while. Just like what¡¯s happening now. In the end, Zhou Xiaoli could only lie down again as she was unable to convince Zhang Lan. ¡°Alright then. Mother, you must call me later. Otherwise, when Big Brother Zheng comes to our house later and I¡¯m still sleeping. How embarrassing would that be?¡± Zhang Lan smiled and said dotingly, ¡°Alright, alright. Rest assured and sleep.¡± With that, the two of them got out of bed. After autumn, the weather got colder by the day. When the two of them opened the door, a cool breeze entered the house. After closing the door softly, the two of them washed up briefly and got busy. After Zhou Yu filled the water vat, he took the broom and began to clean the courtyard. Zhang Lan went to the kitchen first and started the fire. After putting on the pot to boil water, she sat at the door and began to do needlework. She had been busy making sugar in the day and could not see clearly at night. In order to make their winter clothes quickly, Zhang Lan woke up at dawn every day and started to sew under the weak sunlight. Listening to the sound of sweeping outside the window, Zhou Xiaoli felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Zhou Xiaoli had spent most of last night in the Old Zhou family¡¯s courtyard to amend the formation, so she did not sleep well. As a result, she fell asleep listening to the sound of sweeping. She slept very soundly and even had a beautiful dream. In the end, it was Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun¡¯s conversation that woke her up. ¡°Are you wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not wrong. You¡¯re wrong.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m not wrong.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You were wrong!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not wrong either. You¡¯re the one who¡¯s wrong!¡± ¡°It¡¯s your fault, it¡¯s your fault, it¡¯s your fault.¡± ¡­ When she opened her eyes, she heard the two little ones arguing back and forth. ¡°What are you arguing about?¡± Zhou Xiaoli rubbed her eyes and sat up. She was sure that if she did not say anything, the two little guys would argue for the entire morning. The two little ones were arguing fiercely when they heard Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice. They immediately stopped arguing. Zhou Xiaoyu said angrily, ¡°Zhou Junjun, look, you woke Sis up!¡± Zhou Xiaoyu called him by his name and stopped calling him as her brother. It seemed like she was really angry this time. ¡°Aiyo, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s question, Zhou Xiaoyu instantly felt wronged. She ran to Zhou Xiaoli and complained, ¡°Sis, Zhou Junjun is a big baddie. He scolded me!¡± Zhou Xiaoli looked at Zhou Junjun and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Brother Jun, did you bully your sister?¡± Zhou Junjun immediately said, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t bully her.¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu puffed up her cheeks angrily. ¡°You said that when I eat, I¡¯m like Liu Fengfeng¡¯s Flowey¡¯s Small Flowey. I¡¯m not.¡± Flowey was the pig reared by Liu Liangcai and his family. Because it had black patterns on its body, a few children named it Flowey. ¡°Oh? Brother Jun, did you say that?¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not directly blame anyone or comfort Zhou Xiaoli. Instead, she sought clarification about the situation from everyone. Zhou Junjun also looked aggrieved. ¡°Sis, I¡¯m praising my younger sister. I praised her that she looked as cute as Small Flowey when she¡¯s eating. I¡¯m praising her.¡± Zhou Junjun was rather excited as he spoke. Zhou Xiaoli was speechless. Hence, she said, ¡°Brother Jun, no one would praise someone that he or she looks like a pig.¡± Zhou Junjun was a little confused. ¡°But Sis, in the poems you taught me, the writers used bamboo and lotus flowers to compare to people and to praise their character. I think Small Flowey is the cutest and used it to praise my sister. Why can¡¯t I?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was speechless. She could not refute this little guy. Zhou Xiaoyu became angry again. ¡°No, you¡¯re just saying that I¡¯m fat, like a little pig.¡± Zhou Junjun: ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You did.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡­ Zhou Xiaoli hurriedly put a stop to it. Otherwise, a new round of ¡°You did, I didn¡¯t,¡± would start again. ¡°Sis, was I wrong?¡± Zhou Junjun looked at Zhou Xiaoli with sparkling eyes. Zhou Xiaoli paused for a moment. She spoke in a serious tone as she pulled the two of them to her bedside. ¡°Hm, it¡¯s like this. The bamboo and lotus in the poems were used to describe people with integrity and purity. Therefore, there¡¯s no problem in using them as examples to praise people.¡± ¡°However, not everyone agrees that the little piggy is cute. For example, our younger sister thinks that little piggy is fat.¡± ¡°If your sister doesn¡¯t agree with your analogy, then it can¡¯t be considered a compliment.¡± After saying this, Zhou Xiaoli turned to Zhou Xiaoyu and said, ¡°Your brother also did not have any ill intentions. It¡¯s just that you two had different understanding of the same thing.¡± ¡°Different people have different understanding of the same matter, but his original intention is good.¡± ¡°You two are the closest siblings in the world. You can¡¯t hurt your relationship just because of a misunderstanding.¡± The two little fellows fell silent. They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before nodding. ¡°Sis, we understand.¡± ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s shake hands and make peace.¡± Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but smile and put their hands together. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll apologize first. I¡¯m sorry, Sister.¡± Zhou Junjun whispered. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll apologize too. I won¡¯t be angry with you anymore. I¡¯ll still play with you in the future.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s feed the chickens and ducks together.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it together. I¡¯ll feed the chickens and you¡¯ll feed the ducks.¡± The two little ones were young to begin with, and the world of children was simple. Arguments came quickly, and so did reconciliation. Instantly, all the unhappiness dissipated. They held their small hands together and ran out in unison. Zhou Xiaoli shook her head helplessly and got up to get off the bed. At this moment, Zhang Lan walked in. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake. Get up then. I¡¯ve already prepared breakfast.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. She quickly put on her clothes and went out to wash up. By the time she was done washing up, Zhang Lan and the two little ones had already taken out the bowls and chopsticks. At this moment, Wei Chiyu arrived. He was going to enter the city today and had made an appointment to go with Zhou Xiaoli. Wei Chiyu rarely came to the Zhou family for breakfast. He usually only came at noon or night. Seeing that Wei Chiyu had arrived, Zhang Lan went into the kitchen and took another pair of bowls and chopsticks for him. ¡°Chiyu, eat more. You¡¯ve lost weight recently.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded and thanked her. ¡°Thank you, Auntie.¡± Everyone sat under the tree and began to eat breakfast together. Zhou Xiaoyu noticed that Wei Chiyu¡¯s right hand was swollen and couldn¡¯t help but be shocked at it. ¡°Ah, big brother, what happened to your hand?¡± Wei Chiyu looked down. ¡°Oh, I was bitten by an insect.¡± ¡°Aiya, then be careful. Go to the mountain and dig for some wormwood. The insects would be gone when you smoke out the house with it. My family does this and the effect is very good.¡± At this point, Zhang Lan suddenly realized something and said in surprise, ¡°Sigh, it just came to me. We haven¡¯t smoked out the house in a long time. Hubby, let¡¯s dig for some wormwood when we have time. We can give some to Chiyu then.¡± Zhou Yu nodded. ¡°Mm, sure.¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoyu said happily, ¡°We haven¡¯t had insect bites in a long time.¡± Chapter 78 - 78 Zheng Yongyan 78 Zheng Yongyan Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu were stunned. It was true. Ever since they moved here, they had not seen any mosquitoes in the room. After coming up with all kinds of reasons and disputing them all, they could only conclude that it was because of this house. In fact, there were no mosquitoes nor insects because of Zhou Xiaoli. The mosquitoes did not dare to approach her. However, Zhou Xiaoli would not tell anyone about this. Everyone chatted and laughed. Soon, they were all done eating. Wei Chiyu and Zhou Yu moved the cane sugar that they had made over the past four days onto the donkey cart. After they were done packing, the village chief¡¯s family arrived. However, the one who came was not the eldest son, Zheng Yonggui, but the village chief¡¯s youngest son, Zheng Yongyan. ¡°Eh? Yongyan, why are you here? Where¡¯s your big brother?¡± Zhang Lan was surprised and looked behind him. After Zheng Yongyan entered, he first greeted Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan politely before explaining in an unhurried manner. ¡°Auntie, my father said that my eldest brother is a boring person and is most unsuitable to do business.¡± Father asked me to come so that I can learn more from Sister Li this time. We can¡¯t rely on Sister Li alone to buy and sell goods in the future. How tiring would that be for her?¡± Zheng Yongyan spoke politely and unhurriedly. Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu nodded repeatedly as they listened to him as well. Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s gaze also fell on Zheng Yongyan. He was dressed in white. Although his clothes were not gorgeous, they were clean and tidy. He was slightly thin, and his words and actions were polite. The spitting image of a weak scholar. Zheng Yongyan was 10 years old this year and was slightly older than Zhou Xiaoli by a couple of months. He had gotten the scholar title of Child Scholar at the age of eight. At that time, it had shocked the entire village. Everyone in the village said that the village chief¡¯s ancestors must have done a lot of good deeds as a scholar was about to be born into their family. The village chief¡¯s family indeed had high hopes for their youngest son. However, why would the village chief let this future scholar waste his time by coming to learn business from her instead of studying? Zhou Xiaoli was full of doubts. However, no matter who went, it wouldn¡¯t affect her. Hence, after bidding farewell to Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan, she led the donkey cart out of the house. As expected, as soon as the donkey cart left the village, he showed his true colors. ¡°Sigh, you¡¯re Zhou Xiaoli, right?¡± As he spoke, Zheng Yongyan sized up Zhou Xiaoli from head to toe with an arrogant expression on his face. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing special about you. You¡¯re the same as those girls in the village. So boring.¡± With such provocative words, there was not a single iota of the refined manners he displayed in the Zhou family. Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but raise her eyebrows. This kid was such a two-faced person? She could not help but turn her body to the side and look at Zheng Yongyan. She said helplessly, ¡°Little Young Master Zheng, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. I don¡¯t think I provoked you.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s facial features were good-looking to begin with. Her almond-shaped eyes were clean and clear, and her round little face, coupled with her exquisite little mouth, made her look even more beautiful than before. However, there was a bright red mole under her left eye. Instantly, the childish look on her round face faded and added a hint of sensuality. Such a contradictory combination created a different temperament. It was unique and left a deep impression. In addition, she had been drinking the spring water in the alternate space and that made her skin fair and smooth. Even if she ran under the sun all day, she would not be tanned. She was prettier than the young ladies he had seen in the city. It was wrong of him to compare her to the rest of the young ladies in the village. When Zhou Xiaoli suddenly turned around, Zheng Yongyan met that pair of clean and clear almond-shaped eyes. He could not help but be stunned at what he saw. The tips of his ears turned red suddenly. He too felt that what he said seemed to be wrong. She was different from the girls in the village. However, he would not admit that he was wrong. Instead, he snorted and looked away arrogantly, not daring to look at Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Let me tell you, I won¡¯t like a little girl like you. I like girls who are as beautiful and educated as me. So, give up on this idea as soon as possible. Don¡¯t try to curry favor with my parents again.¡± As soon as he said this, Wei Chiyu, who was driving the carriage, suddenly raised the reins and sped up. Their seating arrangement was like this: Wei Chiyu sat at the front of the car to drive the cart while Zhou Xiaoli sat beside him. Zheng Yongyan sat in the back of the car in a dignified manner. In order to sit elegantly, he was unwilling to sit on the bottom of the cart and even placed a small stool on it. Hence, after Wei Chiyu suddenly accelerated, Zheng Yongyan lost his balance and fell backward, rolling off the donkey cart. As for Wei Chiyu, he supported Zhou Xiaoli with one hand and stabilized her figure. Without any intention of stopping, he drove the donkey cart away. Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°¡­¡± If Wei Chiyu could have it his way, he would enter the city directly and not bother with that brat. However, he was still the village chief¡¯s precious son. ¡°Let¡¯s go back. Look at him. He¡¯s like a weak chicken. If something were to happen to him, we won¡¯t be able to answer to the village chief.¡± In the end, Zhou Xiaoli could not allow him to do that and asked Wei Chiyu to turn around. Hearing Zhou Xiaoli describe Zheng Yongyan in such a way, Wei Chi¡¯s dark expression finally eased a little. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± With that, he turned around and returned. When they returned to their original positions, they saw Zheng Yongyan sitting by the roadside, as if he was wiping his tears¡­ Ah, no way. Zhou Xiaoli almost burst out laughing. He had been so arrogant just now, but now he was secretly wiping his tears. This kid was too cute. Hearing the sound of the cart coming back, Zheng Yongyan turned his head away angrily. Wei Chiyu¡¯s cold voice rang out when the cart stopped. ¡°Come over and get in.¡± Zheng Yongyan refused and said in an arrogant manner. ¡°No, you did it on purpose just now. Apologize. If you don¡¯t, I won¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Children are so troublesome.¡± Wei Chiyu frowned and jumped out of the car unhappily. Then, under Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s widened eyes, Zheng Yongyan¡¯s face turned pale. He picked Zheng Yongyan up like a little chick and threw him into the cart. ¡°Rude, you¡¯re simply too rude!¡± Zheng Yongyan was so angry that his face turned red. However, since he was a scholar, he did not know how to scold others. He kept repeating the words ¡°rude¡± and ¡°insolent¡±. It had no impact on anyone. Wei Chiyu snorted coldly. ¡°Kid! Sit properly. If you fall again, I won¡¯t come back!¡± With that, he jumped cleanly onto the donkey cart and drove away. Although he continued to run his mouth, Zheng Yongyan was pretty honest in his actions. He immediately grabbed the handlebars after getting into the cart. Zhou Xiaoli clutched her stomach. She wanted to laugh, but she did not dare to laugh too loudly. It was extremely uncomfortable. ¡°Hey, stop laughing.¡± Zheng Yongyan glared at Zhou Xiaoli, looking rather embarrassed. Zhou Xiaoli shrugged and stopped laughing. ¡°So, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t like kids like you either, understand?¡± Upon hearing this, Zheng Yongyan was furious. ¡°I¡¯m not a child!¡± ¡°Not a child? Then why were you crying just now?¡± Zhou Xiaoli exposed him mercilessly. Zheng Yongyan was embarrassed and angry. ¡°I¡¯m not crying. That was because sand entered my eyes earlier!¡± Thank you for reading on https://www.novelhall.com Chapter 79 - 79 Selling Sugar 79 Selling Sugar Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli did not believe him, Zheng Yongyan panicked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t crying just now. I¡¯m a man, alright? How could I cry because of this?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Ah, yes, yes.¡± Zheng Yongyan snorted coldly. ¡°What kind of attitude is that? Hmph! You¡¯re indeed an uneducated young lady. How unreasonable.¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°Ah, yes, yes, yes.¡± Zheng Yongyan: ¡­ Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s attitude made Zheng Yongyan feel like his words had fallen on deaf ears. He was so angry that he stopped being angry. In the end, he simply turned his head away, pursed his lips, and ignored Zhou Xiaoli. However, he was cursing in his heart. ¡°How was she as sensible, obedient, and smart as his father said?¡± he thought. Fortunately, he had eavesdropped on his parents¡¯ conversation that they planned to matchmake him with Zhou Xiaoli. As such, he had begged his father to let him sell the sugar today. Only then was he able to see Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s true colors for himself! Hmph! Just you wait. When I get home, I¡¯ll definitely tell my father that he had misjudged her. Zhou Xiaoli is not obedient at all! Zheng Yongyan had a lot of internal conversation going on. On the other side, Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu sat side by side. The two of them chatted casually and admired the scenery by the roadside. It was a very relaxing time for them. The donkey cart moved very quickly. Before long, they saw the city gate. After paying the entrance fee, the donkey cart slowly drove into the city. The county city was as prosperous as ever. The streets were filled with traffic and the sounds of shopkeepers hawking their wares were endless. They didn¡¯t stay in this bustling place for long. They rode the donkey cart and headed straight for Qing Tao Workshop. Qing Tao Workshop was the largest sugar shop in Wenshui County. Not only did it sell candy, but it also sold all kinds of dried fruits and candied fruits. Business was very good. When they arrived at the entrance of Qing Tao Workshop, they saw an endless stream of customers. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re here. Let¡¯s get out of the cart.¡± Zhou Xiaoli called out to Zheng Yongyan, who was sitting still, and jumped out of the cart first. Zheng Yongyan said in disdain, ¡°How rude. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have a name.¡± However, he obediently got off the donkey cart. After tying up the donkey cart, Wei Chiyu walked around to the back of the cart. He carried the cane sugar out of the cart and followed Zhou Xiaoli into the shop. ¡°Sir, take a look inside and see what you want. Our shop has fruits, candy, candied fruits, and everything.¡± Seeing Zhou Xiaoli and the others enter, the shop assistant called out to them enthusiastically. Zhou Xiaoli went straight to the counter and asked with a smile, ¡°Is your shopkeeper here? I¡¯m looking for your shopkeeper.¡± The shop assistant looked at Zhou Xiaoli. A moment later, he slapped his forehead. ¡°Ha, I know you. You¡¯re Miss Zhou, the one who came to look for my shopkeeper the last time too, right?¡± Seeing Zhou Xiaoli nod, the shop assistant added, ¡°You¡¯re here to deliver the sugar, right? Wait a moment, my shopkeeper will be here soon.¡± As he spoke, the shop assistant walked around the counter and entered the back room. After a while, Shopkeeper Qian walked out from behind. He smiled and went straight to the point. ¡°Miss Zhou, how much have you done over the past few days?¡± Zhou Xiaoli pointed at the bag in Wei Chiyu¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s all here.¡± The shopkeeper looked over and saw a thin cloth sack. He could not help but be shocked at the size of it. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s only been a few days, and you¡¯ve already made so much.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s for livelihood.¡± Qian Zhantang nodded in understanding and did not say anything else. Seeing that the shopkeeper had walked over, Wei Chiyu placed the sugar on the counter and opened the bag for the shopkeeper to see. The shopkeeper took out a spoon and flipped the content over. The bag was filled with crystallized sugar cubes. Then, he picked up a piece with a pair of tongs and placed it in his mouth. The taste of it was good and since there was no problem, he nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s weigh it.¡± As he spoke, he called two assistants over. The shop assistant was quick and immediately brought over a scale. The two shop assistants weighed it together and said, ¡°Shopkeeper, it¡¯s a total of 84 kilograms and 140 grams.¡± As soon as the shop assistant announced the weight, Zhou Xiaoli nodded and muttered to herself in a low voice, ¡°Hm, it¡¯s not bad. We earned 10,110 in four days.¡± Qian Zhantang, on the other hand, calculated a few times on the abacus and came up with the final figure. ¡°60 copper coins for half kilogram, that will mean a total of 10,110 copper coins.¡± Hearing this number, Zheng Yongyan subconsciously looked at Zhou Xiaoli in surprise. ¡°She knew mental arithmetic?¡± he thought. Although Zhou Xiaoli was talking to herself just now and her voice was not loud, Zheng Yongyan, who was beside her, heard her mutterings. However, he immediately felt that she must have calculated it at home before. The shop assistant had already retrieved the money from the back room. Qian Zhantang counted the money and handed it to Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°It¡¯s a total of 10 taels of silver and 110 copper coins. Keep it well.¡± ¡°Thank you, shopkeeper.¡± Zhou Xiaoli took the money with a smile and thanked him politely. Seeing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s calm reaction after receiving the money, Qian Zhantang could not help but be surprised again. He was also from a farmer¡¯s family, so he naturally knew what an ordinary farmer¡¯s family was like. Even after years of hard work, one might not be able to earn so much money. Yet, this young lady had such a calm reaction when she received the money? Just as he was in shock, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice rang out again. ¡°By the way, shopkeeper, how long would this sugar last in your shop?¡± Qian Zhantang thought about it. He thought that Zhou Xiaoli was worried that the sugar sales would be bad, so he immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This bit of sugar is not even enough to sell in my shop. It will be gone in two or three days. If you take it to my shop in the capital, the sales will be even better. It will probably be gone in a day.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. She now had a rough understanding of the purchasing power in the county city, so she said, ¡°Alright, thank you, shopkeeper. We¡¯ll come back in three days to deliver the goods to you.¡± After bidding farewell to the shopkeeper of the sugar shop, Zhou Xiaoli bought some candied plums and the three of them entered the First-grade Restaurant. The First-grade Restaurant and Qing Tao Workshop were on the same street. It was only a few steps away. Wei Chiyu went inside to sell some wild game, while Zhou Xiaoli and Zheng Yongyan waited outside. Zheng Yongyan was still refusing to talk to Zhou Xiaoli and had an arrogant expression on her face. Zhou Xiaoli was too lazy to speak to him too. She sat in the cart and ate the sour plums while swinging her feet. She hummed a tune as she waited for Wei Chiyu to come out. Obviously, she was in a good mood. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was enjoying the sour plum, Zheng Yongyan immediately felt that his stomach was a little empty. However, he could not ask for a sour plum because of his pride. Sensing his gaze, Zhou Xiaoli turned to look at him. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Then, she realized that his gaze had landed on the candied plums in her hand. She understood immediately. ¡°Oh, you want to eat these?¡± Zheng Yongyan, who had been caught red-handed, was a little embarrassed. He explained, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t want to eat! A gentleman doesn¡¯t talk when he eats. I just saw that you were eating inelegantly and felt a little uncomfortable, so I wanted to remind you of your manners.¡± ¡°Oh, what does a gentleman have to do with me? I¡¯m not a gentleman.¡± Zhou Xiaoli shrugged. What a stubborn fellow. Zheng Yongyan: ¡°¡­ One can¡¯t make a silk purse out of a sow¡¯s ear.¡± Just as the two of them were bickering, Wang Defu suddenly ran out of the restaurant. ¡°Aiya, Miss Zhou, why don¡¯t you come into the restaurant and have a seat?¡± Wang Defu ran over to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s side, appearing extremely excited. ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared a banquet in the private room. Miss Zhou, would you like to come up and have a seat?¡± Zhou Xiaoli jumped out of the cart and said with a smile, ¡°I have something to do in the city today. I still have to go back later, so I won¡¯t be going in.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. I¡¯ve been looking forward to seeing you for more than a month. You have to come. You saved my life. I haven¡¯t thanked you in person.¡± Chapter 80 - 80 Thank You Banquet 80 Thank You Banquet Wang Defu was persistent. ¡°Look, I have already set up the banquet. Miss Zhou, please come.¡± Unable to resist Wang Defu¡¯s hospitality, Zhou Xiaoli finally sighed and agreed. Wang Defu immediately beamed with joy. ¡°Good, good, good. That¡¯s great. You didn¡¯t just save my life. A good brother of mine has always said that he wants to see you.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said politely, ¡°Shopkeeper, you¡¯re too polite. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Sigh, you can¡¯t say that.¡± Wang Defu chuckled. At this moment, the waiter called out and said that the table had been set up. Wang Defu immediately said, ¡°Miss Zhou, please come in.¡± Then, he looked at Zheng Yongyan, who was standing at the side. ¡°Young Master, you must be Miss Zhou¡¯s friend. Come, come in.¡± As soon as Wang Defu appeared, Zheng Yongyan resumed his refined attitude. He cupped his hands as a form of greetings at the shopkeeper and followed Zhou Xiaoli into the restaurant. Stepping into the restaurant, he saw that Wei Chiyu had just finished selling his prey and was collecting money. Wang Defu stepped forward and invited Wei Chiyu as well. Wang Defu booked a private room on the second floor. Before he went upstairs, he also found a waiter to call his brother over. Everyone took their seats. After a round of flattery, Wang Defu couldn¡¯t wait to talk about his experience. ¡°Miss Zhou, you¡¯re really amazing! When you reminded me not to attend the invitation, I didn¡¯t understand what you meant then.¡± ¡°Unexpectedly, a few of my good friends invited me to the entertainment boat to listen to the songstress sing not long after you left that day.¡± ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t take it seriously. I thought it was a coincidence and accepted the invitation. However, the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. Hence, I told my friends about the situation.¡± ¡°Guess what?¡± Wang Defu looked excited as he spoke in high spirits. Zheng Yongyan was fascinated as he stared at Wang Defu and continued, ¡°What happened?¡± Zhou Xiaoli wanted to laugh. It was a pity that Wang Defu was not a storyteller. Wang Defu didn¡¯t keep them in suspense and continued, ¡°They didn¡¯t believe me! They said I was stupid for believing others just because they said something.¡± ¡°To be honest, I was a little shaken at that time, but in the end, I decided not to go.¡± ¡°I knew it. It¡¯s better to believe it than not. Anyway, we can always listen to the songstress anytime. I told them, let¡¯s not go this time. Nothing would go wrong from us being careful.¡± ¡°But my brothers didn¡¯t agree. They said that it was very difficult to make a reservation on the entertainment boat. How could they not go because of what a stranger said?¡± At this point, Wang Defu sighed. He was both glad and vexed. ¡°Sigh, I should have insisted and persuaded them. Because I didn¡¯t believe it myself, I didn¡¯t persuade them anymore. ¡°In the end, there was only one good brother who saw that I was perturbed and acting strange. He was afraid that something would happen to me, so he accompanied me and didn¡¯t go.¡± ¡°But who knew that in the latter half of the night, something really happened to that entertainment boat! When the boat rowed into the river, for some reason, it caught fire. The entire boat was poured with kerosene and burned quickly. The fire could not be extinguished. In the end, some were burned to death, while others drowned. None were spared.¡± With that, Wang Defu poured a glass of wine and patted his chest. ¡°Miss Zhou, I don¡¯t have any good points, but I can say with confidence that I stand by the word ¡®loyalty¡¯! You saved my life. From now on, my life is yours. As long as you need me, I¡¯ll even die for you!¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh. ¡°You¡¯re being too serious. I was just giving you some advice casually. In the end, you still have to rely on yourself.¡± Although Zhou Xiaoli said so, Wang Defu did not think so. ¡°No, no, Miss Zhou, you are a true master.¡± After saying that, he continued in embarrassment. ¡°Miss Zhou, how did you know that I would have an appointment? How did you know that something would happen to me? After all, I didn¡¯t even know that I had an invitation at that time.¡± Zhou Xiaoli paused for a moment, then said in a mock profound voice, ¡°Of course it¡¯s through predictions.¡± ¡°You really did predict it!¡± Wang Defu was a little excited. ¡°Miss, you¡¯re a true master. I¡¯ve seen some powerful fortune tellers who could predict some calamities, but none of them were as accurate as you said.¡± Zhou Xiaoli picked up her teacup and took a sip, smiling but said nothing else. In fact, at that time, she had only seen that Wang Defu had a dim aura on his forehead and that he was about to face disaster. It was all thanks to her Heavenly Eye that she knew the details. That day, her Heavenly Eye was triggered and an illusion appeared, allowing her to see what had happened. As such, Zhou Xiaoli reminded him in passing since she wanted to befriend him. At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Then, the waiter¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper Qian is here.¡± Wang Defu immediately stood up and said with a smile, ¡°My good friend is here. He always thought that you were an old man. When he sees such a young girl later, he will definitely be shocked.¡± With that, he went to open the door. As soon as the door opened, Qian Zhantang¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Why did you take such a long time to open the door? Where is the master?¡± Wang Defu led Qian Zhantang into the room and closed the door. He chuckled and said, ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? The master won¡¯t run away. She¡¯s just sitting here.¡± As he spoke, he gestured for Qian Zhantang to look at the guests in the room. Qian Zhantang immediately looked around, but he saw only three familiar faces. He could not help but be stunned and said in surprise, ¡°Eh, Miss Zhou, why are you here?¡± Wang Defu was surprised. ¡°You know Miss Zhou?¡± Qian Zhantang nodded. ¡°Yes, Miss Zhou is my business partner.¡± Then, he realized something and looked at Wang Defu in disbelief. ¡°Could the Master Zhou you talked about be Miss Zhou?¡± Seeing Wang Defu nod, Qian Zhantang still had a look of disbelief on his face. He felt that Wang Defu was teasing him. ¡°Stop joking. How can there be such a young master, and a girl at that?¡± Then, seeing Wang Defu¡¯s expression, Qian Zhantang was stunned. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± Even after sitting down, Qian Zhantang still found it hard to believe. Qian Zhantang said, ¡°Miss Zhou, I was blind to not recognize you. I didn¡¯t know that you were the master who saved my life. I¡¯ll punish myself with a cup of wine first.¡± With that, he drank it all in one gulp. Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Shopkeeper Qian, you¡¯re being too polite.¡± Qian Zhantang poured another glass of wine and said, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m in a hurry to see the master. Firstly, I want to thank you for saving my life. I also have a presumptuous request to ask of.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I want to ask the master to help me do a divination. I wonder if it¡¯s possible.¡± Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and looked at Qian Zhantang. She couldn¡¯t help but smile and say, ¡°Shopkeeper Qian, are you asking about leaving your hometown? If you¡¯re asking about this, there¡¯s no need to do a divination. My suggestion is to stay still. If you move, you¡¯ll be in danger.¡± As soon as these words were spoken, Qian Zhantang¡¯s hand trembled in shock, and the cup fell on the table with a clatter. He stood up excitedly. ¡°How, how did you know?¡± Chapter 81 - 81 Taking Sides 81 Taking Sides In the end, he felt that he had lost his composure and sat down again. He sighed, ¡°As expected of a master. I didn¡¯t even say what I wanted to ask, but you already know!¡± Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that complicated. Most divination questions are about family, fortune, career, and disasters.¡± ¡°Shopkeeper Qian, your zodiac sign shows that you haven¡¯t had any worries recently. There¡¯s only one thing that¡¯s different, and that¡¯s the relocation palace. Your laugh lines are obvious, indicating that you¡¯re inclined to leave your hometown recently.¡± Zhou Xiaoli spoke in a relaxed manner, but it shocked everyone present. The effect of hearing it from others and experiencing it personally was naturally different and the latter had a bigger effect. Qian Zhantang unconsciously carried a more respectful attitude to her now in comparison to their earlier meeting. ¡°Miss Zhou is indeed impressive at such a young age.¡± Seeing his good friend praising Zhou Xiaoli as such, Wang Defu was extremely excited. It was as if his friend was not praising Zhou Xiaoli, but him instead. He looked like a fan leader. ¡°Look, just like what I have said. Miss Zhou is very impressive!¡± Then, he realized what his friend was asking. He looked at Qian Zhantang in surprise. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re leaving? Why haven¡¯t I heard you mention it before?¡± Qian Zhantang sighed and explained, ¡°It happened half a month ago. Didn¡¯t my cousin Zhanpeng open a Qing Tao Workshop in Beijing? A nobleman in Beijing took a fancy to my Qing Tao Workshop and wanted to cooperate with me to expand it. Zhanpeng asked me to go to Beijing with him. I¡¯m still thinking about it, so I didn¡¯t tell you about it yet.¡± It was a good thing to have the opportunity to go to the capital to develop his business with one of the noblemen. Wang Defu should be happy for his good brother. However, Zhou Xiaoli had given them her suggestion, so he could not help but say, ¡°Then you have to think carefully about the suggestion that Miss Zhou gave you.¡± Qian Zhantang nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± He had his hesitations because he was worried about his mother. There was also a letter from his cousin from the capital yesterday asking about the source of the cane sugar in his hands. The letter even asked in detail about the person who provided the sugar. He said that the nobleman was very concerned and wanted him to tell him the details. Qian Zhantang was a businessman and was naturally not a simple-minded person. He immediately smelled something unusual. He recalled that in the capital, the first person to make cane sugar was Miss Sun. She was friends with the nobleman who worked with his cousin, so this nobleman naturally did not need the method to make cane sugar. In that case, there was only one reason for him to inquire about the person who made the sugar cane. After all, a unique item would be considered precious, right? Thinking of this, he could not help but look at Zhou Xiaoli. She was so young, yet her metaphysical techniques were already so powerful. Her future was immeasurable! As long as they weren¡¯t stupid, they knew which sides to take. Thinking of this, he held his wine glass and smiled. ¡°Miss Zhou, let me toast you. It¡¯s fate that we met. If you need me in the future, feel free to ask. There¡¯s no need to stand on ceremony with me.¡± Wang Defu chimed in, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Meeting is fate. Let¡¯s toast to fate!¡± Wang Defu and Qian Zhantang were both in their 20s this year. For example, Wang Defu got married when he was 15, and his sons were all as old as Zhou Xiaoli. However, after witnessing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s abilities, the two of them subconsciously ignored her age and did not treat her as a child at all. Zhou Xiaoli was neither servile nor overbearing. She was also not swayed by favor or humiliation. After three rounds of drinking, Zhou Xiaoli got up and left because she still had things to do. Qian Zhantang told Zhou Xiaoli to wait. He was going to get the consultation fee for Zhou Xiaoli. Zhou Xiaoli did not refuse and said with a smile, ¡°There are three rules in the Taoist community whereby we have to accept and three rules whereby we do not accept divination consultation fee. Although I didn¡¯t do a divination for you today, the suggestion I gave you could be considered as revealing the secrets of heaven, so I have to accept the consultation fee.¡± Immediately after, Zhou Xiaoli counted on her fingers and said, ¡°Shopkeeper Qian, give me 30 copper coins. Someone might need it on the way later, so I¡¯ll take the opportunity to dispense the money then. It can also be considered as resolving the backlash of revealing the heavenly secrets.¡± Qian Zhantang felt that 30 copper coins was too little, but Zhou Xiaoli insisted on 30 copper coins. Since she was a koi in her previous life, she would not suffer the backlash of fate. However, the people around her may be affected. Therefore, it was better to spend less of the money obtained from leaking heavenly secrets. At Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s behest, Qian Zhantang did not try to persuade her anymore. He asked the shop assistant to count out 30 copper coins for Zhou Xiaoli. However, before Zhou Xiaoli left, he gave her another big bag of the candied plums. It was said to be a meeting gift for Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s siblings. Zhou Xiaoli accepted it without hesitation since it was not considered as part of the divination consultation fee. Then, the three of them drove the donkey cart all the way to the entrance of the Stone Gambling Den in the south of the city. Zhou Xiaoli came to the county today for another important matter, which was to sell the pearls. She had basically spent all the family¡¯s savings buying the land on the southern slope of Qingyuan Mountain at the Mayor¡¯s place. Of the 23 acres of land at home, 13 acres were still wasteland. It would take a lot of effort to cultivate and plant the fruit trees. Zhou Yu was the only laborer in their family. It was definitely impossible for him to do it alone, so Zhou Xiaoli thought of hiring workers to help. Their family could earn more than four taels of silver from selling sugar this time, but this was far from enough. So she wanted to sell the pearls. Wei Chiyu often came to the county city, so he should be familiar with it. Hence, she asked him where in the county city pearls would be sold at a high price. Wei Chiyu thought about it and said that he knew a place that would probably accept it. The place was the Stone Gambling Den. The current Emperor favored all kinds of rare and exotic stones. Some officials hence gathered all kinds of rare and exotic stones from everywhere in the country in order to curry favor with the Emperor. This in turn resulted in many people who wanted to take shortcuts in life and curry favor with the rich and powerful, to use rare flowers and stones to cozy up to the rich and powerful. Hence, many stone gambling dens were formed. Because of the Qingyuan Mountain Range, there were many large and small stone gambling dens in Qingzhou itself. There was a small gambling den in Wenshui County itself, located in the south of the city. The donkey cart walked on the street unhurriedly while the hawkers on both sides of the road shouted endlessly. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli suddenly turned to look at Zheng Yonghe and asked, ¡°Kid, if you have something to say, just say it. Why are you looking at me?¡± Ever since she came out of the First-grade Restaurant, Zheng Yongyan had been acting strangely. He kept looking at her in a strange manner which caused her to be uneasy. Zhou Xiaoli was so direct with her words that Zheng Yongyan was stunned for a moment. Then, he exploded. ¡°I¡¯m not looking at you. Don¡¯t flatter yourself. I¡¯m looking at the road. I¡¯m looking at the road!¡± As soon as Zheng Yongyan said this, Wei Chiyu suddenly pulled the reins and hurriedly stopped the donkey cart. Fortunately, since they were on the streets and there were many pedestrians, they were moving at a snail pace. Zheng Yongyan did not fall over this time. He staggered before recovering though. Zhou Xiaoli staggered as well. Zheng Yongyan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Wei Chiyu, you¡¯re doing it again!¡± Wei Chiyu pointed ahead and said calmly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were looking at the road?¡± Zheng Yongyan paused and looked over. Then, he realized that an old man was lying in front of their donkey cart. At this moment, a teenage girl rushed over to help the old man up. As she helped him up, she apologized to them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Chapter 82 - 82 Not Without Merits 82 Not Without Merits Zhou Xiaoli jumped down from the cart and walked over to help the little girl help the old man up from the ground. Wei Chiyu and Zheng Yongyan also got off the donkey cart and walked forward to help. Wei Chiyu frowned slightly and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s temperament was a little cold to begin with, and his serious expression frightened the little girl. Her voice trembled as she apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. We didn¡¯t mean it. We really didn¡¯t mean it.¡± ¡°We came to Wenshui County to seek help from our relatives. My grandfather fell ill. We just wanted to buy some medicine, but we didn¡¯t have enough money so we were chased out by the pharmacy. That¡¯s why my grandfather accidentally fell in front of your donkey cart.¡± For some reason, when he heard this, Zheng Yongyan subconsciously remembered what Zhou Xiaoli had said to Shopkeeper Qian when she was collecting the divination consultation fee. He glanced at Zhou Xiaoli again, his eyes shining. At this moment, the medicinal shop assistant stood at the side and threw their bags to the ground. ¡°Why are you sick if you don¡¯t have money!¡± There were still tears on the little girl¡¯s face. She knelt in front of the shop assistant and kept kowtowing to him. ¡°I beg you. Please help me to save my Grandpa for now. When I find a relative, I¡¯ll definitely send the money to you immediately.¡± The shop assistant sighed. ¡°Young lady, this is a pharmacy, not a charity hall. I¡¯ve seen many people like you. If we help everyone, will our pharmacy still be able to do business? Off you go, go.¡± As he spoke, he waved his hand and turned to enter the shop. The little girl was still kowtowing. The old man hugged his granddaughter with tears in his eyes. ¡°Niuniu, it¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t be sad. I¡¯m old. It¡¯s only a matter of time.¡± ¡°No, Grandpa, don¡¯t leave me. You¡¯re my only family.¡± The little girl cried inconsolably, making people cry together with her. However, the shop assistant was right. Such things often happened, especially for the poor. The surrounding people also looked at it and sighed. They were used to such things happening. ¡°How much more?¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s clear voice sounded out. The little girl looked at her with teary eyes. ¡°How much more do you need to buy the medicine?¡± Zhou Xiaoli asked again. ¡°30 copper coins.¡± A glimmer of hope appeared in the little girl¡¯s eyes. Zhou Xiaoli did not say anything else. She took out the 30 copper coins that Shopkeeper Qian gave her, squatted down, and placed it in the little girl¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s exactly 30 copper coins. Take it to Grandpa to get the medicine.¡± With that, she stood up and said to Wei Chiyu, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The three of them got on the donkey cart and slowly left while the little girl kowtowed and thanked them. Zheng Yongyan looked at Zhou Xiaoli with a complicated expression on his face. ¡°Ahem, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so kind. In that case, it looks like you are not without any merits afterall.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was stunned for a moment and immediately retreated. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve discovered my good points to the point of praising me? Hey, wait a minute. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve changed your mind and you like me now because of this?!¡± Zheng Yongyan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°How shameless! I won¡¯t like you!¡± Zhou Xiaoli heaved a sigh of relief and patted her chest. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good. You almost scared me to death.¡± Zheng Yongyan¡¯s face darkened even more. He became a child scholar at the age of eight and was also the son of the village chief. All the girls in the village were enthusiastic about him. He was usually the one to look down on others. This Zhou Xiaoli; only she alone would make him angry. As the two of them bickered, they arrived at the entrance of the stone gambling denl in the south of the city. Wei Chiyu parked the donkey cart at the transit station outside the venue, then led Zhou Xiaoli and the others into a street. As soon as they turned in, they were stunned by the commotion in front of them. There were shops on both sides of the street. The doors of the shops were open, and all kinds of raw stones were neatly placed inside and at the entrance of the shops. Further in, they saw a large open space. There were all sorts of stalls within. There were many stalls, but they were not messy. Every stall was lined up in a row neatly with a path for walking in the middle. The customers walked on the road and passed by the stalls. When they found something they liked, they would stop and look at them. Further in, one could see a few jade shops. Stone cutters were placed at the entrance, and many people were cutting stones. The scene was very lively. This was the first time Zhou Xiaoli had seen an ancient stone gambling den. It was very novel to her, so she couldn¡¯t help but stay within for a while. As soon as she looked closely, she saw a familiar figure. It was Zhou Guifen¡¯s husband, Xue Min. Only then did she remember that Lai Jinniang¡¯s eldest daughter, Zhou Guifen¡¯s husband, was from the Xue family, which owned a jade shop. Obviously, when Zhou Xiaoli saw him, Xue Min also noticed Zhou Xiaoli. However, he turned his gaze away and spoke to the others as if he did not see her. At this moment, Wei Chiyu pointed at a jade shop. ¡°This one. I¡¯ll help you ask if they accept pearls.¡± Zhou Xiaoli immediately pulled Wei Chiyu back and shook her head, ¡°Not for now.¡± Xue Min had already seen her. This was such a big deal. If she sold a pearl here, the news would probably spread in less than a day. If Xue Min knew, Zhou Guifen would also know. Wouldn¡¯t Lai Jinniang and the others then suspect that Zhou Xiaoli had fabricated the story about their misfortunes being the Dragon King¡¯s punishment for taking the pearl? Wei Chiyu glanced at Xue Min and understood what Zhou Xiaoli meant. He nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯re going to the prefecture soon. I¡¯ll help you sell it then.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± But what if she was short of money now? Zhou Xiaoli frowned slightly. Her gaze fell on the dazzling array of raw stones, and she had an idea suddenly. Zheng Yongyan, who had never liked gambling, did not want to stay here. He said, ¡°Since you¡¯re not selling anymore, let¡¯s leave quickly. This place is too dirty!¡± As he spoke, he turned and was about to leave in a hurry. However, Zhou Xiaoli stopped him. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t. Since we¡¯re already here, let¡¯s take a look. What if we manage to get a treasure?¡± Zheng Yongyan frowned in disapproval. He wanted to refuse, but Zhou Xiaoli was already strolling in front of the stalls. Wei Chiyu walked past Zheng Yongyan and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to shop, you can go to the transit station to retrieve the donkey cart first. The parking fee is quite expensive.¡± With that, he followed Zhou Xiaoli. Zheng Yongyan pursed his lips and snorted. ¡°I would not.¡± With that, he followed reluctantly. After going through the stalls one by one, Zhou Xiaoli also saw a few stones that emitted spiritual energy. However, the spiritual energy was very weak. There should be something inside, but not much. At this moment, she heard a voice from the stall beside her. ¡°Boss, you asked for 20 taels for this stone. It¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°This is a high-quality raw stone. Look, the probability of it producing jade is very high.¡± ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re just trying to scam the newbies. Your stone is worth at most five taels of silver.¡± Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but look at the stone in the man¡¯s hand, her eyes narrowing into slivers. At this moment, the boss laughed. ¡°Five taels of silver is fine. Do you want it?¡± It seemed that the shop owner knew that he had asked for a price higher than what the stone was worth. After the shop owner finished speaking, the customer smiled and placed the stone down. He shook his head. ¡°I usually don¡¯t buy stones of such grades.¡± Then he went to look at the other stones. After taking another look at the stone, Zhou Xiaoli walked forward and picked it up. Chapter 83 - 83 Color! 83 Color! Seeing that another customer had arrived, the boss immediately put on a smile. When he took a closer look, he realized that it was a young lady. He was stunned for a moment before smiling. ¡°Aiya, young lady, I can tell that you know your stuff. This is a top-notch raw stone¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli imitated the others who held the stone up and turned it over and over again. However, she did not listen to the shop owner¡¯s string of lies. She had not seen it wrongly just now. This stone indeed emitted spiritual energy. Although it was only gathered in a small area, it was dense and concentrated. Hence, she asked, ¡°Boss, how much is this piece? I want it.¡± The owner stayed at the entrance of the stone gambling den all day, and his eyes were very sharp. When Zhou Xiaoli walked over, he realized that Zhou Xiaoli was a newbie. He immediately smiled and said, ¡°Miss, you have good taste. This stone is a high-quality product from San Mio. It¡¯s priced at 10 taels of silver.¡± Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and was about to speak. At this moment, the big brother who was looking at the stone just now, turned back and happened to see that Zhou Xiaoli was about to buy the stone he had taken a fancy to. He immediately walked over and asked, ¡°Miss, are you new here?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was stunned for a moment before nodding. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Miss, this stone is not very good. It most likely won¡¯t produce any green color.¡± The big brother smiled and kindly reminded her. When the boss heard this, he was a little angry. ¡°Hey, you. Gambling stones depend on luck. You said it¡¯s not easy to get. Who knows, maybe the girl is lucky and got it with one cut of the stone?¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Boss. It depends on affinity. I think this stone is very suitable.¡± Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli refused to listen to his advice and insisted on buying it, the big brother shook his head. ¡°Sigh, newbies are hot-headed. It¡¯s inevitable. When you suffer a few losses, you have to thank me for persuading you today.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Zhou Xiaoli thanked him with a smile. ¡°I just like this stone.¡± Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was so insistent, the big brother shook his head and did not say anything else. On the other hand, Zhou Xiaoli had already taken out 10 taels of silver and handed it to the boss. At this moment, Zheng Yongyan¡¯s brows were furrowed so tightly that they could kill a fly. He tried his best to pull on Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s clothes, wanting to stop her. However, Zhou Xiaoli had already handed over the 10 taels of silver to the boss. ¡°Sigh, Miss, hold the stone well. I can tell that you¡¯re blessed with good luck. One slash of the knife will definitely bring good things to you.¡± The boss handed the stone to Zhou Xiaoli and pointed to a side. ¡°Miss, you can go over there to open the stone. It only costs one copper coin to do so.¡± ¡°Alright, thank you for your kind words, Boss.¡± Zhou Xiaoli took the stone and thanked him. Then, she walked toward the stone-cutting shop. The big brother from before followed after her and was prepared to watch what would come out of it. Zheng Yongyan was a little dissatisfied with Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s stone gambling behavior, especially since she was using the money from selling sugar today. After leaving the stall, he frowned and whispered, ¡°Zhou Xiaoli, are you crazy? How can you be involved in gambling?¡± ¡°Furthermore, the money you used was the money we earned from selling sugar. If you don¡¯t get anything from this stone, how are we going to explain it to our families when we go back?¡± Zhou Xiaoli understood Zheng Yongyan¡¯s feelings very well. After all, she had the Heavenly Eye, so she was very confident. However, Zheng Yongyan did not know about it. Hence, she smiled and comforted him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Didn¡¯t you hear the boss just say that I¡¯m lucky? I¡¯ll definitely be lucky.¡± Not only did these words not comfort Zheng Yongyan, but they also made him even more anxious. ¡°No, you can¡¯t do this. Since I came with you today, I have to be responsible for you. Come, follow me back to the stall and we¡¯ll return the stone!¡± ¡°The money has already been paid, how can we return it? The boss won¡¯t agree to it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said helplessly. Zheng Yongyan was very anxious. He glared at Wei Chiyu, who was completely calm, and reprimanded him. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you. Why did you bring us to such a place for no reason? Zhou Xiaoli has been led astray by you, yet you¡¯re still so calm about it.¡± Wei Chiyu pursed his lips and took out a money bag from his pocket. He said softly, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let her play. I¡¯ll take responsibility for it.¡± Zheng Yongyan: ¡­ Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s heart warmed. She patted Wei Chiyu¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Having you as my Junior is good.¡± With that, the three of them arrived at the stone-cutting shops. There were two jade shops here. Both of them had stonecutters placed in them. They were the kind that were operated manually by stepping on the mechanism. One of the jade shops was slightly larger and belonged to Xue Min¡¯s family. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoli chose the other shop without hesitation. When they entered, one of the stones had just been sliced open in the shop. There was no jade within. The customer carried the stone and ran out of the shop in a crazy manner. There were many onlookers around who sigh at that. ¡°He had lost everything! He spent 30 taels of silver on that stone and even used the money he saved for marriage to gamble! Now, he lost so badly that he didn¡¯t have anything left.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that one slash of the knife can make you rich or make you poor!¡± ¡­ Zheng Yongyan heard the discussions of the surrounding onlookers. His gaze swept across the crazy person, and the worry on his face deepened. At this moment, when the surrounding onlookers saw that someone else had brought a stone in, many people who had come to watch the show surrounded them. They all guessed whether Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s stone would produce jade. Xue Min, who was next door, had seen Zhou Xiaoli and the other two. He walked over to join in the fun and laughed when he heard the discussions around him. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to guess about this ending. I know this person. She¡¯s famous for being a jinx. She¡¯s very unlucky. If she buys a stone, there¡¯s an 80% chance that it won¡¯t produce jade.¡± The big brother who had followed up to see the results shook his head when he heard that. ¡°She¡¯s a newbie. I just saw that stone. It¡¯s not very good. I persuaded her not to buy it too, but that girl was very stubborn and insisted on buying it.¡± ¡­ When the people around them heard their conversation, they immediately lost interest in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s stone. On the other side, while everyone was discussing, Zhou Xiaoli had already handed the stone to the stone-cutting master. With a buzzing sound, the workers stepped on the machine and it began to operate. ¡°It¡¯s on, it¡¯s on.¡± With a cry of surprise, the stone was cut open, followed by a sigh. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s really nothing.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to see. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡­ The big brother seemed to have predicted the outcome and said proudly, ¡°Miss, look, you did not listen to my advice. I¡¯ve already told you not to buy it. You¡¯ll suffer if you don¡¯t listen to the old. No matter what, I¡¯ve crossed more bridges than you have.¡± Zhou Xiaoli turned around and glanced at him, but didn¡¯t say anything. Zheng Yongyan looked at the stone and frowned. His mind was already racing. Finally, he looked at Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°I told you, nine out of ten gamblers would lose. It¡¯s not a good thing. You just won¡¯t listen.¡± ¡°Forget it, forget it. Who asked me to be responsible? Don¡¯t be too afraid. When you go back, take the initiative to admit your mistake to the elders. I¡¯ll take the punishment with you.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s gaze fell on the rock again. She was sure that she had not seen it wrongly. At this moment, the stone-cutting master was about to stand up. Zhou Xiaoli stepped forward and said, ¡°Master, help me cut the stone again. From here.¡± Chapter 84 - 84 Fast Reversal 84 Fast Reversal As she spoke, Zhou Xiaoli stepped forward and picked up the stone. She looked at it and pointed at a spot for the stone-cutting master to see. Seeing this, the stone-cutting master was a little surprised. ¡°Miss, are you sure?¡± Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was dressed in plain clothes, he knew that she was from a poor family, so he kindly advised her, ¡°Miss, you can¡¯t go crazy. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any result even if you cut this stone. You might as well resell it to get some capital back.¡± ¡°If you slash it in this place you mentioned, it will be completely destroyed if it doesn¡¯t produce jade. You won¡¯t be able to get anything back.¡± Zhou Xiaoli naturally appreciated the stone-cutter¡¯s good intentions, but she insisted on going ahead. ¡°Thank you, master. I know what to do. Let¡¯s make another cut here.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you listen to me?¡± Seeing how stubborn Zhou Xiaoli was, the stone-cutting master shook his head and could only sit back down helplessly. However, he reminded her in the end, ¡°It¡¯ll be too late for regrets after this slash.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded again. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Many people around shook their heads. ¡°She¡¯s a newbie after all. She gets carried away easily.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already said that this girl is young and very stubborn. She doesn¡¯t listen to advice at all.¡± ¡°I already said that she¡¯s a jinx. There¡¯s probably nothing much to see next. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡­ They sighed and prepared to leave. At this moment, an exclamation suddenly exploded! ¡°Aiya, it¡¯s out!¡± The person who exclaimed was the stone-cutting master. When the people who had already dispersed heard this, they surrounded the shop again. They all looked at the stone cutter and saw that the stone was indeed green on the inside. Many people who knew their stuff widened their eyes and rushed forward, wanting to take a closer look at the jade within the stone. ¡°Oh my god, there¡¯s really jade in the stone! However, it¡¯s cut out in the middle. It¡¯s a little small, but it should fetch a tidy sum to recover her capital.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a newbie. Newbies usually would have such good luck.¡± ¡­ Stone gambling was a probability event. The probability of getting rich in one go was pitifully low. Sometimes, the stone-cutting master might not even see one jade from the stones cut in a day. At this moment, when they heard that someone had opened a stone, more and more people gathered and discussed. Many of them wanted to get lucky. Zhou Xiaoli had already taken the stone and looked around. Seeing that there was really jade inside, Zheng Yongyan¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and joy. He subconsciously leaned over to take a look. Seeing him come over to take a look, Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but shake the stone in her hand and smile a little smugly. ¡°How is it? Now you don¡¯t have to worry about being punished with me.¡± Zheng Yongyan, who was watching seriously, saw Zhou Xiaoli turn around and look at him, and the surprised expression on his face disappeared. He deliberately pulled a long face and snorted. ¡°You¡¯re just lucky this time. Who can guarantee that you¡¯ll be lucky every time? I still stick to my principles. Gambling is very deep. You can¡¯t get involved even if you¡¯re beaten to death!¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and agreed with him seriously. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Ordinary people should not be involved with gambling.¡± Zheng Yongyan was a little embarrassed by Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s sudden approval. He snorted and turned his head away. The master who had just cut the stone suggested that Zhou Xiaoli sell the jade directly. Many jade shops nearby would buy these raw jade materials. Zhou Xiaoli had the same plan. After all, she was in dire need of money. However, although she could see that the stone emitted spiritual energy, she did not understand the different textures of these jade stones. Naturally, she did not know how much her stone was worth. Just as she was in a dilemma, Xue Min suddenly walked over with a warm smile on his face. ¡°Aiya, isn¡¯t this Little Li? Why didn¡¯t you come home after entering the city? Did you come to play with your aunt and cousin?¡± Hearing this voice, Zhou Xiaoli frowned and revealed a trace of displeasure on her face. He had just avoided her like a snake and said that she was a jinx. Now, he suddenly came close to her? He definitely had ill intentions. Sure enough, before Zhou Xiaoli could reply, Xue Min¡¯s eyes were fixed on the stone in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand. He continued, ¡°Aiya, did you open this stone? Have you not found a buyer yet? Why don¡¯t you sell it to me? As your uncle-in-law, I will definitely give you a good price for it.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just that this jade stone looks a little small. However, seeing that you¡¯re my niece, I can take a loss and give you 30 taels of silver.¡± ¡°Come, let me see this stone.¡± As he spoke, he extended his hand to grab the stone. Of course, Zhou Xiaoli would not give it to him. She took two steps back and quickly dodged Xue Min¡¯s outstretched hand. At the same time, a distant expression appeared on her face. ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble yourself, Shopkeeper Xue. You probably don¡¯t know yet, right? Madam Lai has cut ties with our family, so you have nothing to do with me anymore.¡± ¡°Although you¡¯re no longer my uncle-in-law, the most important thing in life is honesty. How can I let you suffer a loss? I¡¯ll sell this stone to someone else.¡± Xue Min was fat. With his big belly, he was knocked away by Wei Chiyu when he tried to pounce onto the stone in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand. He staggered and almost flew out. His expression immediately turned ugly. His narrowed eyes were filled with displeasure. Just as he was about to say something, a voice suddenly rang out from the side. ¡°Miss, can I take a look at your raw jade stone?¡± Zhou Xiaoli looked in the direction of the voice and saw a skinny middle-aged man wearing a rough shirt. He was staring at the stone in her hand in a daze. Although this man was so thin that he was a little out of shape, there was no greed in his eyes when he looked at her stone. There was only passion. Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± As she spoke, she handed it over. The man did not reach out to take the stone. Instead, he gestured for Zhou Xiaoli to place it on the table. Then, he took out a magnifying glass from his pocket and leaned on the table to study it. The surrounding people also began to whisper. ¡°Isn¡¯t that who?¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°The previous shopkeeper of Zhenyu Workshop, Luo Zhongbao. He¡¯s known for having a sharp eye!¡± ¡°Ah, him? I haven¡¯t seen him in a long time since Zhenyu Workshop closed down. Why is he so thin? I didn¡¯t recognize him at all.¡± ¡°He must have offended someone he shouldn¡¯t have. He must have been revenged on. It¡¯s lucky that his family is still alive.¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡­ Listening to the discussions around her, Zhou Xiaoli had an idea. If Luo Zhongbao could help her see what kind of jade it was, it would likely fetch a good price. At this moment, Luo Zhongbao finally spoke. His voice was a little low, but it was clear enough. ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, the jade should be ice jade quality.¡± As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings turned into an uproar. ¡°Ice jade? Oh my god, that¡¯s considered a high-grade jade!¡± ¡°Ice jade is like ice. It has a strong luster and high transparency. It¡¯s just that this kind of jade is prone to impurity and has a cotton-like structure within. It can be considered a top-grade jade.¡± ¡°I look at the cut surface of this stone. It has a very strong luster and there are few impurities. Although it¡¯s a little small, it¡¯s probably worth a lot of money.¡± ¡­ Many people discussed among themselves. Some were envious, some were jealous, and some were regretful. Chapter 85 - 85 Regretting It, Right? 85 Regretting It, Right? Naturally, the one who felt regretful was the person who tried to advise Zhou Xiaoli earlier. He had missed out on a high-grade jade. At this moment, he was vexed and wanted to slap himself hard. He hated himself for not buying it at that time. Naturally, Xue Min was also unhappy. He had been in contact with jade since he was young, so he naturally had a sharp sense of the different jades. When he saw the cut surface of the stone, he vaguely felt that it was ice-type jade. He didn¡¯t mention it because he knew that Zhou Xiaoli didn¡¯t know much about jade, so he wanted to buy it at a low price. He hated it now that it had been ruined by this nosy Luo Zhongbao. At this moment, an old man with a white beard quickly walked out of the shop. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Where¡¯s the ice-type jade? Let me take a look.¡± ¡°Shopkeeper, it¡¯s this young lady.¡± The stone cutter hurriedly pointed at Zhou Xiaoli and introduced her to the old man. It seemed that this old man was the shopkeeper of this shop. He must have heard about the ice-type jade and came out to take a look. After the old man arrived, Luo Zhongbao made way for the shopkeeper to take a look. A moment later, the old shopkeeper nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Not bad, not bad. It¡¯s ice-type jade.¡± In the end, he said regretfully, ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s just a little small.¡± Then, he turned to look at Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Young lady, this old man¡¯s shop has been open for decades. I¡¯m one of the most honest people in this alley. Why don¡¯t you sell this stone to me?¡± Zhou Xiaoli did not immediately nod in agreement. Instead, she asked, ¡°How much can you give me?¡± Seeing how straightforward Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s question was, the shopkeeper was stunned for a moment before he laughed. ¡°You¡¯re quite direct, young lady. It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t beat around the bush.¡± Then, he stroked his beard and smiled. ¡°In terms of price, everyone is watching here. I¡¯ll naturally do you right by it. Your ice-type jade has very few impurities. It can be considered as a high-grade jade.¡± ¡°However, this piece is really too small. There¡¯s too little room for processing in the later stages. It can probably only be made into a jade pendant or a small accessory. Well, how about this? I¡¯ll give you this number.¡± As he spoke, he extended two fingers. ¡°200 taels. What do you think?¡± Actually, Zhou Xiaoli did not know how much this stone could be sold for. Therefore, she did not reply immediately. However, Zhou Xiaoli did not say anything for a long time, which made the old man think that Zhou Xiaoli did not agree to the price. He could not help but slap his thigh and say, ¡°How about this? Seeing that you¡¯re a newbie, and this is the first time that you have visited my shop, I¡¯ll make an exception and give you another 40 taels of silver. 240 taels of silver. How about that?¡± After saying that and seeing that Zhou Xiaoli still didn¡¯t have a particularly big reaction, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You think it¡¯s too little? Little girl, this is already the highest price I¡¯ve given you. It can¡¯t be more than that. Even if you go to other shops to ask, it won¡¯t be as high as the price I¡¯ve given you.¡± Luo Zhongbao nodded and said, ¡°Yes, this price is not bad. Compared to some people who only want to pay 30 taels of silver, this old man has given you a perfectly reasonable deal.¡± The last sentence was meant to mock Xue Min. Zhou Xiaoli glanced at Luo Zhongbao. It seemed that this person was not on good terms with Xue Min. When many people around heard his words, they also laughed. ¡°30 taels from one and 240 taels from the other. That¡¯s indeed a much better deal.¡± ¡°He even said that he¡¯s her uncle-in-law. I think he just thinks that this young lady doesn¡¯t know about the jade market and wants to lie to her.¡± ¡­ Xue Min, who was already filled with hatred, became even more displeased. He tried to defend himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the time to take a closer look just now, so I couldn¡¯t distinguish the type of jade it was.¡± ¡°Now that I know that this is a rare ice type, I naturally have to give a suitable price.¡± After saying that, he gritted his teeth and was filled with hatred. Originally, when he saw that the jade stone looked like an ice type, he wanted to buy it at a low price. After that, he could give it to the magistrate. He heard that the magistrate was collecting precious jade stones for Lord Su. If he managed to curry favor with the magistrate, he could be on good terms with the magistrate. Even if it was not an ice-type jade, it could still be sold for a good price after being polished and processed. He would definitely earn more than 30 taels of silver. This was killing two birds with one stone. Now, he had to spend more than 200 taels of silver! With mixed feelings in his heart, he forced a smile on his face and looked at Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Little Li, you didn¡¯t let me examine the stone just now. I didn¡¯t know that this stone was so precious. In that case, I¡¯ll give you 240 taels of silver. How about that?¡± He said it as a matter of course, just like how Zhou Xiaoli would definitely give it to him. The old man was a little unhappy. ¡°I say, Shopkeeper Xue, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to snatch my business?¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Xue Min narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, ¡°This stone was mine first. According to the rules, first come, first served. How can you say that I¡¯m snatching it?¡± The old man snorted unhappily. ¡°That depends on who the young lady is willing to sell it to.¡± After saying that, both of them looked at Zhou Xiaoli. Seeing that the two of them wanted her to choose, Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and chose the old man without hesitation. The old shopkeeper was overjoyed. ¡°Shopkeeper Xue, you have nothing to say now, right?¡± Xue Min was already unhappy with having to offer extra money. When he saw this, his face darkened and he glared at Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Wretched girl, I¡¯m your uncle-in-law. How can you side with outsiders!¡± At this moment, Luo Zhongbao spoke again. ¡°She already said that she wasn¡¯t. Besides, even if you¡¯re her uncle-in-law, what kind of uncle-in-law are you to use 30 taels of silver to cheat her of an ice-type jade?¡± Many people around agreed. Xue Min was furious. This made Xiao Li even more certain that Luo Zhongbao and Xue Min had a grudge against each other. Many people around were criticizing Xue Min. He felt a little embarrassed and returned to his shop dejectedly. After he left, Zhou Xiaoli completed the transaction with the old shopkeeper. After saying goodbye to the shopkeeper, Zhou Xiaoli thought of Luo Zhongbao. In any case, Luo Zhongbao had helped her, so she wanted to thank him. When she turned around and was about to look for him, she realized that he had already left. Since she could not find him, Zhou Xiaoli did not take it to heart. When she received 240 taels of silver, it naturally attracted the attention of many people. Zheng Yongyan was right about one thing. This stone gambling den is the same as a casino in the sense that there were all kinds of people around. After they left the shop, she realized that many malicious gazes were on her. However, Wei Chiyu was with her the entire time. He exuded the ruthlessness of a lone wolf, and his face was filled with an aura that said you would not want to mess with him. Hence, those people only dared to look at her, but they did not dare to approach. It was not a good idea to stay here for too long, in case some envious lunatics decided to do something. Thus, Zhou Xiaoli and the other two did not stroll around anymore and went straight out of the stone gambling den. They went to the transit station and brought out the donkey cart. The three of them got on the cart and immediately left the city. Chapter 86 - 86 Come, Ill Help You See! 86 Come, I¡¯ll Help You See! They did not stop until they could no longer see the city gate. Only then did the donkey cart slow down. After realizing that no one was following them, the three of them heaved a sigh of relief. The atmosphere lightened up. They began to chat casually. Along the way, Zheng Yongyan¡¯s gaze landed on Zhou Xiaoli from time to time. He had something to say, but he didn¡¯t say it, making Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hair stand on end. Finally, Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t take it anymore and asked, ¡°I say, if you have something to say, can you just say it? You¡¯re a man, why are you so shy like a girl?¡± Zheng Yongyan, who was originally arrogant and unwilling to ask, immediately exploded when he was said to be shy. ¡°When have I been shy? I¡­ I just haven¡¯t thought of what to say.¡± Zhou Xiaoli shrugged. ¡°Alright, have you thought about what you wanted to say then?¡± Zheng Yongyan said proudly, ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Alright, then tell me.¡± Zhou Xiaoli pretended to be all ears and stared at the other party calmly. Zheng Yongyan coughed unnaturally and finally asked, ¡°Um, do you really know how to read fortunes? Did you really read the fortunes of those in the county?¡± ¡°Sigh, that¡¯s all you¡¯re asking? I was wondering what it was. Why did you take so long to think about it?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was greatly disappointed. She thought that Zheng Yongyan was going to ask something. Zheng Yongyan¡¯s expression became even more unnatural, but he repeated his question. ¡°Is it true or not?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shrugged. ¡°Of course. Didn¡¯t you see it with your own eyes?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Zheng Yongyan¡¯s pupils unconsciously dilated, but he pretended not to care and said, ¡°You seem quite powerful then.¡± Zhou Xiaoli snorted and said arrogantly, ¡°That¡¯s true. Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± The corners of Zheng Yongyan¡¯s mouth twitched as he said with disdain, ¡°You¡¯re really thick-skinned. You¡¯re not humble at all.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said confidently, ¡°It¡¯s a fact that I¡¯m powerful. How would that make me thick-skinned?¡± Zheng Yongyan snorted and continued, ¡°That might not be the case. Are you really that powerful? Other than knowing how to do divination, do you know how to read palms?¡± Zhou Xiaoli shrugged and did not comment. Zheng Yongyan was obviously interested. ¡°Then take a look for me. Let me say this first. It is not that I want you to read my palm, I just want to see if you¡¯re really capable.¡± As he spoke, he stretched out his hand. ¡°It¡¯s the left hand, right? I know that. Men on the left and women on the right!¡± It was not a big deal to have a simple look at his palm. Zhou Xiaoli could play with him and kill the boredom on the road. However, Zhou Xiaoli smiled when she heard this. She casually explained, ¡°When doing palm reading, the left is ¡®Predisposition¡¯ while the right is ¡®Nurture¡¯.¡± ¡°The influence of the right hand is higher, and the influence of the left hand is smaller. Therefore, when reading the palm, we mainly use the right hand to judge. Then, we add points and deduct points based on the left hand. Therefore, it¡¯s not a simple left and right hand kind of approach.¡± Zheng Yongyan¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s reasoning. ¡°Is that so?¡± He didn¡¯t even notice that his voice had changed. ¡°What else? The so-called life line, career line, marriage line, are they real?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and tapped his palm. Just as she was about to speak, she said, ¡°This is the marriage¡­¡± However, before she could finish speaking, Wei Chiyu, who was in the front row, suddenly braked. The donkey cart came to a sudden stop, interrupting their palm reading session. After stabilizing himself, the studious Zheng Yongyan was very dissatisfied that his discussion was interrupted. ¡°Wei Chiyu, what¡¯s wrong with you this time?¡± he questioned with a dark expression on his face. ¡°There¡¯s a pit.¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s voice rang out faintly. With that, he drove the donkey cart slowly again. For some reason, Zhou Xiaoli felt that Wei Chiyu was not very happy. She leaned over and asked, ¡°Wei Chiyu, what¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Wei Chiyu shook his head. Zhou Xiaoli was still a little worried. ¡°Really? If you¡¯re not feeling well, tell me. Don¡¯t force yourself.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli suddenly thought of something and asked, ¡°By the way, Wei Chiyu, the donkey cart stopped at the transit station just now. How much did you spend?¡± Wei Chiyu glanced at Zhou Xiaoli and said seriously, ¡°The transit station¡¯s parking fee is based on time. It¡¯s one copper coin an hour. We¡¯ve been there for more than an hour, so I gave them two copper coins.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. She took out two copper coins from her pocket and handed them to him. ¡°Here you go.¡± Wei Chiyu was a little confused. ¡°What?¡± Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Reimbursement for the parking fee of course.¡± However, as soon as she finished speaking, Wei Chiyu¡¯s expression changed. He frowned and asked, ¡°Do you treat me as an outsider?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was a little confused. ¡°No, what does this have to do with outsiders or insiders?¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s expression was still ugly. He pursed his lips. ¡°Then why are you giving me money? Do you think I¡¯m a coachman?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was speechless. ¡°¡­What are you talking about? I didn¡¯t treat you as a coachman. Of course, I treated you as a good friend.¡± Good lord, why did he throw a tantrum when she gave him money? She was unwilling to give it to him in the first place. When Wei Chiyu heard Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s explanation, for some reason, his mood became worse. Zhou Xiaoli felt helpless as she looked at Wei Chiyu¡¯s sullen face. It was rare to see Wei Chiyu act like a child at his age, so she tried to be more patient. ¡°Alright, alright. I was wrong. I won¡¯t give you money, alright?¡± She coaxed him. As she spoke, she put the money away. Wei Chiyu: ¡°Yes.¡± Yes? What did that mean? Zhou Xiaoli tilted her head and looked over, only to see that Wei Chiyu¡¯s handsome face was still sullen. No one knew what he was thinking. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me drive the cart? I haven¡¯t driven for a long time, and I¡¯m dying to do it again,¡± Zhou Xiaoli probed. ¡°Okay.¡± Wei Chiyu responded and stopped the donkey cart, making room for Zhou Xiaoli. Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°¡­¡± Good lord, so he was unhappy having to drive the entire time. No wonder he said that he was not a coachman. Zhou Xiaoli felt that Wei Chiyu, who was acting childish and throwing a tantrum, was quite interesting. She immediately sat in his original seat. ¡°Come, let me be your driver! Sit tight.¡± The two of them did not understand what a driver was, but it was obvious that their focus was not on that. Zheng Yongyan, who had just learned half of it, had a reluctant expression on his face. ¡°Sigh, no, Zhou Xiaoli, you were halfway through your lecture just now. Why are you driving the cart now? You can¡¯t give up halfway. You have to finish it, right?¡± Wei Chiyu was already sitting on the other side of the donkey cart. Hearing this, he got on the back of the donkey cart and said calmly, ¡°Let me see for you.¡± Zheng Yongyan looked resistant. ¡°Huh? No, why did you let her drive for no reason?¡± Wei Chiyu said confidently, ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to read your palm? Come, give me your hand.¡± Wei Chiyu was very domineering. As he spoke, he wanted Zheng Yongyan to extend his hand. Zheng Yongyan, on the other hand, was very resistant. His face was filled with distrust. ¡°Do you know how to do it?¡± Wei Chiyu snorted confidently. ¡°I¡¯m Little Li¡¯s junior in the sect. What do you think?¡± Zheng Yongyan¡¯s face was still filled with resistance. ¡°Zhou Xiaoli, is he really your junior in the sect?¡± he asked, again with a face full of distrust. Zhou Xiaoli blinked. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± Chapter 87 - 87 Dividend 87 Dividend Zheng Yongyan was a little surprised by this answer. ¡°You¡¯re from the same sect? Why haven¡¯t I heard of this before?¡± Wei Chiyu said indifferently, ¡°There are many things you don¡¯t know. Do you still want to read your palm?¡± Zheng Yongyan had a reluctant look on his face. He looked at Zhou Xiaoli and finally said, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s do it.¡± Thus, Wei Chiyu took Zheng Yongyan¡¯s hand and began to make things up. Zhou Xiaoli drove the donkey cart and glanced sideways at the two of them. She saw two men, one with a cold and domineering appearance, and the other a weak scholar, holding hands and talking. This scene¡­ Zhou Xiaoli could not help but let her imagination run wild. However, the two of them did not notice Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s strange gaze. At this moment, one of them was talking passionately while the other was listening attentively. After listening carefully, Zhou Xiaoli heard Wei Chiyu sprout nonsense about Zheng Yongyan. He told him to study hard and not have any distracting thoughts. By doing so, he would be able to fulfill his wish. His future wife was a young lady from a wealthy family, gentle and pleasant. Zheng Yongyan listened seriously and asked excitedly, ¡°Really?¡± Wei Chiyu nodded and lied in all seriousness. He said without blushing, ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Zheng Yongyan nodded. It seemed like he really took his words to heart. Then, he asked, ¡°What about this one? Is this related to my career? What¡¯s my career like? Can I get into the academy?¡± Wei Chiyu coughed and sat up straight. He said with a serious expression, ¡°Don¡¯t be too greedy. You can¡¯t be too comprehensive in divination. If you reveal too many heavenly secrets, I¡¯m afraid something will happen. It won¡¯t be good for you.¡± Upon hearing this, Zheng Yongyan¡¯s face was filled with regret at being cut short. However, it was obvious that he believed Wei Chiyu¡¯s words and did not dare to ask further. Zhou Xiaoli, on the other hand, could not hold back her laughter. When he found out the truth in the future, Zheng Yongyan would probably know that Wei Chiyu was lying to him today. Although she had only taken a quick look just now, she could tell that Zheng Yongyan would have many admirers. His relationship path in the future would not be smooth. According to the birth date he had just reported, it was not certain if his wife would be a gentle person. It was in fact destined that the other half of his life was someone who was strong in character. If nothing unexpected happened, Zheng Yongyan would probably be a henpecked man in the future. However, Zhou Xiaoli did not say anything. It was not good to say everything out, especially when it came to fate. It was better to let nature take its course. The three of them chatted along the way home. Before long, the donkey cart entered the village. As for the matter of Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s gambling of stone and earning a large sum of money, the three of them reached an agreement before entering the village that no one would tell anyone. ¡°This is a secret between the three of us. Remember, keep it a secret.¡± After entering the village, Zhou Xiaoli did not forget to remind them. Zheng Yongyan had a righteous expression on his face. ¡°A gentleman never goes back on his word. Although I won¡¯t lie for you, I won¡¯t be a long-tongued person either. Don¡¯t worry about this.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. She trusted him on this point. Although Zheng Yongyan was a little arrogant and did not get along with her, he believed in the ways of a gentleman and claimed that since he had read the books of the sages, he would be a gentleman and would not be petty. The donkey cart slowly entered the alley and soon arrived at the entrance of the house. Although they had been making sugar for the past few days, Lin Xiujuan and the others kept their guard up. When they made sugar in the courtyard during the day, they would lock the door from the inside. Therefore, when they arrived at their house, the door was tightly closed. ¡°Mother, aunties, we¡¯re back,¡± Zhou Xiaoli stood at the door and called out. As soon as she finished speaking, the wolf cub howled and clawed at the door. Immediately after, Zhang Lan and the others spoke happily. ¡°Ah, Little Li and the others are back!¡± ¡°Open the door!¡± ¡­ Immediately after, hurried footsteps approached the door. With the sound of the bolt being removed, the door was opened. Zhang Lan and Liu Yan welcomed them with happy smiles. One of them called for the three of them to enter the courtyard first while the other went to help rein the donkey cart in. Zhou Xiaoli bent down to pick up the wolf cub and followed the others into the courtyard. Lin Xiujuan and Yonggui¡¯s wife were stirring the beetroot water in the pot. When they saw them enter, they smiled and greeted them. Lin Xiujuan: ¡°Little Li, you¡¯re back. How is it? The county is lively, right?¡± Liu Yan closed the door and walked back to the courtyard. She smiled and said, ¡°Look at you. That¡¯s the city. Shouldn¡¯t it be lively?¡± After saying that, the few of them laughed. Just as Zhang Lan tied the donkey and before they could even unload the things in the cart, there was another knock on the door. Then, Liu Liangcai¡¯s voice rang out. Lin Xiujuan immediately said, ¡°Aiya, they¡¯re back from purchasing the beetroots!¡± Liu Yan had not gone far and was not far from the door. She immediately walked over and opened the door. Sure enough, Liu Liangcai had a pushcart full of beetroots at the door. ¡°Good lord, that¡¯s quite a lot.¡± Seeing the large pile of beetroots on the cart, Liu Yan exclaimed in surprise. At the same time, she turned to the side and let Liu Liangcai push the cart in. Liu Liangcai said, ¡°That¡¯s right. The villagers in that village grew it sparingly. Every family doesn¡¯t have a big harvest and hence, many families keep them for themselves to eat and aren¡¯t willing to sell them. In one morning, I was only able to purchase these from three families.¡± As Liu Liangcai spoke, he pushed the beetroots into the courtyard. Zhang Lan hurriedly brought him a bowl of water to drink. Hearing this, he said, ¡°It looks like it¡¯s quite a decent amount. I¡¯ll purchase more in the afternoon.¡± On the other side, the sugar in Lin Xiujuan and Wang Yuncai¡¯s pot was almost ready. Zhou Yu said, ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. Coincidentally, everyone is here. After cooking these two pots of sugar, everyone can rest and drink some water. At the same time, let¡¯s settle the money for our first sugar sale.¡± Hearing this, everyone was excited. Zhang Lan and Liu Yan smiled and went to the kitchen to distribute the cold green bean tea to everyone. Just then, the two pots of sugar were ready. Today, Zheng Yongfu¡¯s three-year-old daughter, Zheng Lingling, was brought over. She had fun with Zhou Xiaoyu and the other two children. At this moment, when she heard that she was going to have green bean tea, she jumped happily. After Zhang Lan gave each of the four children a bowl of green bean tea, she directed them to sit in the shade of the tree in the courtyard to drink. The four children were also obedient. They lay on the rocks under the tree and drank happily. The adults from the three families gathered around the table, drinking green bean tea while waiting for Zhou Xiaoli to report the good news. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli walked out of the back room with the ledger book. After sitting down, she asked, ¡°Uncle Liu, how many beetroots did you buy today? What¡¯s the price?¡± Liu Liangcai immediately put down the bowl and took out a piece of paper from his pocket. On it was the purchase details that he had recorded. Because he couldn¡¯t write, there were all kinds of diagrams drawn with charcoal. Fortunately, he could understand them. ¡°Hm, I¡¯ve bought beetroots from three families. The first one is a little more than 43 kilograms so let¡¯s count it as 43 kilograms. The second one is 40 kilograms, and the third one is 67 kilograms. The price is still a copper coin for one and a half kilograms. Hence, the total is 100 copper coins.¡± Zhou Xiaoli wrote it down as she listened. Then, she took out the money made from selling the sugar today and smiled. ¡°This is the money we earned from selling the sugar we made these few days. It¡¯s a total of 10 taels and 110 copper coins.¡± As soon as the words left her lips, everyone was surprised at it. Chapter 88 - 88 Going Up the Mountain 88 Going Up the Mountain Zhou Xiaoli did not split the money directly. Instead, she counted out 100 copper coins and handed them to Liu Liangcai. ¡°The cost of buying beetroots this time was paid by Uncle Liu, so I would deduct it from our profits.¡± ¡°Uncle Liu, here¡¯s your 100 copper coins. Take it first.¡± Then, she said to everyone, ¡°According to the ratio we discussed previously, Uncle Liu and Uncle Village Chief¡¯s families will each take 30%. In other words, each family will get 3 taels and 3 copper coins.¡± As she spoke, she took out three taels and three copper coins and handed them to Liu Liangcai and Zheng Yongfu respectively. ¡°Please count if it is correct?¡± Their hands trembled as they took the money. They had only worked for three to four days and had earned more than three taels of silver. This was way much more than what they would earn from working for Landlord Wan! More importantly, they could make a living from selling sugar for a long time. ¡°This, this is too much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Why do I feel that it¡¯s so easy to earn money? Haha.¡± Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yan smiled foolishly. Especially Lin Xiujuan, who was holding the three silver ingots like a treasure. Her eyes were about to disappear from laughter. Zheng Yongfu had often heard his father talk about how righteous the Zhou family was. He had always felt that his family had taken advantage of Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family in this business, so he smiled and said, ¡°Little Li, look at you. Three copper coins is just a small change, and you still want to give it to us. Three taels is already a lot.¡± Liu Yan nodded in agreement. However, Zhou Xiaoli rejected him with a smile. ¡°Brother Zheng, my father and I are looking to do a long-term business with the two families.¡± ¡°As the saying goes, even biological brothers have to settle accounts clearly. If we want to cooperate for a long time, we have to settle every account clearly.¡± Seeing that the few of them were stunned, it was obvious that they had never thought of expanding the business or to continue doing this for a long time. Zhou Xiaoli continued, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to expand this business? In the future, we can build our own sugar factory and make a name for ourselves. We can sell sugar to the entire Yongchang country.¡± Listening to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s imagination, everyone was stunned. They felt that Zhou Xiaoli was too daring. Deep in their hearts, they only wanted to make more sugar and earn a little money. How could they dare to think about opening a sugar factory? However, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s imagination was still something that they yearned for. If they could really make a lot of money from it, who wouldn¡¯t want it? Zheng Yongfu touched the silver in his hand and said with a smile, ¡°Haha, no wonder Father often praises Sister Li for being smart. Then I¡¯ll listen to you and we shall settle the account properly.¡± After Zhou Xiaoli had settled the accounts with everyone, everyone began to chat and laugh. Zhou Xiaoli brought the green bean tea to the courtyard and saw Wei Chiyu and Zheng Yongyan standing under a tree with four little fellows, talking about something. She walked over and heard Zhou Xiaoyu and Liu Fengfeng arguing. Zhou Xiaoyu: ¡°My sister is the best. My sister knows many things. My sister knows how to make bamboo dragonflies for us to play with. Does your sister know how to make them?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu spoke proudly. Zhou Junjun nodded furiously in agreement. Liu Fengfeng was not to be outdone. ¡°My sister is also amazing. My sister knows embroidery and the handkerchief she embroiders can be sold for a lot of money.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu pouted. ¡°What¡¯s so great about it? My sister can count. She even taught me and my brother. I can count to ten. My brother can count to a hundred. Can you?¡± Liu Fengfeng shouted, ¡°My sister knows how to sing. She sings very well. Does your sister know how to sing?¡± ¡­ They were arguing back and forth. Zhou Xiaoli recalled the short video she had seen in her previous life when she went to the human world to play. The two children then were debating whose brother is the best. She covered her face in embarrassment. It turned out that children really do argue about these things. She had thought that it was just a show. Zhou Xiaoli was speechless when she thought of the final outcome of the argument in the video. She quickly interrupted them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± After saying that, he looked at Zheng Yongyan and Wei Chiyu, who were watching the commotion from the side. ¡°How old are the two of you? Why were you standing around and watching them quarrel?¡± Zheng Yongyan disagreed. ¡°You can¡¯t say that. They¡¯re just debating, not arguing. Have you heard of two children debating? Children debating should be encouraged.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not be bothered with him. However, Zhou Xiaoyu was already hugging Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s leg. ¡°Sister, I already know how to count. Can you teach me something else?¡± Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but rub the little guy¡¯s head affectionately. ¡°Okay.¡± Then, she asked Liu Fengfeng and Zheng Lingling, ¡°Do you want to learn together with Little Fishy and Brother Jun?¡± Liu Fengfeng immediately looked at Zhou Xiaoli with starry eyes and nodded. Zheng Lingling was only three years old and could not even speak properly. However, when she saw that the other older children were playing, she clapped her hands and shouted happily, ¡°Yes, I want. I want to.¡± ¡°Alright, then go find a small wooden stick. We¡¯ll learn on the ground.¡± Hence, Zhou Xiaoli brought a few children and squatted in the open space under the tree. The children started babbling and learning. It was a cozy and warm scene to watch. Looking at the scene in front of him, Wei Chiyu¡¯s eyes sparkled. No one knew what he was thinking. On the other hand, Zheng Yongyan was extremely shocked. He had always thought that Zhou Xiaoli was the same as those young ladies in the village who had never studied. However, he did not expect her to know so much. He could not help but think that since she knew how to read fortunes, she must have been taught by her master. The adults who were sitting in the room and talking, looked at the scene in the courtyard. Lin Xiujuan was still shocked. ¡°I haven¡¯t asked how Little Li knew how to read.¡± She was extremely curious about it when she saw Zhou Xiaoli do the bookkeeping. At this moment, she finally asked the question in her heart. Liu Yan and the others were also puzzled. They looked at Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu for answers. Zhou Xiaoli had already spoken to Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu a long time ago. The two of them naturally knew what to tell the outsiders. Hearing Lin Xiujuan¡¯s question, Zhang Lan smiled and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t this girl get lost in the mountains when she was five years old? She met an old man who lived in seclusion.¡± ¡°Later on, Li¡¯er often went to the mountain to look for that old man. This was all taught to her by that old man.¡± ¡°This girl has been hiding it from everyone. We just found out about it too.¡± Hearing this, everyone cried out in surprise that this was Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s good fortune. ¡°Look at the girls in the village. Which one of them is able to read and study? Even if it¡¯s a boy, he might not have this chance. Little Li is indeed a lucky person.¡± ¡°Yes, if you ask me, the most important thing is that Little Li is smart. She learned it immediately. Many children have been sent to school, but they haven¡¯t learned anything.¡± Everyone jokes for a while more before going home to eat. After lunch, Liu Liangcai took the pushcart to collect more beetroots again. This time, Zhou Yu followed along. The two of them took two pushcarts to buy more. The 150 kilograms purchased this morning would only last them for a few days. After Zhou Xiaoli informed Zhang Lan, she brought the wolf pup with her up the mountain. She had made an appointment with her master to have class in the afternoon. ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡± She had just reached the door when Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s voice came from the courtyard. ¡°The first lesson after becoming a disciple has been delayed till the afternoon. That¡¯s fine, but you dare to be late as well? You really should be punished.¡± Chapter 89 - 89 First Lesson 89 First Lesson Zhou Xiaoli knew that Yuan Zhengchun was not really angry, so she was not afraid at all. She walked into the courtyard and asked, ¡°Aiyaya, Master dotes on me so much. Why would you bear to punish me?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Yuan Zhengchun could not help but snort. He stood at the door with his hands behind his back. His face was stern, but there was no anger in the depths of his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re glib-tongued.¡± Zhou Xiaoli chuckled and said, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. Doesn¡¯t Master dote on me the most? How can that be considered as being glib-tongued?¡± Then, she waved the oilcloth bag in her hand. ¡°I brought you the good tea I mentioned today. I¡¯ll make you a cup now to offer tea as an apology. How about that?¡± When he heard that it was good tea, Yuan Zhengchun wanted to scold her with a straight face, but he couldn¡¯t. ¡°You little girl, you¡¯re so cheeky. You know that I love a cup of good tea, so you are bribing me with tea leaves.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but smile. ¡°Master, how can this be called bribery? This is called filial piety. Isn¡¯t it right for a disciple to be filial to the master?¡± Yuan Zhengchun said, ¡°It¡¯s as though your little mouth had honey smeared on it. Alright, alright. You make it sound so nice. Hurry up and make tea. If it¡¯s not as good as you say, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t worry, Master. I guarantee that you¡¯ll be satisfied.¡± Zhou Xiaoli chuckled and slipped into the room. However, she saw that Yuan Zhengchun had already boiled water on the charcoal stove. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but ask curiously, ¡°Eh, Master, when did you get a charcoal stove here? Wasn¡¯t it not here yesterday?¡± After Zhou Xiaoli entered the room, Yuan Zhengchun sat under the corridor and waited for his disciple to serve him tea. Hearing the girl¡¯s question, he said, ¡°Oh, there has always been a charcoal stove, but there was no coal before. Your junior brother just sent the charcoal over. He said that in the future, you have to boil water often. This would make it convenient then.¡± ¡°Ah? Wei Chiyu came? Where is he?¡± Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°Hm, he just left the house when you arrived,¡± Yuan Zhengchun said leisurely. ¡°I don¡¯t know where he went.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and thought to herself, ¡°Wei Chiyu is quite thoughtful.¡± No wonder he disappeared after lunch while she was sharing the candied plums with Uncle Liu¡¯s and Uncle Village Chief¡¯s families. He had come to the master¡¯s place in advance. Zhou Xiaoli sighed, but her hands did not stop in making the tea. However, as soon as she started, she paused. She did not know the traditional tea brewing procedures here at all as Zhou Xiaoli found it very complicated. In the end, she had no choice but to do it the simple and crude way. Afterall, she had already stir-fried the tea leaves. She could just boil water and pour it into the tea leaves. Zhou Xiaoli carried the cup out with satisfaction as she smelt the tea fragrance. She came to Yuan Zhengchun and said respectfully, ¡°Master, please have some tea.¡± Looking at the disciple whom he had searched for most of his life, Yuan Zhengchun stroked his beard with a satisfied and proud expression. After taking the cup of tea, he took a small sip and his eyes lit up. He took another sip and scolded, ¡°You wretched girl, your crude tea-making skills have ruined the good tea leaves.¡± Yuan Zhengchun had a regretful look on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t we have some tea tools in the room? There are anvils, tea mills, tea strainer, and tea tray. How can you be so crude?¡± As he spoke, he lifted the lid and knocked on the rim. When he saw that the cup of tea was made by pouring the hot water over the tea leaves, he felt that it was such a waste of the good tea leaves. Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s voice had raised a little. It could be seen how much his heart ached for the tea. Zhou Xiaoli smiled in embarrassment. ¡°I know there are tools, but I don¡¯t know how to use them.¡± She had seen this method of making tea many times in television dramas. However, in the era she lived in, this tea-making culture was no longer popular, so she only watched for the fun of it and never thought of learning it. Seeing that Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s heart was aching over it, Zhou Xiaoli could only say in a hurry to appease him. ¡°Master, if you like this tea, I¡¯ll send it to you after you have finish it.¡± Despite Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, Yuan Zhengchun still felt that it was a pity. His only order was that Zhou Xiaoli had to learn the tea-making culture from him. ¡°From now on, if you serve me tea every time in such a manner, I¡¯m afraid my heart will ache.¡± Zhou Xiaoli went along with Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s words, coaxing Yuan Zhengchun until he beamed with joy. ¡°Alright, alright. You knew how to make your Master happy. Hurry up and sit down. We¡¯re going to start the first lesson.¡± Yuan Zhengchun had already set up two tables under a tree in the courtyard. Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli obediently ran over and sat down. Yuan Zhengchun first went to his room, and after a while, he took out a few books and handed them to Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Although you have some foundation, your abilities are not systematic. Take these books home and read them properly.¡± Zhou Xiaoli flipped through it. It was the Book of Changes, Laozi, and Zhuangzi. On the other side, Yuan Zhengchun had already started to speak while stroking his beard. ¡°In Laozi¡¯s chapter, it says, ¡®Mysterious and mysterious, the Door of Profundity¡¯. Mysterious is the general law of all things in the world, which is ¡®Tao¡¯¡­¡± ¡°There are five techniques in metaphysics, which is what you¡¯re going to learn next. That is, mountains, medicine, fate, divine, and physiognomy. Mountain is the science of achieving immortality, which includes cultivation and alchemy. This is also the most difficult part of the five techniques. Very few people would be able to understand it.¡± ¡°Medicine is medicine. It uses meridian science to treat illnesses using prescriptions.¡± ¡°Divine is divination. There are Taiyi, Qimen, Six Ren, Meiyi, Six Yao, and so on. Physiognomy is the study of facial features, which is also a major Tao element. There is the Heavenly Resonance Technique, which includes the Stars physiognomy, the Human physiognomy; and the Earth physiognomy, which is also known as Feng Shui¡­¡± Although Zhou Xiaoli already knew about this, she listened attentively. Among the five techniques, she only knew a little more about physiognomy. The rest were just in the beginning stages. Hence, when she heard Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s explanation, she was a little dazed. Although Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s small mountain courtyard was simple and crude, it was located in a place with excellent Feng Shui. In addition, Yuan Zhengchun had set up a Feng Shui formation in the courtyard. The entire courtyard was filled with spiritual energy. Staying here could clear one¡¯s mind and make one feel very comfortable. Therefore, one taught earnestly while the other learnt earnestly. They did not feel tired at all. The wolf cub was also extremely obedient. It lay at Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s feet and used its tongue to comb its fur and did not disturbed her at all. When Wei Chiyu carried the log in, he saw this peaceful sight in the courtyard. Zhou Xiaoli and Yuan Zhengchun were so engrossed that they didn¡¯t notice Wei Chiyu¡¯s return. Only the wolf cub raised its head and looked at Wei Chiyu when he came in. Afraid of disturbing the two of them in the lesson, Wei Chiyu gently put down the log and raised his hand to motion to the wolf cub. The wolf cub looked up at Zhou Xiaoli, who was engrossed in her studies, and then at Wei Chiyu. Finally, it stood up slowly and walked towards Wei Chiyu. Then, a wolf and a human stood outside the door. Wei Chiyu nodded slightly and looked at the wolf cub. ¡°Do you want to give Little Li a surprise?¡± The little wolf cub sat in front of Wei Chiyu and looked at him with pursed lips. Chapter 90 - 90 Shock 90 Shock ¡°Yeah, I know you do.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded and spoke to himself, completely ignoring the question whether the Silver Wolf understood human language or not. ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m still missing a log. Come with me. I¡¯ll leave the hunting mission to you.¡± After Wei Chiyu finished speaking, he pulled the little wolf and walked into the forest. This time, the wolf cub did not bare its teeth at Wei Chiyu. Instead, it obediently followed him into the forest, as if it really understood what he said. Thus, when Zhou Xiaoli was done with today¡¯s class and was about to rest, she found Wei Chiyu busy in the courtyard. The wolf pup followed beside him with a rope hanging from its mouth. It circled around Wei Chiyu as if it was helping him with work. Zhou Xiaoli was very uncertain. ¡°Wei Chiyu, what are you doing?¡± Zhou Xiaoli walked over as she spoke. She looked at the wooden frame that had yet to take shape and guessed, ¡°This is a swing?¡± Seeing Zhou Xiaoli walk over, the Silver Wolf immediately threw away the rope in its mouth. With a howl, it hopped over to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s side. He even showed off the prey he had hunted to Zhou Xiaoli. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and patted its head. ¡°Little Wolf, did you hunt this?¡± ¡°Howl.¡± The wolf cub gave a short howl and rubbed its head against Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s palm, as if responding to her words. ¡°Haha, Little Wolf, you¡¯re awesome.¡± Zhou Xiaoli praised the Silver Wolf with a smile. She could not wait to see what Wei Chiyu had built. Zhou Xiaoli was sure that it was the swing after seeing the initial appearance of the wooden frame. She exclaimed in surprise, ¡°It¡¯s a swing!¡± Wei Chiyu nodded and said softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say yesterday that Master¡¯s courtyard was empty and wanted to plant some flowers and trees and also a swing?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and circled around the shelf, clearly very happy. She waved her hand and called out to her master under the tree. ¡°Master, look, Junior Brother is putting together a swing.¡± After the class ended, Yuan Zhengchun could not wait to sit under the tree and make tea. Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s voice, he looked up with a smile. Zhou Xiaoli ran over and said, ¡°Master, how about we build a trellis next to the swing and plant some grapes?¡± Yuan Zhengchun chuckled and said, ¡°As long as you guys are happy. If you want to mess around, go ahead.¡± Zhou Xiaoli immediately nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s plant another peach tree. The peach blossoms will bloom all over the branches, and it will be very beautiful. We can also make peach blossom wine for Master to drink.¡± Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s face was full of smiles when he heard that. ¡°Kid, why are you always talking about food?¡± Zhou Xiaoli chuckled, ¡°Eating is the most important thing.¡± Then, she ran to Wei Chiyu to plan the grape trellis and to discuss where they should plant the peach tree. Yuan Zhengchun picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and narrowed his eyes in happiness. The children in the courtyard were very lively while he could sit underneath the tree and drink a cup of good tea. That¡¯s nice. ¡°Hey, children, do you want to eat at my place?¡± Half an hour later, Yuan Zhengchun suddenly thought of something and asked. Zhou Xiaoli looked back at Wei Chiyu and nodded. ¡°Sure. I saw that the wolf cub had hunted a pheasant. Today is the first day of the formal apprenticeship. I¡¯ll make my master a good dish.¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s swing was also done, so he said, ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± With that, the two of them entered the kitchen one after another. Yuan Zhengchun could not help but take a few more glances at the two of them. His junior disciple¡¯s thoughts were plain for all to see. Doing a charcoal delivery and building a swing. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s good to be young.¡± Yuan Zhengchun sighed with emotion. He held the tea cup and leaned back in his chair. He took a sip of tea and chuckled. ¡°Fortunately, I have tea.¡± Zhou Xiaoli stuck her head out of the window and looked at Yuan Zhengchun. She asked curiously, ¡°What is Master talking about?¡± Then, she turned around and shouted, ¡°Ah, Wei Chiyu, what are you doing?¡± Wei Chiyu, who was covering the pheasant in mud, asked in confusion, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to make Beggar¡¯s Chicken?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this the way to make the Beggar¡¯s Chicken dish?¡± he thought. Zhou Xiaoli covered her face with her hands. ¡°Oh, no, that¡¯s not what I want to do. I want to pluck the feathers, wash it, and marinate it. Finally, I want to wrap it in lotus leaves before applying mud.¡± Wei Chiyu stood there with his hands covered in mud and his face full of innocence. ¡°I¡¯ve always done it in this manner in the past.¡± Then, he asked in embarrassment, ¡°Did I hinder you in the cooking?¡± Zhou Xiaoli raised her eyebrows and said with a wicked smile, ¡°Do you want me to teach you a new method?¡± Wei Chiyu nodded. He thought of something and asked, ¡°Do you need me to call you ¡®sister?''¡± Zhou Xiaoli felt that the word ¡®sister¡¯ had pierced through her heart. For those who are highly attracted to voice, a pleasant voice is the best weapon of attraction. Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°Ahem, be normal.¡± Wei Chiyu said innocently, ¡°I¡¯m normal.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to call me sister. Well, how about this? Help me pick some lotus leaves or banana leaves.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s eyes revealed a trace of a triumphant smile. He turned around and walked out of the kitchen. Only then did Zhou Xiaoli heave a sigh of relief. She could not help but press the back of her hand against her face. Damn it, she was a little koi, but she was flirted with by a kid? No, no. Zhou Xiaoli shook her head and quickly went back to work. Wei Chiyu moved quickly, and he returned after a while. He didn¡¯t find any lotus leaf, but he did pick a banana leaf. Thus, the meal ended with Wei Chiyu¡¯s satisfaction and Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s endless praise. When she returned home, her family had just finished eating. On the way up the mountain, Zhou Xiaoli had informed Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu that she might not be coming back for dinner. Therefore, they were not too worried when she did not return for dinner. In the afternoon, Zhou Yu and Liu Liangcai bought another 240 kilograms of beetroots. The money was paid by Zhou Yu. Zhou Xiaoli immediately put it on his tab in the ledger book. Then, she called Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu into the room and told them about buying the stones. ¡°When Xue Min saw me, I couldn¡¯t sell the pearls, but our family is short of money now, so I thought about what to do.¡± ¡°Then, I saw a stone. For some reason, a voice in my heart asked me to buy it, so I spent 10 taels of silver to buy it.¡± As soon as he said this, Zhou Yu spat out the water in his mouth. He stammered, ¡°How much did you spend?¡± Zhang Lan also widened her eyes and covered her chest. However, seeing that Zhou Yu was so loud, she immediately pushed him and handed him a cloth to wipe his face. ¡°Why are you so loud? Listen to Li¡¯er first.¡± ¡°Cough, cough. That¡¯s right. Continue, Li¡¯er.¡± Zhou Yu took the towel to wipe his face, but his hands were obviously trembling. Zhou Xiaoli continued, ¡°After I bought it, I was also worried, so I asked someone to cut it open. Who knew that there would really be jade?¡± ¡°The shop owner accepted it directly and gave me 240 taels of silver.¡± Zhang Lan had just put down the towel and sat down. When she heard this number, she staggered and almost slipped off the chair. Zhou Yu, who had just wiped his face clean and taken another sip of water, spat it out again. He said in disbelief, ¡°How much?¡± Chapter 91 - 91 Hiring Workers 91 Hiring Workers ¡°240 taels,¡± Zhou Xiaoli repeated. ¡°Cough cough cough!¡± This time, Zhou Yu choked on his own saliva and kept coughing. Zhang Lan was also shocked. She was stunned for a long time before rushing over to pat Zhou Yu¡¯s back. He was excited and nervous. He was afraid that someone would hear him, so he only dared to speak softly, ¡°More than 200 taels. How, how much is that! I¡¯m afraid farmers like us won¡¯t be able to earn so much in our lives.¡± ¡°I told you, Li¡¯er is our lucky star!¡± Zhou Yu finally recovered and stopped coughing. He wiped the water off his body and said in a serious manner, ¡°Little Li is indeed our lucky star. Ever since she came to our house, our entire family has prospered!¡± Zhang Lan nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right. When our Li¡¯er was born, the sky was shining brightly. She was a blessed child to begin with!¡± ¡°Everyone in the village said that Li¡¯er¡¯s fortune was suppressed because Madam Lai treated us badly!¡± Now that she was talking about Madam Lai, Zhang Lan was no longer afraid. Instead, she was visibly dissatisfied and angry. Zhou Yu knew that his wife had misunderstood his words, but he did not explain it to her. He followed her words and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Our Li¡¯er is a blessed child.¡± He did not intend to tell Zhang Lan that Zhou Xiaoli was not his biological daughter. Although he had always known the truth, deep down inside, he always felt that the current Zhou Xiaoli was his daughter. It was just that she had arrived a little late and in a different way. At this time, Zhou Xiaoli had already taken out two silver notes, which were in fact, bank notes. However, they all called it the silver notes over here. ¡°Father, Mother, here are 200 taels of silver.¡± As she spoke, Zhou Xiaoli handed the two silver notes to Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan. It could be said that the two of them had never seen what silver notes looked like since they were born. Now that they saw this piece of paper, they were extremely curious. Zhang Lan held it preciously and looked at it from left to right. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen it. There are so many words on it.¡± ¡°This piece of paper worth 100 taels of silver?¡± Zhang Lan could not figure it out. Zhou Xiaoli smiled. ¡°Of course. With this piece of paper, you can go to the designated bank and collect 100 taels of silver.¡± Then, she asked Zhang Lan or Zhou Yu to keep the silver notes, but both of them rejected her repeatedly. Zhou Yu: ¡°The woman should manage the family account and money. Besides, you earned the money. You can keep it for yourself.¡± Zhang Lan agreed. ¡°Your father is right. You can keep this money for yourself. There¡¯s no need to give it to your father and me.¡± ¡°Moreover, there¡¯s so much money. Mother can¡¯t manage it all. It¡¯s not safe to leave it at home either. Just leave it in your alternate space. No one can steal it then.¡± Since the two of them insisted, Zhou Xiaoli did not refuse. She had already informed the two of them about the stone. Next, they got to the main topic. ¡°Father, Mother, for the past few days, we¡¯ve been busy making sugar with beetroots. Second, we¡¯re a little tight on money. We just bought 23 acres of land, but we did not have the time to deal with it yet.¡± ¡°Now, the sugar-making business has entered the official stage and we have some money on hand. I thought that Father should hire a few people to help us cultivate the 13 acres of forest land first, either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.¡± When Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan heard that Zhou Xiaoli had wanted to hire someone to work for them, their first reaction was to disagree as they were used to doing all the work themselves. ¡°Child, you can¡¯t squander just because you have some money. It¡¯s just 13 acres of forest land. Your father and I will work hard and cultivate it ourselves. There¡¯s no need to hire people. Isn¡¯t this a waste of money?¡± Zhou Yu also agreed. ¡°Your mother is right. If we hire a worker to work, we would have to pay each person more than 30 copper coins a day. We haven¡¯t even started earning money, but we¡¯re already spending money.¡± ¡°Besides, how can farmers like us hire people to work? If word gets out, I¡¯m afraid the villagers will criticize us for being lazy.¡± For the two of them, who had done honest work as farmers for their entire lives, hiring people to work had never been an option. Therefore, their reaction was completely within Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s expectations. Hence, she pulled out the famous saying, ¡°If you don¡¯t know how to lead a team, you would work yourself to death.¡± She tried to convince them using emotions at first. ¡°Father, Mother, we have the sugar business to take care of now and I have to go up the mountain to take lessons from the Master. How can you take care of it all? Should the two of you become burnt-out or something happened, how sad will my siblings and I be?¡± Then, she continued to reason with them. ¡°Why would hiring people to work be considered as being lazy? This is called saving time to do more valuable things.¡± ¡°Look at Landlord Wan and his family. Aren¡¯t they also responsible for supervising others to work? Why can¡¯t we?¡± After hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, the two of them loosened up a little, but they still couldn¡¯t accept hiring someone to work for them. ¡°Landlord Wan is a landlord. How can we compare them to farmers like us?¡± He objected. ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re ordinary farmers. We have to work hard.¡± Zhou Xiaoli immediately shook her head. ¡°No, no. Didn¡¯t Landlord Wan and his ancestors also start off as ordinary farmers? It just happened that they had much more money and bought a lot of land, so they became landlords.¡± ¡°Of course. As long as we hire people to work and pay them some remuneration, they can help us earn more money. Then, we can use the money we earn to buy more land. In this cycle, won¡¯t we also be able to become landlords?¡± Both of them were stunned by Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words. Zhang Lan: ¡°Girl, why are you so good with words?¡± Zhou Xiaoli chuckled and went forward to hold Zhang Lan¡¯s arm. She said coquettishly, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m worried about you and Father. It¡¯s already very tiring for you to make sugar every day. If you take time to cultivate the forest lands as well, what if you¡¯re overly exhausted?¡± ¡°Now that we have money, we can just hire a few people. We won¡¯t hire too many. Let¡¯s hire three or four first and give it a try. If we don¡¯t earn enough money, we won¡¯t hire them.¡± This time, Zhou Xiaoli even acted like a spoiled child. As expected, Zhang Lan relaxed. She looked at Zhou Yu and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we listen to Li¡¯er first?¡± Zhou Yu could only shake his head helplessly. ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯ll listen to our lady. I¡¯ll go and find out tomorrow if anyone is willing to do it.¡± After the matter was settled, Zhou Xiaoli immediately smiled brightly. After putting the money into her alternate space, she said with a smile, ¡°Father, Mother, I¡¯ll go see what Little Fishy and Brother Jun are arguing about outside.¡± With that, she ran out. Zhang Lan¡¯s eyes reddened as she watched Zhou Xiaoli walk out of the room. She felt like crying. Zhou Yu could not help but worry. ¡°My dear wife, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying?¡± Zhang Lan wiped the corners of her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m happy. Li¡¯er hasn¡¯t acted coquettishly with me for a long time.¡± ¡°Ever since we moved out of the Zhou family, our Li¡¯er has automatically taken over the running of our entire family. She seems to have grown up overnight. Her independence makes my heart ache.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good now. Our bodies have recovered. With us in charge of the family, our Li¡¯er also knows how to act her age again slowly. How good.¡± Chapter 92 - 92 Zhou Junjun Enters School 92 Zhou Junjun Enters School Zhou Yu could not help but hold Zhang Lan¡¯s hand and said guiltily, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for making you suffer so much with me. In the future, with me around, no one can bully you anymore!¡± ¡°Hubby¡­¡± Zhou Xiaoli, who had just walked out of the door, heard the conversation in the room. When she first came to this house, although her father was silly and her mother was sick, her two siblings were very cute. Although her mother was weak, she doted a lot on the children. She would always secretly leave the best for the three children to eat. Her father was stupid, but when her family was bullied, he would fight back. She liked this family very much and was willing to sacrifice for it. However, she still could not integrate into the family. During this period of time, Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu cared for her meticulously and her siblings trusted her unconditionally. She had truly fallen in love with this friendly family and had truly integrated now. Only then did she start acting like a child with Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu. She did not expect Zhang Lan to feel this way. It seemed that she had to do this more frequently in the future. Thinking of this, she went to look for Zhou Xiaoyu and Zhou Junjun. At this moment, the two little ones were playing with Wei Chiyu in the courtyard. Zhou Xiaoyu did not know why she liked to play with knives and other weapons so much. Every time she saw Wei Chiyu, she would pester him to teach her powerful martial arts. Wei Chiyu didn¡¯t find it annoying at all. Every time he¡¯s here, he would teach the little one a few moves in all seriousness. Compared to Zhou Xiaoyu, who liked to jump up and down, Zhou Junjun was much more cultured. At this moment, he was squatting on the ground and writing with a wooden stick. Zhou Xiaoli walked over and watched for a while. When she saw that Zhou Junjun was silently writing the Three Character Classic, she could not help but nod in satisfaction. The private school usually has its enrollment in the first lunar month before the farmers start planting their crops i.e. after summer in August, or when winter is coming in November. It was almost November. Now that she had money, she could send Zhou Junjun to school. Thinking of this, she asked Wei Chiyu, ¡°By the way, Wei Chiyu, you¡¯re familiar with this area. Do you know where there are good private schools?¡± Wei Chiyu couldn¡¯t help but fall into deep thought. After a moment, he said, ¡°I know that the nearest private school is in Dazhuang Village. It¡¯s a private school started by Landlord Wan for his children¡¯s convenience.¡± ¡°The children from the surrounding villages are also allowed to study at that school. There are naturally a few private schools in the city but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s good or not.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. Thinking of Zheng Yongyan, he asked, ¡°Where did Zheng Yongyan study?¡± Wei Chiyu thought for a moment and said, ¡°The last time I saw him, he was going to Dazhuang Village. He should be studying in a private school in Dazhuang Village then.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. She had a plan in mind. The private tutor that Wan Landlord hired for his children must be pretty good. More importantly, it was close to home. Zhou Junjun, who was at the side, had already heard their conversation. His eyes lit up as he ran over and grabbed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s hand. He asked excitedly, ¡°Elder sister, am I going to study in a private school?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded and asked with a smile, ¡°Do you want to go?¡± In an instant, Zhou Junjun¡¯s little head nodded like a chick pecking at rice. ¡°I want to go!¡± Looking at Zhou Junjun¡¯s eager eyes, Zhou Xiaoli could not help but smile. She rubbed Zhou Junjun¡¯s head and said, ¡°Alright, tomorrow afternoon, we¡¯ll go to the tutor.¡± Zhou Junjun was overjoyed. ¡°Yay, I can study in a private school too!¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli thought of Zhou Xiaoyu. This little girl had been clamoring to study with Zhou Junjun earlier. Why was she so quiet now? She looked around and saw that the little girl was still jumping around, motioning around with the small wooden stick she was holding. She waved her hand to gain her attention. ¡°Little Fishy, come here.¡± Hearing Zhou Xiaoli call her, Zhou Xiaoyu immediately stopped what she was doing and jogged over. ¡°Sis, why did you call Little Fishy over?¡± The little girl had gained a lot of weight from eating. She was no longer as small as before. Her little face was round, and her big eyes twinkled cutely. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but squeeze her hand and ask, ¡°Your brother is going to study in a private school. Don¡¯t you want to go?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu blinked and shook her head. She said in a childish voice, ¡°Mr. Private Tutor doesn¡¯t teach martial arts. I don¡¯t want to go. I want to learn powerful martial arts from Big Brother.¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°¡­¡± Why was this girl becoming more and more obsessed with martial arts? She could not help but ask, ¡°Why do you want to learn martial arts?¡± ¡°Beat up the bad people and protect Sis. Also, Father, Mother, and Brother!¡± Zhou Xiaoyu said without hesitation. Zhou Junjun immediately said, ¡°I don¡¯t want your protection. I¡¯m a man. I¡¯ll protect you.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu snorted. ¡°I know martial arts. I¡¯m very powerful.¡± Zhou Xiaoli pursed her lips and asked, ¡°Then, is there anything else? What do you want to do after learning martial arts?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu thought for a long time before shaking her head. ¡°Little Fishy doesn¡¯t know.¡± With the consideration that Zhou Xiaoyu was only four and a half years old and was not in a hurry to start studying, and that the private school might not accept women, she was not in a hurry at this moment. When she reached the age of enlightenment, she would hire a teacher to teach the little one how to read and understand. Now, Zhou Xiaoli decides to let her be true to her nature. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoli did not insist. She smiled and waved her hand, letting the two little ones play. ¡ª The next day. It was another busy day. As usual, the Liu family and the village chief¡¯s family came to make sugar while Zheng Yongfu went out to buy beetroots. Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu first went to the homestead and chatted with everyone for a while. After confirming that there were no problems, they went up the mountain together. In the afternoon, Zhou Xiaoli informed her master that she had to go and went back home. She had agreed with Zhou Junjun last night that she would bring him to the private school to meet his teacher. Naturally, she could not go back on her word. After packing a gift, she and Zhou Yu brought Zhou Junjun to Dazhuang Village. Dazhuang Village was the largest village within a few miles. After entering the village, the three of them did not stop and went straight to the private school. The private school was built just beside Landlord Wan¡¯s residence. It was a simple courtyard. As soon as they approached, they heard the students reading aloud. After Zhou Yu tied the donkey cart to a poplar tree not far from the entrance of the private school, the three of them quietly entered the private school. Although the small courtyard was simple, it was very clean. The courtyard was empty so they saw a stone table in the courtyard once they entered. This should be a place for the students to study outdoors when the weather is cool. As they walked further in, they could see a classroom with natural light streaming in. The windows were wide open, and they could clearly see the students sitting in the classroom, shaking their heads as they recited with the teacher. Although Zhou Yu was not educated and did not know much about etiquette, he knew that they should not disturb the teacher in class. Hence, the three of them found a shady spot in the courtyard and stood there respectfully, waiting for the teacher¡¯s class to end. They waited for an hour. After hearing the teacher announce that the class would take a break for half an hour, Zhou Xiaoli immediately looked toward the classroom and saw the old man had walked out of the classroom with a book in his hand and was walking straight toward the three of them. Chapter 93 - 93 He Was A Mute Before 93 He Was A Mute Before Zhou Yu immediately perked up and subconsciously bowed. ¡°Hello, Sir.¡± Zhou Junjun and Zhou Xiaoli also greeted the teacher respectfully at the same time, ¡°Hello, Tutor Tang.¡± Tang Sheng nodded at the three of them and asked gently, ¡°Why are you here today?¡± He had noticed the arrival of Zhou Xiaoli and the other two a long time ago. He saw that after entering the courtyard, they did not walk up to disrupt his class and instead, they stood quietly outside and waited for him to finish the class. Although they were farmers, the family was very polite and from this, he had a good impression of the three of them. Similarly, Zhou Xiaoli had a good impression of the old man in front of her. Although he was more than 50 years old, his eyes were not cloudy. Instead, they revealed wisdom in them. His face, although showing traces of age, did not look rigid. Instead, he looked kind and calm. After hearing the teacher¡¯s question, Zhou Yu was so nervous that he did not know where to put his hands. He licked his dry lips and recalled what Zhou Xiaoli had taught him when they were walking here. He then said respectfully, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s like this. My son has reached the age of enlightenment, so I want to ask you to see if you can accept my son into school.¡± Hearing this, Tang Sheng¡¯s gaze landed on Zhou Junjun, who was standing at the side. He saw that the child was standing respectfully. When he looked over, he was not reserved and bowed graciously instead. He felt even more satisfied with this potential student. Then, he asked, ¡°How old are you?¡± Zhou Junjun replied respectfully, ¡°Sir, this would be my first year of enrollment.¡± Tang Sheng stroked his beard. ¡°Hm, enrollment into a school begins at the age of eight. It¡¯s suitable but just a little late to start studying now.¡± He asked again, ¡°Do you recognize any words?¡± Zhou Junjun replied truthfully, ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve already read the Three Character Classic. I can recognize most of the words and know some counting techniques.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Tang Sheng nodded. He felt that he had a better understanding of the situation now. Then, he asked, ¡°Before entering the school, you have to pass a test. Only after passing it can you officially enter the school to study. Do you understand?¡± Zhou Junjun immediately nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Alright, follow me then.¡± As he spoke, he brought Zhou Junjun to the study room. As for Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu, they did not follow along. Instead, they stood in the courtyard and waited. Now that the tutor was not around, the students were much more relaxed. Previously, they had only leaned against the window and peered out. Now, many of them had walked out of the classroom and were looking at Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu curiously. These students were not very old. The oldest was a student from the big class, who was about 12 or 13 years old. The youngest was a student from the beginner class, who was only seven or eight years old, about the same age as Zhou Junjun. Zhou Yu¡¯s attitude towards these elementary school students was also extremely respectful. With the mindset that everyone else except the educated are of a lower class, he had a natural reverence for those who studied. On the other hand, Zhou Xiaoli was observing the situation in the private school in a casual manner. At this moment, she saw two familiar figures. Zhou Anfu and Zhou Anle. Madam Lai¡¯s two precious grandsons. Ever since she removed the Zhou family¡¯s Feng Shui Evil Formation and replaced it with the Fortune Breaking Formation, she had not paid special attention to the outcome of their family. Occasionally, she heard bits and pieces from others that Zhou Fugui was exiled and that Madam Lai spent a lot of money to save her son. The second son of the family, Zhou Fuchun, became a cripple and completely useless. He threw tantrums at home all day, hitting and scolding his wife and children. Ever since Old Zhou fell ill, he had been bedbound. This family was crippled and sick. They also lost their pharmacy business in the county city. However, she did not expect that that family would still have the money to send their two precious grandsons to school. As Zhou Xiaoli was deep in her thoughts, a rock hit the back of her hand. With Lai Jinniang¡¯s indulgence, Zhou Anfu and Zhou Anle were used to bullying Zhou Xiaoli. Now that Zhou Xiaoli had appeared in the school, they kept calling her a jinx. They even threw stones at her. Zhou Yu immediately stood in front of Zhou Xiaoli and said angrily, ¡°Anfu, Anle, what are you doing? Stop fooling around.¡± Zhou Anfu, who had been pampered, was not afraid at all. He stuck out his tongue at Zhou Yu and made a face. ¡°She¡¯s a jinx to begin with. She jinxed my grandfather and my second uncle!¡± He shouted loudly. There were not many children from the Boyu Village among these students. Most of them were from the surrounding villages. They do not know much about Boyu Village. In addition, since most of the children were only about age eight or nine, they do not know how to form their own judgment yet. As such, many children believed his words. This made everyone look at Zhou Xiaoli with fear. Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but frown. With these two boys around, she suddenly began to worry if Zhou Junjun would be bullied. As expected, the two boys targeted Zhou Junjun next. ¡°Let me tell you, the person who just entered the study room with Tutor is the jinx¡¯s younger brother. If he studies with us, we will definitely be in trouble.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll tell him not to let the brother of a jinx study with us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I won¡¯t let the jinx¡¯s younger brother enter the school.¡± There were already a few children jeering along with Zhou Anfu. At this moment, a familiar voice rang out and interrupted their jeering. ¡°Zhou Anfu, Zhou Anle! The two of you slandered and even hurt others. Now, you¡¯re isolating your future classmate. Be careful of the Tutor punishing you for this.¡± The students seemed to be very afraid of the person who spoke. As soon as the voice rang out, they scattered like frightened birds. Zhou Xiaoli looked over and saw Zheng Yongyan walking out of the classroom. He held a book in his hand and walked over in his green robe. He really did look like a humble gentleman. However, what he said to her next made Zhou Xiaoli feel that what she had just seen was purely an illusion. ¡°Zhou Xiaoli, don¡¯t be too touched. I¡¯m not helping you. I just can¡¯t stand the behavior of these two brats.¡± Yes, it was still the Zheng Yongyan she was familiar with. Zhou Xiao shrugged and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not touched. Don¡¯t flatter yourself.¡± Zheng Yongyan did not continue to bicker with Zhou Xiaoli. He nodded at Zhou Yu and asked, ¡°Uncle, is your Brother Jun going to study in the school?¡± Zhou Yu nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Zheng Yongyan nodded and said to Zhou Yu, ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t worry. With me around, no one will dare to bully Brother Jun when he enters school.¡± At this moment, Zhou Anfu, who had run back to the classroom, stuck his head out of the window and interrupted unhappily, ¡°It¡¯s still not certain if Zhou Junjun can enter the school.¡± Zhou Anle chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. Only smart people can enter our private school. Zhou Junjun is so stupid. He only knows how to speak when he¡¯s eight years old. The Tutor would not want him for sure!¡± Upon hearing this, many children were shocked. They came over to ask, ¡°He only learned to speak when he was eight years old? Is it true?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. You can go to our village and ask around. Zhou Junjun used to be a little mute!¡± Seeing that many children were interested, Zhou Anfu said proudly. ¡°Haha, so it¡¯s a little mute. That means he¡¯s stupid. Such a stupid person will definitely not pass the tutor¡¯s entrance test.¡± ¡­ Chapter 94 - 94 Strike 94 Strike As the saying goes, a child¡¯s words carry no harm. However, sometimes, the malice from a child was even more chilling. Zhou Anfu and Zhou Anle were spoiled by Lai Jinniang. They were only seven or eight years old now. If no one corrected them in the future, they would turn out bad in the future. Just as they were laughing at Zhou Junjun and saying that he would definitely not pass the entrance examination, the door of the study room was opened. Tutor Tang and Zhou Junjun walked out of the study room together. It was obvious that the tutor was smiling. ¡°It seemed that the results were not bad.¡± That was what Zhou Xiaoli thought. Tutor Tang said, ¡°Rest time is over. Go back to class and revise the poem I just taught you. I want to check your progress later.¡± Since the teacher had spoken, the students immediately bowed respectfully and walked towards the classroom. ¡°Zhou Anfu, Zhou Anle, come here.¡± Although the two boys were spoiled by Lai Jinniang, they were still instinctively afraid of the Tutor. At this moment, when they heard the Tutor had called for them, they obediently walked over and lowered their heads, not daring to speak. Tutor Tang said, ¡°You two didn¡¯t listen to me at all when I taught you how to be a gentleman! In that case, I¡¯ll punish you to go to the back of the school and reflect on your mistakes.¡± Clearly, he had heard what had just happened outside. Zhou Anfu and Zhou Anle did not dare to make a sound. Although they were not convinced by the reason given, they obediently went to stand as punishment. After that, Tutor Tang¡¯s gaze fell on Zhou Xiaoli and he asked, ¡°I heard from Zhou Junjun that you taught him how to calculate numbers and the Three Character Classic?¡± Zhou Xiaoli didn¡¯t expect Tutor Tang to ask her this question out of the blue, so she hurriedly replied, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Brother Jun started his enlightenment late, so I casually taught him a little in my spare time.¡± Tutor Tang¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°The ¡®Vertical Calculation Method¡¯. Was this a calculation method you came up with?¡± Hearing this question, Zhou Xiaoli suddenly understood what had happened. It was careless of her. She did not know if this world uses the vertical calculation method. At that time, she had taught this to Zhou Junjun without much thought. It was obvious that he had seen Zhou Junjun use it to calculate when he was testing Zhou Junjun. She immediately shook her head. ¡°No, no. When I was young, I met an old man on the mountain. He taught me this.¡± Afraid that Tutor Tang would get to the bottom of it, Zhou Xiaoli added, ¡°But that old man disappeared after that, and I couldn¡¯t find him again.¡± Upon hearing this, a look of regret appeared on Tutor Tang¡¯s face. He sighed with emotion. ¡°I think that old man must be a great talent. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t meet him. This vertical calculation is an extraordinary method!¡± He thought of something and asked, ¡°Can I teach it to other students?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Of course. I can give you all the formulas.¡± Zhou Xiaoli agreed without hesitation, which made Tutor Tang like her even more. Not only was this girl lively, but her attitude was also extraordinary! Then, he sighed. It was a pity that she was a girl. If it was a boy, he would have taken her in no matter what. He immediately nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll find a time and go to your house to ask you for guidance.¡± As such, Zhou Xiaoli had a better impression of Tutor Tang. She was his junior in terms of age, but Tutor Tang was willing to take the initiative to ask her for guidance. It was obvious that he was virtuous. At this moment, Tutor Tang started talking to Zhou Yu. ¡°You have brought up your two children well. Well, how about this? You don¡¯t have to wait until next month¡¯s school enrollment period. When you go back, find a day and bring your child to complete the official registration.¡± Zhou Yu was excited when he saw that his son could enter school immediately and that his two children were praised by the teacher. He bent down even lower and kept thanking the teacher. Zhou Xiaoli saw that Zhou Yu had obviously forgotten about the presence of Landlord Wan. Seeing that he did not mention it for a long time, she asked, ¡°Tutor Tang, do you need us to inform Landlord Wan about my brother¡¯s admission?¡± Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s question, Zhou Yu suddenly remembered and immediately nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Do we need to meet Landlord Wan?¡± Tutor Tang smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. The final decision of student enrollment into the school lies with me. Landlord Wan is not in charge of the running of the private school. I¡¯ll let him know when the time comes.¡± Zhou Yu immediately thanked him again. Tutor Tang still had classes to teach so it wasn¡¯t appropriate for them to disturb him further. After making an appointment with Tutor Tang to teach him the vertical calculation formulas, the three of them left. Zhou Yu was still grinning even after the donkey cart had stepped out of Dazhuang Village. Seeing Zhou Yu¡¯s silly look, Zhou Xiaoli was overjoyed. ¡°Father, if you don¡¯t close your mouth, the flies might fly in.¡± Zhou Yu was overjoyed. ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t know how happy I am. Brother Jun, when you go to school in the future, you have to study well under the Tutor¡¯s tutelage, understand?¡± Zhou Junjun immediately nodded. ¡°Yes, yes. Don¡¯t worry, Father. I¡¯ll definitely study hard!¡± Zhou Yu laughed sheepishly for a while. He then thought of something and could not help but ask in a worried manner, ¡°Ah, right, Li¡¯er, what¡¯s the situation between you and the village chief¡¯s youngest son? Did you quarrel?¡± Zhou Yu must have been worried about her bickering with Zheng Yongyan in the private school today. She immediately laughed. ¡°No, Father, don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t quarrel with him. That kid just likes to bicker with me.¡± Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, Zhou Yu felt relieved. He had a good relationship with the village chief. It wouldn¡¯t be good if their children quarreled as it may hurt their relationship. As they chatted and laughed, the three of them drove the donkey cart slowly towards the village. ¡ª After going around a pond, the donkey cart made a turn and they could see the entrance of their village from afar. Zhou Xiaoli had good vision, so as soon as she turned the corner, she saw a group of people gathering in front. After taking a closer look, she couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in surprise, ¡°Eh? Father, isn¡¯t that our and Wei Chiyu¡¯s homestead? What¡¯s going on? Why are there so many people surrounding it?¡± Zhou Yu also noticed it and could not help but worry, so he sped up. Soon, the donkey cart arrived at the entrance of the village. Sure enough, that group of people was surrounding their homestead. The construction workers were no longer building houses. They were simply standing around and whispering to each other. Foreman Cao was not here either. Zhang Lan was agitated and arguing with a burly man in his thirties. Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yan chimed in from time to time. Liu Liangcai stood in front of the burly man, looking like he was about to fight. The two sides quarreled passionately. Zhou Yu couldn¡¯t care less about tying the donkey cart up. When he arrived, he jumped down from the donkey cart and immediately rushed over to protect Zhang Lan. Seeing that Zhou Yu had returned, Zhang Lan instantly had someone to rely on and felt confident. She scolded the burly man with confidence. Zhou Xiaoli followed closely behind. She quickly jumped off the donkey cart and walked over. ¡°Mother, what¡¯s going on?¡± Before Zhang Lan could explain to her, the surrounding people who were watching the commotion explained the ins and outs of the matter. This dark, burly man in his thirties was Foreman Cao¡¯s cousin, Cao Liu. This afternoon, when Foreman Cao returned home, he met a group of people who beat him up indiscriminately. Now, he had been brought to the county city to see a doctor. After that, Foreman Cao¡¯s cousin came looking for trouble. They incited the construction workers to use this as a threat to demand that Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu give the workers twice the salary, or they would go on strike. Chapter 95 - 95 Lets Go 95 Let¡¯s Go After knowing the situation, Zhou Yu was also quite angry. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being shameless? The price was set before the house was built. How can it change just like that?¡± Cao Liu sneered and pointed at Zhou Yu¡¯s nose. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know. I heard that your family has a jinx daughter!¡± ¡°My brother has been beaten up and is still lying unconscious in the medical hall. He might have been jinxed by your family!¡± ¡°We¡¯re risking our lives to build a house for your family now. You have to give us more money. If you don¡¯t give it to us¡­¡± As he spoke, he looked back at the workers and shouted, ¡°We¡¯ll go on strike and stop working for them.¡± After Cao Liu¡¯s incitement, many construction workers agreed. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right, let¡¯s strike if they do not pay us more!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Cao Liu is right. If we work for your family now, we¡¯ll be risking our lives. Who knows when we¡¯ll be unlucky and suffer? If you don¡¯t pay us extra, we won¡¯t dare to work again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. There are old and young people in my family. If anything happens to me, what will happen to my entire family? No, no, even if it¡¯s double the money, I won¡¯t do this job anymore!¡± ¡°Yeah, I quit too!¡± ¡­ The workers started arguing. Naturally, there were also a few workers who could tell right from wrong and spoke up for the Zhou and Wei families. However, their voices were quickly drowned out by the other voices. Hearing those people¡¯s discussions, Zhang Lan was very angry. In the past, when the villagers said that her daughter was a jinx, she was sad but kept it all within. She was suppressed by Lai Jinniang then and did not dare to seek justice for her daughter. Things are different now. Zhang Lan¡¯s heart had changed a long time ago. She firmly believed Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words that ¡°the more others will bully you if you don¡¯t resist.¡± Seeing that this group of people was putting all the blame on her daughter, she lost it immediately. She picked up a stick and rushed over, shouting as she went. ¡°If you dare to say another word about my girl being a jinx, just try it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fight you to the death!¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡± As she shouted, she waved the stick as a bat at the group of people. That attitude stunned Zhou Yu and Zhou Xiaoli. In the next second, Zhou Yu immediately followed them. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his thick muscles, and shouted in a rough voice, ¡°If you dare to talk bad about my girl, I¡¯ll fight you to death!¡± Zhou Yu was already very strong, and with the nourishment of the spring water from the alternate space, his strength became greater. He could knock out one person with just one punch. Even if they ganged up on him, it was as if he was picking up and throwing away chicks instead. Zhang Lan was right next to Zhou Yu. When she saw someone coming over, she closed her eyes and waved her bat wildly. The couple was going crazy! The surrounding villagers were dumbfounded and could only exclaim, ¡°The Zhou couple is crazy!¡± This shocking scene quickly spread throughout the village. Almost everyone knew that the Zhou couple would fight to their death for their daughter. After that, no one in the village dared to say that Miss Zhou was a jinx. As expected, the more cowardly one was, the more one would be bullied. Naturally, this is what happened in the future. Seeing that her parents had already taken action, Zhou Xiaoli was unwilling to fall behind. She also picked up her weapon and went up to fight! Cao Liu, who had been punched a few times by Zhou Yu, was also furious. A hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes. He took a brick and launched a sneak attack at Zhou Xiaoli. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s back was towards him, and she did not see the danger approaching. The brick was about to hit the back of Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s head. At this moment, a pair of hands suddenly appeared and grabbed Cao Liu¡¯s arm in time. Immediately, there was a scream, and the brick in Cao Liu¡¯s hand fell to the ground. Hearing the commotion, Zhou Xiaoli quickly turned around and saw Wei Chiyu grabbing Cao Liu¡¯s wrist. His face was expressionless, but it made people shudder. Cao Liu shouted in pain, ¡°It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. Spare me, please spare me, please spare me.¡± Wei Chiyu remained expressionless. His strength did not decrease. Instead, he exerted more force and lifted his leg to kick the person away. He turned to look at Zhou Xiaoli and asked with concern, ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Zhou Xiaoli immediately shook her head and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. Thank you, Junior Brother.¡± At this moment, Zhou Xiaoyu and Liu Fengfeng ran over from behind with the wolf cub, panting heavily. ¡°Big brother, you run so fast. We can¡¯t catch up to you.¡± Then, Zhou Xiaoyu saw Cao Liu and immediately roared fiercely in her cute voice, ¡°Ah, baddie, it¡¯s this big baddie. He bullied Mother. Big Brother, hit him!¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t your big brother already knock him out cold?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu clapped his hands and jumped up and down. ¡°Big brother is so awesome.¡± Then, she saw Zhou Xiaoli looking at her with raised eyebrows. She immediately hugged Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s leg and said coquettishly, ¡°Sis is the best.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was amused by this little one. She looked at Wei Chiyu and asked, ¡°Why did you come down the mountain? Didn¡¯t the Master want to teach you this afternoon?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu immediately said, ¡°Liu Fengfeng and I went to look for Big Brother.¡± It turned out that after Cao Liu and the others came to look for her, Zhang Lan asked Zhou Xiaoyu and Liu Fengfeng to go to the mountain to call Wei Chiyu. ¡°No wonder Wei Chiyu could appear so promptly.¡± That was what Zhou Xiaoli thought. The scene was controlled after Wei Chiyu arrived. The workers who had been beaten by Zhou Yu hid far away and did not dare to go forward. On the other side, Cao Liu got up from the ground and cursed with a grimace, ¡°You guys are simply too much! Don¡¯t even think about building another brick in this house. Even if you increase the salary, we won¡¯t do it anymore!¡± As Cao Liu spoke, he urged the construction workers to follow him. Immediately, many people responded. ¡°Pfft! That¡¯s right, we quit!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s all go. I want to see how they build their house without us!¡± ¡°Hmph, the weather is about to turn cold. Without us, where would you find workers to build houses in the short term?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You can stay in an unfinished house! When the time comes, you can beg us and raise the salary for all you want but we won¡¯t do it!¡± ¡­ The more those people spoke, the more they felt that they were in the right and as if they had gained the upper hand. Cao Liu was extremely proud seeing the effect of his words on the workers. He looked at Zhou Xiaoli and the others with a shameless expression. The current situation was indeed disadvantageous to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family. If they change the workers, they may not be able to find other workers to complete the construction in a short period of time. It was already late autumn, and it would be chilly soon. When it started to freeze, they would not be able to complete the construction of the house. This group of people dared to be this shameless because they knew that Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s family was in a hurry to move into the new house. However, Zhou Xiaoli would not indulge them. Moreover, with their character as such, Zhou Xiaoli was worried about handing over the construction of the house to them. Therefore, after they said that they are quitting, she said coldly, ¡°Alright, since you don¡¯t want to build houses for our two families, leave.¡± Chapter 96 - 96 Stealing Workers 96 Stealing Workers Although Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu were also worried that the house could not be built before winter, they were also worried about leaving the construction work to Cao Liu. Moreover, they were asking for triple of the salary agreed on. Therefore, they had the same thought as Zhou Xiaoli. He immediately said, ¡°My girl is right. Since you don¡¯t want to work for our family anymore, leave.¡± At this moment, Lin Xiujuan and Liu Liangcai also spoke at the right time. ¡°Brother Zhou, you don¡¯t have to worry about housing. Anyway, no one lives in my uncle¡¯s courtyard. You can stay as long as you want!¡± Liu Yan also nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. If they want to leave, let them. If we can¡¯t finish the construction this year, we will just continue it the next year. Who would want to spoil them?¡± Wei Chiyu naturally agreed with Zhou Xiaoli. He nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine with it. The house can be built anytime.¡± Seeing the Zhou and Wei families¡¯ attitude, the workers could not help but feel a little uncertain. They subconsciously looked at Cao Liu. After all, this was a large sum of money. They were worried that since they could not ask for more, they may lose a job and hence end up with nothing. Cao Liu did not panic at all. Instead, he looked like he had been looking forward to it. ¡°Alright, since you don¡¯t want workers anymore, everyone, follow me!¡± ¡°It just so happens that Second Master Wan has a job to be done and needs workers. The salary is much higher than here. Everyone, follow me to Second Master Wan¡¯s!¡± The Second Master Wan he was talking about was the younger brother of Landlord Wan. When the workers heard this, their eyes lit up. That was the Landlord Wan they were talking about, a rich family! Working for Landlord Wan would definitely be more beneficial than working for the Zhou and Wei families! They immediately expressed their willingness to follow Cao Liu. This scene caused Zhou Xiaoli to raise her eyebrows. Was it such a coincidence? They had just stopped working for their family, and now they are able to start work at the Second Master Wan¡¯s? While Zhou Xiaoli was still in doubt, Cao Liu had already left with the group of people. Those people might have felt that the opportunity of working for Landlord Wan is too good to miss or that they knew that they were in the wrong and were afraid of Zhou Yu¡¯s strength. They didn¡¯t even ask for today¡¯s salary and left just like that. In an instant, the surroundings became much more spacious. She originally thought that all workers would leave, but she soon realized that there were still eight or nine people left. Among those people, there was a tall and strong man called Ma Fei who always smiled foolishly. He was Foreman Cao¡¯s disciple and often followed him around. Every time she came to the homestead, he would greet her loudly. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoli had a deep impression of him. Zhou Xiaoli asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go with Cao Liu and the others? He has Second Master Wan on his side.¡± Hearing this, Ma Fei snorted and said in a rough voice, ¡°I know that Second Master Wan wants to build a house. A few days ago, he looked for my master, but my master rejected him because he had already agreed to do the work for your families.¡± ¡°After that, my master¡¯s cousin somehow hooked up with Second Master Wan. I think my master¡¯s injury today must have something to do with this.¡± Towards the end, Ma Fei was filled with righteous indignation. Then, he said, ¡°That¡¯s why my master was beaten up. It wasn¡¯t Little Lady Zhou¡¯s fault at all. Now that your houses are not finished, we won¡¯t leave.¡± The others agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re not leaving. Young Lady Zhou is benevolent to us. She gave us green bean tea with sugar to cool down when she was afraid that we would get heatstroke. We can¡¯t be shameless people like them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if we¡¯re the only ones left, we¡¯ll build the houses for your two families.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Let¡¯s do it now!¡± ¡­ Unexpectedly, these people were quite loyal. Zhou Xiaoli sighed. At this moment, Wei Chiyu suddenly said, ¡°There are too few of them. We have to find more workers. I happen to have a friend in the city who has connections in this area.¡± Hearing this, Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan saw hope again. They immediately said happily, ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Zhou Xiaoli thought for a moment and asked Ma Fei, ¡°Brother Ma, how is your master now?¡± Ma Fei sighed. ¡°Master¡¯s injuries are quite serious, but he¡¯s fine. They¡¯re all superficial wounds. He should recover soon.¡± ¡°Before the Master was sent to see the doctor, he gave me the blueprint of the little lady¡¯s house.¡± ¡°So, Young Lady Zhou, don¡¯t worry. We will definitely build the house for you. There won¡¯t be a problem!¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. Ma Fei looked simple-minded, but he was actually very aware of what¡¯s going on. He knew that she was worried that the workers would not know how to build the house without Foreman Cao being here to guide them. Zhou Xiaoli was relieved to hear Ma Fei¡¯s words. However, she still had to give praise as this was a way to connect with people. She immediately said, ¡°Brother Ma is Foreman Cao¡¯s best disciple. I naturally trust you!¡± Ma Fei scratched his head and chuckled. At first, he was a little embarrassed. Then, he patted his chest and promised Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Miss Zhou, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll build a house for you even if I have to risk my life!¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled. ¡°Thank you very much, Brother Ma. How about this? We¡¯ll visit Foreman Cao tomorrow and invite some workers to help.¡± ¡°Everyone is tired today. Let¡¯s go home first. We¡¯ll start work again after I find the workers.¡± Then, she said, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, everyone. I¡¯ll count today as a full day¡¯s work.¡± Hearing this, the smiles on their faces widened. They had thought that they would be wasting the afternoon since there is no work to be done and they did not have any prior arrangement. Since Zhou Xiaoli was willing to give them a day¡¯s salary, they were naturally happy. It was their morals that did not allow them to leave the work unfinished just like that, but they also wanted to earn money. Therefore, they all happily said their goodbyes. Now that everyone had left and the matter was resolved, Zhou Yu suddenly remembered that his donkey cart was not tied up! He immediately slapped his thigh and shouted, ¡°My donkey cart!¡± Then, he went to the back. Then he saw that their donkey cart was parked outside the homestead. Little Wolf was nestled in front of the donkey cart like a guard, watching it and not letting anyone else approach. The donkey was also obediently eating grass at the side. Zhou Yu immediately patted his chest and rejoiced. ¡°Aiya, good, good. The donkey cart isn¡¯t lost.¡± At this moment, an enthusiastic villager beside him smiled and sighed. ¡°Brother Zhou, what breed is your dog? It¡¯s really powerful!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know, just now, Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law wanted to take your donkey cart away amidst the chaos earlier, but your dog discovered them. Good lord, you should see how your dog bit and chased them away!¡± ¡°Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law¡¯s clothes were torn and they were attacked to the ground. I almost died of laughter.¡± Old Madam Ma! A name that they have not heard of in a long while. Ever since they scammed her of a donkey and two chickens, Old Madam Ma and her daughter-in-law had avoided her like the plague. She had not seen this mother and daughter-in-law duo in the village for a long time. Now, she actually dared to steal the donkey cart. Fortunately, the wolf cub was here. Zhou Xiaoli squatted down with a smile and patted the wolf cub¡¯s head. ¡°Little Wolf is awesome. I¡¯ll reward you with meat when we get back later.¡± Chapter 97 - 97 Study Crisis 97 Study Crisis ¡°Howl.¡± The wolf cub seemed to understand what she meant. It let out a proud cry and circled around Zhou Xiaoli excitedly. Zhou Yu explained to that person that their family was a wolf, not a dog. Under that person¡¯s shocked gaze, their family returned home. The Zhou family. ¡°This damn Cao Liu has wasted so much of our time and hence, we have earned so much less money!¡± As soon as they got home, Lin Xiujuan started scolding Cao Liu angrily. ¡°This kind of person should be struck by lightning by the heavens!¡± Although she was cursing, her hands moved non-stop. She had already pulled Liu Yan along and started squeezing the beetroot juice from the pulp. ¡°Sister-in-law Liu, let¡¯s use more strength to squeeze it clean. Little Li said that there will be more sugar this way!¡± In terms of earning money, Lin Xiujuan was the most active. Her mouth and hands did not stop. After Cao Liu¡¯s interlude, everyone began to immerse themselves in making sugar. On the other hand, Zhou Xiaoli was in discussion with Zhou Yu about going to the county city tomorrow. Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°I just made an appointment with Wei Chiyu. We¡¯ll go to the county city to look for his friend tomorrow.¡± Zhou Yu nodded. ¡°Alright, do buy some apprenticeship gifts for Brother Jun along the way.¡± Lin Xiujuan and the others knew that Zhou Yu had brought Zhou Junjun to the private school to meet the tutor this afternoon. After the ruckus caused by Cao Liu and the others just now, all had forgotten to ask about the outcome. Hearing Zhou Yu say that he wanted to buy an apprenticeship gift, everyone remembered about this matter. Lin Xiujuan immediately asked excitedly, ¡°Is the Tutor going to take in your Jun?¡± Zhang Lan was also excited. Zhou Yu nodded with a smile on his face. ¡°That¡¯s right. The Tutor said that we don¡¯t have to wait until next month. We can find an auspicious day and bring our child to the school to become his student officially.¡± ¡°Ah, this is good news!¡± Everyone was immediately attracted by this news and started discussing. Liu Yan smiled and suggested, ¡°This is an important date. It¡¯s best to find someone to count which would be an auspicious day.¡± Zhang Lan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. We have to find an auspicious day.¡± At this moment, Lin Xiujuan said, ¡°Who do you plan to look for? Isn¡¯t Li¡¯s master a fortune-teller?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± At the side, Zhou Xiaoli smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need a master for this. I can do it. When I went to the private school, I already calculated which days were auspicious for him to start school. In three days¡¯ time, it will be a good day for Brother Jun to become his student.¡± Liu Yan smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s good. Oh, right, do you know what to prepare for the school entrance ceremony?¡± When they were still with the Old Zhou family, Zhang Lan saw how Lai Jinniang prepared for her grandsons to go to school, so she knew a little about it. She said, ¡°When I was in the Old Zhou family, I saw Lai Jinniang prepare celery, lotus seeds, red beans, red dates, dried longans and dried meat strips.¡± As she has a scholar at home, Liu Yan was very familiar with this matter. When she heard this, she nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. There¡¯s an explanation for everything.¡± ¡°Celery has the meaning of being diligent and eager to learn, and the essence of studying is diligence. The heart of the lotus seed is bitter, so the meaning of that is that education is a bittersweet event as it requires a lot of effort.¡± ¡°Red beans symbolize good luck; red dates symbolize that the student would have achievements soon; dried longans symbolizes completion of merit and the dried meat strips of meat are to express the disciple¡¯ thanks to the tutor. Not one can be missing from the gift.¡± Lin Xiujuan teased, ¡°It¡¯s different when one has a scholar in this family. Look at how much she knows.¡± Liu Yan smiled in embarrassment. ¡°Oh, right, Zhang Lan, are the new clothes you made for your son ready? You have to wear new clothes to enter the school as a student to show your respect to the Tutor.¡± Zhang Lan had just instructed Zhou Xiaoli to note down the things she wanted to buy. When she heard Liu Yan¡¯s question, she nodded. ¡°Yes, yes. I have even made new shoes.¡± At this moment, an envious expression appeared on Lin Xiujuan¡¯s face. She looked at Liu Liangcai and said, ¡°Hubby, we¡¯re making sugar with Brother Zhou¡¯s family now. If we have enough money, let¡¯s send our Brother Feng to a private school to study too.¡± Liu Fengfeng, who was having fun with Zhou Junjun and Zhou Xiaoyu, heard his mother¡¯s words and his face fell. ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t want to study in a private school.¡± Upon hearing Liu Fengfeng¡¯s words, Lin Xiujuan was instantly furious. ¡°Hey, child, why don¡¯t you know what¡¯s good for you? Brother Jun is going to a private school to study. Why don¡¯t you go?¡± Liu Fengfeng pouted. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to?¡± Lin Xiujuan was very stubborn. She raised the spoon in her hand and was about to give him a good beating. Liu Fengfeng was so scared that he covered his head and quickly ran away. Lin Xiujuan scolded him while Liu Liangcai shouted after her. The mother and son jumped and chased around in the courtyard. In the end, Zhang Lan and Liu Yan stopped Lin Xiujuan, saving Liu Fengfeng from a beating. Lin Xiujuan placed her hands on her hips and pointed at Liu Fengfeng. ¡°I¡¯m so angry. Why did I give birth to such a disappointing child?! Other people¡¯s children yearn to go to school when they can¡¯t even afford it! ¡°You, on the other hand, I scrimped and saved to send you to school, but you¡¯re unwilling to go. Are you trying to revolt?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson today. Otherwise, you won¡¯t know what is what!¡± Zhang Lan hurriedly pulled Lin Xiujuan back and advised, ¡°The child is still young. Tell him slowly. Don¡¯t be anxious.¡± Liu Yan also nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Tell him nicely. Don¡¯t be anxious. The more anxious you are, the more the child won¡¯t listen to you.¡± Lin Xiujuan was furious. ¡°Then what should we do?! How did you teach your children that they love to study? My child¡­¡± Then, she sighed. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t be anxious. A beating won¡¯t solve the problem. Instead, it will make the child hate studying even more.¡± To Liu Xiujuan, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words carried a lot of weight. Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, she put down the spoon in her hand. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Seeing that Lin Xiujuan had calmed down, Zhou Xiaoli pulled Liu Fengfeng out from behind her and asked, ¡°Brother Feng, why don¡¯t you want to study in school? Don¡¯t you want to study and take the imperial examinations in the future?¡± Although saying this was a little utilitarian, in this era where everything was inferior to having an education, the children of the lower social class can only break through the classes if they studied. Liu Fengfeng bit his lip and remained silent. At this moment, Zhou Junjun said, ¡°Elder Sister, you don¡¯t have to ask him. It must be because he wants to play every day and doesn¡¯t want to study.¡± Liu Fengfeng¡¯s face immediately turned red. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t think that way.¡± It seemed that Zhou Junjun was right. Zhou Junjun pursed his lips and said in disdain, ¡°Liu Fengfeng, you¡¯re so shameless. All you know is to play. Studying is so good. There are many good stories in the books. If you don¡¯t study, you won¡¯t even understand the stories.¡± ¡°Moreover, if you study, you can take the imperial examinations in the future. You can become a high-ranking official and catch bad people. It¡¯s very impressive!¡± Indeed, children of the same age were the most easily influenced by each other. Hearing Zhou Junjun¡¯s words, Liu Fengfeng immediately said angrily, ¡°I don¡¯t want to play. Who said I don¡¯t want to study? I love studying too.¡± After saying that, he ran to Lin Xiujuan and said loudly, ¡°Mother, I want to study. I want to read many, many books. I want to be a high-ranking official and catch bad people!¡± Lin Xiujuan was stunned for a moment before a smile appeared on her face. She immediately nodded and said excitedly, ¡°Alright, alright. As long as you study, I¡¯ll scrimp and save to send you to school at all costs!¡± Chapter 98 - 98 Of Course It Was 98 Of Course It Was Lin Xiujuan was overjoyed that her son was willing to study and even said that he wanted to take the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official. After Liu Fengfeng ran away, she chuckled and said, ¡°Little Li is the smartest!¡± Lin Xiujuan now had an inexplicable trust in Zhou Xiaoli. Anyway, as long as Zhou Xiaoli is with her, she would feel that only good things would happen. As everyone chatted and laughed, the afternoon passed. The next day. Early in the morning, Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu set off for the county city. Wei Chiyu¡¯s friend lived in Old Qin Alley within Gonggu Alley in the east of the city. Therefore, they went straight to the eastern side after they had entered the city. There were several alleys in Gonggu Alley in the east of the city. Many families lived there, big and small. After the donkey cart slowly entered Gonggu Alley, they could still see many small shops on the street. There were grain and oil shops, pork shops, tofu houses, and so on. This was the first time Zhou Xiaoli had come to Gonggu Alley. She was very attracted by the bustling scene in front of her, so she took a few more glances. Noticing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s interest in the shops, Wei Chiyu deliberately slowed the donkey cart down. Zhou Xiaoli sighed in contentment as she watched, ¡°Hey, Wei Chiyu, this street is quite prosperous.¡± It was somewhat like a modern pedestrian shopping street. Although she was a small koi in her previous life, she also loved to shop. Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. There are many people here. Over time, many businesses formed. When you come back later, you can go shopping.¡± Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes lit up and she immediately nodded. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s buy the apprenticeship gift here.¡± As the two of them spoke, the donkey cart stopped at the entrance of a teahouse. Wei Chiyu said that when his friend was free, he would always be at the teahouse. It was better to look for him at the teahouse than at home. Zhou Xiaoli nodded, but in her heart, she was thinking that his friend must have loved tea a lot. As they spoke, the two of them entered the teahouse one after another. It was indeed one of the important places to gather information as shown in the novels and television shows. This teahouse was crowded and rowdy. Three to five people sat together at each table, munching on peanuts as they chatted. Further in was a stage. At this moment, a storyteller was telling an interesting story about the martial arts heroes. The audience below cheered at the right time. It was very lively. As soon as Zhou Xiaoli and the other man walked in, the waiter ran over and greeted them. Wei Chiyu looked around the teahouse and said to the waiter, ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone.¡± At the same time, a burly man in a gray gown also noticed them. He stood up and waved at them. ¡°Big Brother, over here!¡± As he spoke, he walked over and said happily, ¡°Brother, what a coincidence. Why are you free to come to the teahouse for tea?¡± Half of his face was covered by his thick beard, and he had a booming voice. Looking at his speech and movements, there was a hint of recklessness. Wei Chiyu shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not a coincidence, I¡¯m here to look for you.¡± That person was instantly excited. He immediately patted his chest and said, ¡°Did someone offend Big Brother? Big Brother, let me know. I¡¯ll bring people to teach him a lesson!¡± Wei Chiyu waved his hand. ¡°No, I¡¯m asking for your help. Let¡¯s sit down and talk.¡± As he spoke, he glanced at Zhou Xiaoli. Only then did that person notice Zhou Xiaoli, who was standing at the side. He could not help but scratch his head and smile in embarrassment. ¡°Yes, yes, let¡¯s sit first.¡± As he spoke, he ran to his seat and pushed the peanut shell on the table to the side before asking Wei Chiyu and Zhou Xiaoli to sit down. ¡°This is Miss Zhou, right?¡± As soon as he sat down, that person asked casually. Zhou Xiaoli glanced at him, doubtful of how he knew her, but she nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Haha, my name is Li Da. Everyone calls me Bighead. Miss Zhou, you can also call me Bighead like Big Brother does.¡± Zhou Xiaoli couldn¡¯t help but smile. She had a good impression of this bearded man. She nodded and introduced herself, ¡°My name is Zhou Xiaoli.¡± Li Da immediately said, ¡°I know, I know. I often hear Big Brother talk about you. Miss Zhou is really pretty. You¡¯re even more beautiful than that official¡¯s daughter. No wonder Big Brother always talks about you.¡± Wei Chiyu coughed. Li Da couldn¡¯t help but look at Wei Chiyu. He immediately chuckled and shut his mouth. Zhou Xiaoli was stunned. She subconsciously looked at Wei Chiyu and saw that his expression was the same as usual. He covered his mouth with his hand and coughed lightly before saying lightly, ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business. It¡¯s like this¡­¡± Hence, Wei Chiyu briefly explained their purpose for coming. Finally, he said, ¡°We don¡¯t have any workers to help us now. Didn¡¯t you know many people in the construction business? Can you help us find some workers?¡± Upon hearing this, Li Da immediately patted his chest. ¡°I thought it was something big. Just leave this matter to me. I guarantee that I¡¯ll find the workers for you tomorrow.¡± Upon hearing that the workers could be found tomorrow, Zhou Xiaoli immediately thanked him. ¡°Thank you so much. We don¡¯t need a lot. Just seven or eight people will be enough.¡± After being thanked by Zhou Xiaoli, Li Da smiled in embarrassment. ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. I¡¯m willing to do anything for my big brother. This is just a small matter. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but laugh. It seemed that Wei Chiyu held a lot of weight in Li Da¡¯s heart. After the matter was settled, they exchanged a few more words before Wei Chiyu left. Li Da was very reluctant that his big brother was leaving. ¡°Big Brother, you¡¯ve only been here for a while and you¡¯re already leaving. We haven¡¯t even talked properly.¡± Wei Chiyu said, ¡°We still have things to do. Next time, I¡¯ll drink with you.¡± When he heard about drinking, Li Da¡¯s eyes lit up. He immediately said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for you. We won¡¯t go home until we¡¯re drunk!¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded. With that, he stood up. ¡ª After walking out of the teahouse, Wei Chiyu went to get the donkey cart. When he came over, Zhou Xiaoli remembered Li Da¡¯s words and teased, ¡°Hey, Wei Chiyu, Li Da said that you often talk about me. What did you tell him about me?¡± Wei Chiyu had just sat on the donkey cart when he heard Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s question. He was stunned and cursed Li Da in his heart. Seeing that Wei Chiyu was silent and his ears were slightly red, the little devil in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s heart began to stir. She couldn¡¯t help but lean over and tease him. ¡°Hey, Wei Chiyu, I¡¯m asking you a question. Why do you always talk about me? Ah, could it be that I¡¯m so perfect that you can¡¯t help yourself but to fall in love with me?¡± When Zhou Xiaoli suddenly leaned in close to him, Wei Chiyu¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He turned around and saw a sly look in Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes. His eyes flashed and the corners of his mouth curled up. This little girl was having fun teasing him. Was she addicted to it? He had to teach her a lesson. Thinking of this, his eyes deepened. He looked into Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes seriously and said affectionately, ¡°Of course.¡± When Wei Chiyu turned around, the two of them were very close to each other. And now, Wei Chiyu admitted that he had feelings for her in such an affectionate manner. Moreover, the way he looked at her was so deep that it seemed as if he wanted to suck her in. Zhou Xiaoli was immediately embarrassed. She jumped away and blushed. ¡°You, you¡¯re spouting nonsense. What nonsense are you talking about¡­¡± At this moment, Wei Chiyu¡¯s voice rang out again, ¡°Of course it¡¯s because your cooking is delicious.¡± Chapter 99 - 99 Wei Chiyu, I Want to Hit Someone 99 Wei Chiyu, I Want to Hit Someone ¡°Ah?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was stunned. Wei Chiyu smiled imperceptibly and explained, ¡°Li Da likes to cook, but his food is terrible and he makes me eat it every time. That¡¯s why I often talk about your cooking.¡± Zhou Xiaoli felt a little awkward and blinked. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it. I thought it was¡­¡± At this point, Zhou Xiaoli immediately paused. However, Wei Chiyu did not let her off. He asked innocently, ¡°Huh? What else do you think it is?¡± This time, even Zhou Xiaoli, who prided herself on being thick-skinned, blushed. When Li Da said that Wei Chiyu often talked about her, she thought that Wei Chiyu liked her. Now that she knew the truth, Zhou Xiaoli was a little embarrassed. She was too narcissistic. Ah, how embarrassing. What should she do? Zhou Xiaoli was screaming madly in her heart as she tried to fool him. ¡°Ah, um, I didn¡¯t think much of it. I also guessed that it must be because of this.¡± She shifted her gaze and quickly changed the topic. ¡°Ah, right. That Li Bighead looks much older than you. Why does he call you big brother?¡± Knowing that Zhou Xiaoli was trying to change the topic, Wei Chiyu¡¯s eyes flashed with a smile, but he went along with her intentions. He replied, ¡°Yes, Bighead is indeed a few years older than me. However, I saved his life before. From then on, he called me his big brother.¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded in understanding. It turned out that he had acknowledged Wei Chiyu as his boss. Then, she said hurriedly, ¡°Ah, um, let¡¯s go shopping quickly. We still have to buy Zhou Junjun the Four Treasures of the Study Room.¡± As she spoke, she urged Wei Chiyu to hurry up. She was afraid that Wei Chiyu would ask the same question again. It would be so embarrassing. Wei Chiyu knew what Zhou Xiaoli was thinking, but he didn¡¯t expose her. He nodded dotingly, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked the reins and drove the donkey cart slowly away from the teahouse. They first went to a few grain stores and bought red beans, lotus seeds, dried longans, and red dates. After that, they went to the butcher shop and prepared to buy the dried meat strips. Liu Yan said that the tuition fee was 10 dried meat strips for the tutor. Therefore, when Zhou Xiaoli asked for 11 dried meat strips, the butcher was shocked and quickly asked if he had misheard her. When Zhou Xiaoli explained that it was for her younger brother who was starting at the private school, he smiled and congratulated her. ¡°It¡¯s good that he¡¯s studying. In the future, he can take the imperial examination and bring honor to your ancestors. Come, come, Miss, your meat strips are ready. You¡¯re doing well.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded with a smile and thanked him. Then, she and Wei Chiyu carried the meat strips onto the cart. After that, the two of them went to the stationary shop to buy Zhou Junjun the Four Treasures of the Study Room. The Four Treasures of the Study Room were brush, ink, paper, and inkstone which were really quite expensive. No wonder many poor children could not afford to study. The tuition fees to give to the tutor every year were actually not that bad. A family only needed to scrimp and they should have enough. However, after becoming a student and entering the school, he would have to buy gifts to show his filial piety to his teacher on every festive season. Coupled with these expensive four treasures of the study room, ordinary farmers could not afford to bring up a scholar in their family just by farming. However, Zhou Xiaoli was not too worried about money. After paying, Zhou Xiaoli took the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone they had bought and left the stationary shop. After getting on the donkey cart, Wei Chiyu asked, ¡°Where else do you want to go?¡± Zhou Xiaoli thought for a moment and asked, ¡°The entrance of the stone gambling den in the south of the city?¡± Wei Chiyu didn¡¯t ask further and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± With that, he drove the donkey cart to the southern side of the city. After going to the transit station to deposit the donkey cart, the two of them entered the den while chatting and laughing. The entrance of the stone gambling den was as lively as the last time she came, but this time, Zhou Xiaoli specially came to buy stones. Therefore, after entering the den, she began to pretend to be relaxed as she strolled around, but she was actively looking for a suitable stone. At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded out. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you the lady who bought that stone the other time?¡± Zhou Xiaoli raised her head and looked in the direction of the voice. She saw a tall and thin man wearing a plain shirt with large sleeves, speaking to her. Seeing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s look of confusion, the man continued. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember me? You bought the stone that I liked the last time.¡± Then, he turned around and said to his companion, ¡°This is the young lady I told you about. She¡¯s a newbie. Last time, she bought a stone that I liked and got an ice-type jade. I missed that jade back then!¡± Towards the end, that person¡¯s tone of voice was filled with frustration and regret. Hearing these words, Zhou Xiaoli immediately understood and remembered who this big brother was. However, she wasn¡¯t too warm towards him. She said, ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s you. However, let me correct you. That stone isn¡¯t something you valued. It¡¯s something you didn¡¯t want.¡± Hearing Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, the man smiled awkwardly and explained to his friend, ¡°Sigh, at that time, I also took a fancy to it. I hesitated for a moment and wanted the shopkeeper to lower the price for me. Then, this little girl bought it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli didn¡¯t want to pay attention to this person anymore. He regretted it and was spouting nonsense to make himself feel better. She simply nodded. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll leave first.¡± As she spoke, she was about to leave with Wei Chiyu. However, that person stuck close to her and introduced himself warmly. ¡°Hey, little lady, don¡¯t be in a hurry to leave. My name is Liu Gen. What¡¯s your name? Let¡¯s be friends.¡± Wei Chiyu immediately stood in front of Zhou Xiaoli. He frowned and glared at Liu Gen. It was obvious that the atmosphere was gloomy then. Liu Gen was a little angry. Wei Chiyu had ruined his plans, but when he looked up and saw the man in front of him with a strong aura about him, it was obvious that he¡¯s not one to be trifled with. He became a little afraid. He chuckled and said, ¡°I just want to be friends.¡± However, he did take a step back and put some distance between him and Zhou Xiaoli, but he had no intention of giving up. Thus, he followed Zhou Xiaoli around the den. As long as Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s gaze lingered on a stone for a few more seconds, he would rush over and pick it up. ¡°Ah, this stone looks pretty good.¡± Under his interference, many shop owners carefully inspect their stones after seeing that they were chosen by Zhou Xiaoli. They either refused to sell them or raised the price. This made Zhou Xiaoli extremely annoyed. After the shopkeeper raised the price again, Zhou Xiaoli was a little angry. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Wei Chiyu, I want to hit someone.¡± As she spoke, she moved her wrist. Wei Chiyu said, ¡°Let me do the beating. It would hurt you if you hit someone.¡± As he spoke, he turned around and pushed Liu Gen to the stall. There was a loud bang from the stall¡¯s framework. It was obvious how painful the push was. Instantly, Liu Gen cried out in pain. ¡°Ah, young hero, spare me, spare me. I just want to make friends, it¡¯s true.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was greatly angered by this person. Even though he was pushed against the frame, she was not appeased. So she said, ¡°No, I¡¯m so angry, I want to hit someone. Let¡¯s see if I can vent my anger by hitting you.¡± Chapter 100 - 100 Trap 100 Trap Wei Chiyu immediately nodded. He did not let go of Liu Gen¡¯s hand and said to Zhou Xiaoli, ¡°Use your foot to vent your anger. Your hand won¡¯t hurt then.¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s eyes curved into crescents. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± As she spoke, she raised her leg and kicked Liu Gen¡¯s butt, causing him to cry out in pain. Zhou Xiaoli finally heaved a sigh of relief as she vented her anger. ¡°Get lost. Stop following me. You¡¯re so annoying.¡± After Zhou Xiaoli scolded him, Wei Chiyu kicked him away. After being beaten up, Liu Gen restrained himself a lot. He was no longer like a fly that stuck to people. However, he refused to give up. Although he didn¡¯t stick to her anymore, he changed to hiding in the dark and followed her quietly. Zhou Xiaoli knew that she could not continue like this. She had to think of a way. The last time her stone revealed an ice-type jade, it was indeed a little ostentatious. Many people had already noticed her. In that case, whenever she comes to buy stones in the future, it would be like today. Her Heavenly Eye should not be wasted like this. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoli came to a shop. The owner of this shop was the only one among the many shops who did not raise the price and even spoke up for her. Zhou Xiaoli walked over with a smile. At first, her gaze lingered on a particular stone for a long time. She even asked him seriously and carefully. Then, she acted as if she wanted to buy it. As expected, Liu Gen was like a rabid dog that suddenly rushed out. He reached out and snatched the stone up. ¡°Eh, this stone is not bad. Boss, I like it. I want it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was stunned for a moment, but she pretended to be angry and said angrily, ¡°Hey, why are you like this? I took a fancy to this stone first!¡± Liu Gen pretended to be surprised, as if he had just seen Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Ah, what a coincidence. It¡¯s you again! Last time, we had our eyes on the same stone. I gave in to you. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that we would fancy the same stone this time round. It¡¯s really fate. However, I won¡¯t let you have it this time.¡± Zhou Xiaoli was speechless. This person was really shameless since he was the one who rejected the stone last time. But now, he regretted it and started to deceive himself. He blinded his own eyes and thought that someone had snatched his stone. She regretted that she did not use all of her force in kicking him just now! She scolded this person in her heart, while her face was filled with anger as she argued with Liu Gen. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli insisted on fighting for the stone, Liu Gen was even more determined to get it. He slammed the table and said loudly, ¡°I¡¯ll state my position. I want this stone no matter what you say today!¡± The shopkeeper tried to persuade him. ¡°Liu Gen, this lady asked about this stone first. You can¡¯t do this. There are rules in our industry. You¡¯ve been here all year round. You should know about it, right?¡± Liu Gen said shamelessly, ¡°I naturally know the rules of our industry. You don¡¯t have to remind me.¡± ¡°So what if this young lady asked first? She didn¡¯t say that she liked it, nor did she say that she wanted to buy it. I was the one who voiced out first that I want to buy it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli sneered in her heart and sighed. She pretended to be angry and said, ¡°Fine, fine. I won¡¯t argue with you anymore. I¡¯ll buy something else!¡± Liu Gen was extremely pleased. He spent five taels of silver to buy the stone that was the size of two palms put together. Then, he ran to cut the stone arrogantly. Unexpectedly, the stone yielded green jade. Although it was not a high-quality jade, it was sold for 20 taels of silver so he earned 15 taels of silver instantly. Liu Gen seemed to have discovered the way to get rich and was overjoyed. ¡°Aiya, Liu Gen my brother, not bad today. You found jade in your first stone of the day. I guess you¡¯re going to be lucky today.¡± ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s alright. I have a good feeling today.¡± The compliments from the people around him made Liu Gen even more excited. It was worth the effort spent in approaching Xue Min to ask about Zhou Xiaoli before going to her village to ask about her. Zhou Xiaoli was indeed as lucky as the villagers said. These five taels of silver were worth it! After feeling pleased with himself, he began to look around for Zhou Xiaoli. The stone gambling den was only so big and once there was jade found in the stone, news of it spread quickly. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli had also learned that the stone Liu Gen had bought had jade within. She was not surprised at all. That stone had spiritual energy, but it was sparse. After all, it was bait. It had to have some result to hook the fish. As a result, he had already gotten carried away and started to stare at her again. The shopkeeper felt a little indignant for Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°This Liu Gen is really too much. Young lady, don¡¯t be too sad. I still have a lot of good stones here. Look at the others. Perhaps the next one will be even better than Liu Gen¡¯s!¡± Zhou Xiaoli pretended to be sad and nodded. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Liu Gen was wandering not far away from her, so she began to study the stone seriously. In the end, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s gaze fell on an area of the shop. She pointed at a row of large rocks and asked, ¡°Boss, these raw stones are so big. Are they very expensive?¡± The shopkeeper laughed and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s for sure. These rocks are top-notch rocks from Ningzhou. If there¡¯s jade within, it¡¯ll be worth a lot!¡± Zhou Xiaoli didn¡¯t take the rest of the sentence to heart. She only heard the word ¡°expensive¡± and was satisfied. Zhou Xiaoli found a large raw stone with almost no spiritual energy among the pile of raw stones and began to look at it carefully. When the shopkeeper saw that Zhou Xiaoli was interested in the stone, he said repeatedly, ¡°Young lady, you have good taste. This raw stone is the best I brought from Ningzhou this time. Naturally, it¡¯s not cheap. It costs 100 taels of silver.¡± ¡°However, if you¡¯re lucky and get a top-grade jade or something, this rock will be worth ten thousand gold.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but smile meaningfully when she heard that it cost 100 taels of silver. She praised, ¡°Yes, yes, this is good.¡± Liu Gen, who had quietly approached, naturally heard the shopkeeper say the word ¡°ten thousand gold¡±. He could not help but feel restless. However, he had to spend 100 taels of silver to buy it, so he was a little hesitant. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli touched the stone with a look of fondness on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I seem to have a feeling about this stone. I really like it. Alright, let¡¯s be sure¡­¡± Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli was about to make a decision, Liu Gen, who was still in a dilemma, gritted his teeth and made up his mind. Forget it, let¡¯s take a gamble! If there was jade within, he would be rich! Thinking of this, he rushed over. He placed his hand on the stone and said first, ¡°Shopkeeper, this stone is not bad. I want it!¡± Zhou Xiaoli snorted coldly in her heart. He was too anxious. However, she still had to put on a show. She immediately said angrily, ¡°Are you done? You snatched my stone earlier, and now you¡¯re doing it again? I took a fancy to this stone first. No way that I would let you snatch it away!¡± Liu Gen said shamelessly, ¡°Hey, what are you saying? What do you mean by I¡¯m snatching your things? I was the one who said I wanted this stone first. If you¡¯re hesitating, don¡¯t blame others for being faster than you!¡± Chapter 101 - 101 Continue Cutting 101 Continue Cutting This time, even the shopkeeper could not stand it anymore. ¡°Liu Gen, aren¡¯t you going too far! I won¡¯t sell it to you this time. I¡¯ll only sell it to this girl.¡± Upon hearing this, Liu Gen was instantly infuriated. ¡°Hey, I say, what¡¯s wrong with you? You should sell it to the person who first said that they want to buy it!¡± In order to provoke the other party into buying it, Zhou Xiaoli argued with reason and refused to give in no matter what. Immediately, the argument between the two sides became more and more intense. Many people saw the commotion and ran over to take a look. After exchanging information with each other, they understood the reason for the argument. Someone could not help but criticize Liu Gen. ¡°Liu Gen, that¡¯s not right. How can you break the rules like that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re embarrassing us and the industry.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already snatched a stone from her. It can be considered as resolving your regret from last time. You should let it go. Don¡¯t go overboard.¡± ¡­ The surrounding people discussed animatedly. Many of them felt that Liu Gen¡¯s actions were too shameful. Naturally, there were also many people discussing the stone that was being fought over. Moreover, some people who had been around in this industry began to analyze this stone. In fact, Zhou Xiaoli did not really understand their analysis. She only knew that most of them had quite good evaluations of this stone. ¡°Yes, based on my many years of experience, there¡¯s a high chance that this leather-like raw stone can produce the top-grade Glass Jade, but it¡¯s also very likely that it will be empty.¡± One of the ¡°experts¡± in ancient stone gambling stroked his beard and spoke eloquently. Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoli almost laughed out loud. Mm, listening to men like him is like listening to a load of rubbish. Could this be the ancient version of a master of nonsense literature? Zhou Xiaoli quibbled inwardly. Liu Gen, who was at the side, became even more excited when he heard that there was a possibility of the stone producing glass jade quality. At first, he was a little hesitant, but now, he¡¯s determined to buy this raw stone no matter what. However, the shop owner had said that he would not sell the raw stone to Liu Gen. ¡°Hmph, although I¡¯m just a small merchant, I know the rules of our business!¡± After saying that, he looked at Zhou Xiaoli with a much friendlier attitude. ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll only sell this raw stone to you!¡± Upon hearing this, Liu Gen was extremely angry. He was like an ant on a hot pan, extremely anxious. Zhou Xiaoli felt that the shopkeeper had a good moral character. It was time for him to earn more money. Seeing that the setting was about right, she smiled and said, ¡°Shopkeeper, you¡¯re so nice.¡± As she spoke, she touched her pocket to take out the money. However, in the next second, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s expression changed drastically. She said in horror, ¡°Hey, where¡¯s my purse? It was still on me just now.¡± As she spoke, she searched everywhere on her body. Then, she said sadly, ¡°Why is my purse missing!¡± ¡°Wei Chi-yu, did you have it?¡± Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s face was filled with anxiety, but she silently gave Wei Chiyu a look. Wei Chiyu knew what Zhou Xiaoli was thinking, so he immediately panicked. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not with me. You bought something earlier, and the purse was with you then. Could it be that you have met a pickpocket!¡± ¡°Ah, then what should we do?¡± Zhou Xiaoli was so anxious that she seemed like she could cry. However, she praised herself in her heart. ¡°Aiya, my acting skills are really good.¡± she thought. On the other side, Wei Chiyu also looked troubled. ¡°Then what should we do? I don¡¯t have enough money on me now to buy this stone.¡± The shopkeeper did not think that it was because Zhou Xiaoli did not want to buy it anymore. He hurriedly said, ¡°Miss, look for it again.¡± He mobilized the people around him. ¡°Hey, everyone, pay attention. Look around for pickpockets. Don¡¯t let him escape!¡± Instantly, the surrounding people became vigilant. They came here to bet on stones either because they had some spare money or because they were gambling with their family¡¯s remaining money. No matter what, everyone would have a good amount of money on him. If it was stolen by a pickpocket, it would be terrible. Immediately, almost everyone checked for their money bags. At this moment, a sneer sounded. Liu Gen said mockingly, ¡°What do you mean by meeting a pickpocket? I think she doesn¡¯t have money at all. I¡¯m dying of laughter.¡± Then, he clicked her tongue. ¡°Sigh, shopkeeper, your taste is bad. Look at what this young lady is wearing. You could tell that she doesn¡¯t have money.¡± ¡°Besides, how old is she? Would her family give her this amount of money? How can she afford a stone of this price? Tsk tsk, she must have misjudged!¡± Towards the end, he smiled smugly. Zhou Xiaoli sneered in her heart, but she pretended to be red-eyed and said, ¡°You, don¡¯t talk nonsense. I have money. Didn¡¯t I earn money the last time? My purse was really stolen by a pickpocket!¡± Liu Gen did not listen to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s explanation. Right now, he was happily asking the shopkeeper to sell him the stone. ¡°Shopkeeper, my family owns a restaurant in the county city. No matter what, it¡¯s easy for me to take out 100 taels of silver. Don¡¯t be ungrateful.¡± With that, he generously threw a silver bag over and waved his hand. ¡°This stone is mine!¡± The shopkeeper frowned and looked at Zhou Xiaoli. Zhou Xiaoli looked helpless and lamented, ¡°Forget it, you have to earn money to support your family. You can sell this stone to him. Perhaps it¡¯s fate that this stone isn¡¯t mine.¡± The shopkeeper took a deep breath. He had his bottom line in doing business, but earning money to support his family was the most important. In the end, he could only nod and sell the stone to Liu Gen. ¡°Tsk, why didn¡¯t you do this earlier? You have wasted my time!¡± Liu Gen snorted, picked up the stone, and went to the stone-cutting shop arrogantly. Immediately, the onlookers followed him. They all wanted to see with their own eyes what the raw stone could produce. It could be said that this was the most lively moment in history in front of the stone-cutting shop. Accompanied by shouts and under everyone¡¯s anticipation, the machine started humming. The spinning blade hit the stone with a loud sound, and the stone was slowly cut open. Finally, the stone was cut through, and the inner color inside the stone could be seen. Almost everyone craned their necks to look. However, the jade that Liu Gen was expecting did not appear. Instead, it was replaced by a grayish-white stone. What was different was that there was a little bit of green color on the cut surface of the stone. Instantly, the surroundings were filled with sighs. Liu Gen¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Why, why isn¡¯t there any! This shouldn¡¯t be!¡± The person at the side laughed. ¡°What are you saying? There are naturally all kinds of possibilities for stone gambling. Otherwise, why would there be a saying that one would become poor or rich with just a single slash of the blade?¡± Liu Gen felt terrible. He looked at the stone and felt a little dizzy. ¡°Do you want to keep cutting?¡± At this moment, the voice of the stone-cutting master rang out. Liu Gen suddenly remembered that when Zhou Xiaoli had to cut it a second time before the ice-type jade was revealed previously. Hope immediately reignited in his heart, and he said in a trembling voice, ¡°Cut, continue cutting!¡± Chapter 102 - 102 Another Crazy One 102 Another Crazy One The stone-cutting master advised him according to the rules. ¡°If you cut it again and nothing turns up, this stone would become worthless. Have you thought about it?¡± Liu Gen swallowed his saliva and looked at the stone, his eyes bulging. Finally, he finished his appraisal and said, ¡°Cut!¡± Then, there was another buzzing sound. The raw stone was cut in half again, revealing the cut surface inside. As expected, it was still grayish-white stone mixed with specks of green. Nothing! How did this happen? Liu Gen¡¯s mind went blank and his legs went weak. He collapsed to the ground and muttered in disbelief. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. It shouldn¡¯t be. Didn¡¯t they say that she was protected by the Dragon King?¡± When the surrounding people heard this, they sighed. ¡°Liu Gen, have you lost your mind from the blow? What nonsense are you talking about? What protection from the Dragon King?¡± ¡°Alright, another crazy one. Hahaha.¡± They were talking and laughing, but they didn¡¯t find it strange. It was a common sight as stone gambling is a game of high risk and high reward. Naturally, there were also people who were greatly disappointed. ¡°Tsk tsk, the competition was so intense just now. I thought it was some top-grade stone so I stopped doing business to take a look. Look, he didn¡¯t even manage to have a low-quality jade. He lost everything.¡± ¡°This Liu Gen must have really been kicked in the head by a donkey. That young lady is a newbie. It¡¯s good for newbies to be lucky in the beginning, but they¡¯ve already opened two. Even if she had beginner¡¯s luck, it should be gone by now. He deserves it for snatching stones from a newbie.¡± ¡°This time, it¡¯s a tragedy for him.¡± After Liu Yu bought the stone, Zhou Xiaoli did not leave. Instead, she watched from afar. When she saw the outcome as she had expected, she sneered. She turned around and said happily to Wei Chiyu, ¡°Let¡¯s buy a few stones before going home.¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s eyes darkened, and an imperceptible gentleness flashed across his eyes. He nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡ª Previously, when many people at the entrance of the arena saw Liu Gen following Zhou Xiaoli and snatching her stone, they thought that this little girl was a powerful person who was hiding something. From the looks of it, she was just an ordinary novice who had just entered the industry. Because it was her first time, she had beginner¡¯s luck. Instantly, everyone understood what was going on and stopped paying attention to Zhou Xiaoli. Sensing that the random gazes had disappeared, Zhou Xiaoli smiled. Alright, she had achieved her goal. Zhou Xiaoli, who was in a good mood, hummed a tune and went to the stall that she had already set her sights on. She pointed at one of the stones. ¡°This stone looks good. Buy it. Put it in a flower pot when you get home. It will definitely look good.¡± Zhou Xiaoli blinked as she spoke in an extremely casual manner. Wei Chiyu was in charge of paying. After all, Zhou Xiaoli just said that her purse was missing. She could not expose herself now by paying. Thus, Zhou Xiaoli casually bought three stones and prepared to leave. As for the shop owners who had originally raised the prices, they shook their heads when they saw Zhou Xiaoli buying stones as if she was buying steamed buns. ¡°I thought she was some powerful figure, but it turns out that she¡¯s just a willful young lady. Sigh, she¡¯s just relying on her looks to be pampered by her husband now. If her husband gets tired of her, I don¡¯t know how she¡¯ll be cut off!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. If she¡¯s my wife, I don¡¯t care how good-looking she is. If she dares to be such a spendthrift, I¡¯ll beat her to death!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that man is a good person either. He spent money on his wife frivolously. If I were his father, I would be furious!¡± As soon as Zhou Xiaoli left, a few people shook their heads and began to discuss Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu. It was obvious that they regarded Wei Chiyu as Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s husband. Wei Chiyu lagged behind as he paid for the various purchases. He hadn¡¯t gone far and since he practiced martial arts, he had sharp hearing. He heard those people¡¯s words clearly. He couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes. He turned around and walked back. He looked at the person who started the discussion and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m happy to earn money for my wife to spend. I won¡¯t get tired of spoiling her for the rest of my life. Why? Do you have a problem with that?¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s tone was clearly very calm, but his sharp gaze could make one¡¯s legs and stomach tremble with just a glance. ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question. Why? Are you mute?¡± Wei Chiyu¡¯s tone turned colder. His palm seemed to gently hit the table but a finger-sized stone on the table shattered into pieces from the impact. That person subconsciously swallowed his saliva and shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any objections. Young Master and Miss are a perfect match. You will definitely be together for a long time.¡± ¡°What about you guys?¡± Wei Chiyu looked at the few people who had agreed in unison earlier. The few of them immediately waved their hands and shook their heads. ¡°No, no, I do not have any objections.¡± Wei Chiyu frowned. ¡°What else?¡± Those people were stunned. They looked at each other and immediately understood what he meant. ¡°Young Master and Miss will definitely be together for 100 years.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Young Master and Miss are a golden couple, a match made in heaven.¡± ¡­ Only then did Wei Chiyu lighten up. He said coldly, ¡°I advise you to watch your mouths. Otherwise, I don¡¯t mind helping you to seal it up.¡± Those people were so frightened that they kept quiet out of fear and only dared to nod. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli, who had noticed that Wei Chiyu was not following her, turned around and shouted. Only then did Wei Chiyu remove his cold gaze on them. He turned around and walked towards Zhou Xiaoli with a calm expression. When Wei Chiyu stood beside her, Zhou Xiaoli asked curiously, ¡°Why did you go back? What are you doing?¡± Wei Chiyu said very calmly, ¡°Oh, those people praised us. I went back to thank them.¡± Zhou Xiaoli raised her eyebrows and looked at the people who were wiping their sweat from afar. She asked suspiciously, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°They praised you for your beauty.¡± Zhou Xiaoli immediately fell silent. She recalled that she had just used this word to praise herself today. She could not help herself but play dumb and laugh. ¡°Haha, they have good taste.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± Wei Chiyu smiled. ¡°Then let¡¯s go quickly. If we¡¯re late, the Master will definitely punish me.¡± As Zhou Xiaoli spoke, she pulled Wei Chiyu along and prepared to leave. At this moment, a sharp cry suddenly rang out. Immediately after, Liu Gen ran over and blocked their path. ¡°You want to run after hurting me like that? No way!¡± As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and looked like he was going to fight with all his might. Zhou Xiaoli frowned and said impatiently, ¡°Why are you so difficult to deal with? You¡¯re the one who stole my stone and made a loss. Are you crazy to look for me now?¡± After losing 100 taels of silver, Liu Gen¡¯s eyes turned red and he looked like a rascal. ¡°I don¡¯t care! You¡¯re the one who tricked me. You have to compensate me for my losses. Otherwise, don¡¯t even think about leaving!¡± When the surrounding people saw this, they tried to persuade him. ¡°Liu Gen, forget it. Forget it. You¡¯ve been in this stone gambling den for so many years. Don¡¯t you know? This is what stone gambling is like. When the stone has not been cut open, who knows if it¡¯s a treasure or a dud?¡± Chapter 103 - 103 Fist Is Better 103 Fist Is Better ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. It can¡¯t be that you can¡¯t afford to lose!¡± Obviously, Liu Gen would not listen to advice. Zhou Xiaoli was so annoyed by Liu Gen that she could not be bothered to waste her breath on him. She stretched her wrists and ankles and said to Wei Chiyu, ¡°Wei Chiyu, my hands are itching.¡± Almost as soon as she finished speaking, Wei Chiyu attacked. Before anyone could see what was happening, Liu Gen was pressed to the ground. Zhou Xiaoli walked up to him before punching and kicking him. Of course, she avoided hitting him on his vitals, but wherever her attack landed, it would result in a lot of pain but would not leave obvious scars or hurt his life. After a few punches, Liu Gen began to beg for mercy. People were watching from the side, but not many dared to come up and stop the fight. Thus, Liu Gen was pressed to the ground by Zhou Xiaoli and he received a good beating. Finally, after venting her anger, Zhou Xiaoli clapped her hands free of dust. She then coldly asked, ¡°Let¡¯s see if you would still dare to come and bother me!¡± Liu Gen was beaten until he was crying for his parents. He begged for mercy and said that he would not dare to do it again. Zhou Xiaoli kicked him again. ¡°Then get lost! Don¡¯t let me see you again. Otherwise, I¡¯ll beat you up every time I see you!¡± Liu Gen was scared out of his wits. He nodded, got up from the ground, and ran away in a sorry state without looking back. Zhou Xiaoli snorted and lamented that fists were still the most useful when dealing with such people! Want to be shameless? I¡¯ll beat you till you don¡¯t dare to make a sound! This time, no one came to block their way. Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu successfully left the den. After taking the donkey cart from the transit station, the two of them did not stay any longer and went straight to the clinic that Foreman Cao was in. However, they missed him. Foreman Cao had already been brought home by his family. Thinking that they would visit Foreman Cao another day, the two of them went home first. This time, they rushed home just in time for lunch. Zhang Lan brought all the bowls and chopsticks to the table and started to call everyone to come to the table to eat. ¡°Alright, alright. Stop looking at the items. Come and eat.¡± ¡°Li¡¯er, Chiyu, quickly go wash your hands. We would have time to move things down later.¡± ¡°Brother Jun, stop looking. Take your sister to wash her hands. Your father caught a lot of river crabs in the fish basket set in the river last night. We have steamed crabs this afternoon.¡± Zhou Junjun was gingerly holding the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone that Zhou Xiaoli had bought for him. At this moment, he could not bear to put it down. When he heard Zhang Lan¡¯s shout, he did not move at all. At the side, Zhou Xiaoyu was extremely anxious. She kept shouting, ¡°Brother, let me see, let me see.¡± Zhou Junjun did not let go at all. He hugged the items tightly to himself. ¡°Third Sister, don¡¯t touch it. Don¡¯t touch it. What if you break it? Elder Sister bought this for me!¡± As the two of them argued, Zhou Xiaoyu burst into tears. ¡°Bad brother, I will tell Sis that you bullied me.¡± Zhou Junjun was still hugging his Four Treasures of the Study Room like a treasure. He snorted and said, ¡°How shameless. Why should you tell our elder sister about our matters? You¡¯re a snitch. You¡¯re a crybaby.¡± Zhou Xiaoyu wiped her tears and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m not a snitch. I¡¯m a crybaby!¡± Zhou Junjun: ¡°Then why did you still say that you were going to tell our Elder Sister? Tell Elder Sister that you¡¯re a snitch and you¡¯re still crying? You¡¯re such a crybaby!¡± Zhou Xiaoyu wiped her face with her hands and stopped crying. She sobbed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t tell Sis. I¡¯m not a snitch. I didn¡¯t cry either!¡± At this moment, Zhang Lan shouted again, ¡°Brother, Third Sister, what are you doing? Come and eat!¡± Obviously, Zhang Lan¡¯s tone became more serious. The two little ones stopped arguing and went to the dining table one after another. Zhou Junjun sat down first, still holding his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Zhang Lan couldn¡¯t help but be puzzled at his actions. ¡°Brother Jun, how are you going to eat with a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in your hands? Put it down for now.¡± Zhou Junjun shook his head and insisted, ¡°I can eat with one hand.¡± Zhang Lan frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to eat crabs? How can you eat them with one hand?¡± However, crabs were not that tempting anymore. Zhou Junjun blinked and was unmoved. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu walked over after washing their hands. With a glance, she saw that Zhou Junjun was still carrying his Four Treasures of the Study Room. Zhou Xiaoli laughed. ¡°No, Brother Jun, we¡¯re eating. Why are you holding this?¡± Zhang Lan sighed. ¡°That¡¯s right. I told him off, but he still ignored me. This child is really¡­¡± In fact, Zhou Xiaoli could understand Zhou Junjun¡¯s feelings. He was just a child. Once he got something he liked, he would love it so much that he could not bear to part with it. He had to bring it with him wherever he went. Otherwise, he would be worried. Hence, she smiled and said, ¡°Brother Jun, if you carry them to eat like this, you¡¯ll dirty the paper. Don¡¯t tell me you want to cover the paper with oil before you write on it?¡± These words were very effective on Zhou Junjun, who was extremely fond of the items. He started to hesitate. Zhou Xiaoli added, ¡°Put them away first. They can¡¯t run away, can they?¡± Zhou Junjun lowered his head and looked at the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in his arms. In the end, he nodded and ran back to his room to put the Four Treasures of the Study Room away. Zhang Lan smiled and said, ¡°These two children listen to Li¡¯er the most.¡± Then, she gestured for Wei Chiyu to sit down. The entire family sat down. At this moment, Zhou Junjun ran out of the room and said happily, ¡°Elder Sister, I¡¯ve already placed it away!¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled. ¡°Good boy, sit down and eat.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Zhou Junjun nodded and jogged back to his seat. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoyu, who was sitting beside him, was unhappy. Jumping down from the stool, she raised her butt and picked up her small stool. She staggered to Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s side and said, ¡°Sister, Little Fishy wants to sit with you.¡± Although Zhou Xiaoli was puzzled, she asked Wei Chiyu to move aside to make room for Zhou Xiaoyu. ¡°Alright, put the stool in.¡± When their family ate, they did not follow the rules of seniority. They just ate together as a family. Happiness was the most important. Therefore, after everyone was seated, it was time to eat. Zhou Xiaoli looked at Zhou Xiaoyu, who was pouting unhappily, and then at Zhou Junjun. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you sitting with your brother today? Don¡¯t you usually stick to him?¡± Zhou Xiaoyu pouted and said fiercely, ¡°I don¡¯t want to sit with my brother. I¡¯m not playing with him anymore!¡± Zhou Xiaoli was almost amused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you friends with him again?¡± This time, Zhou Xiaoyu pouted. ¡°Hmph, I won¡¯t be friends with him!¡± Upon seeing this, Zhou Xiaoli knew that the two little fellows were throwing a tantrum, so she didn¡¯t care about them anymore. It was better to let them solve these small problems themselves first. Hence, she smiled and said, ¡°I bought you a beautiful hairpin in the city today. Do you want it?¡± Children were the easiest to coax. When she heard that, her round eyes lit up and she immediately nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled. ¡°Alright, have a good meal. After dinner, I¡¯ll help you tie your hair with it.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she replied happily. Then, she focused on her rice bowl and started eating. After Zhou Xiaoli finished coaxing Zhou Xiaoyu, she looked up and realized that there was an opened crab in her bowl. Chapter 104 - 104 Not Short of Money 104 Not Short of Money She turned her head and saw Wei Chiyu say softly, ¡°This has a lot of crab roe. It¡¯s for you to eat.¡± As he spoke, he opened another crab and handed it to Zhou Xiaoyu. Zhou Xiaoyu immediately said, ¡°Thank you, Big Brother. You¡¯re the best.¡± On the other side, Zhang Lan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Chiyu is meticulous.¡± Wei Chiyu: ¡°No, Auntie, don¡¯t praise me. Uncle Zhou is the one who¡¯s meticulous.¡± Hearing this, Zhang Lan could not help but lower her head to look at Zhou Yu, who had removed the crab meat from the shell for her. She revealed a sweet smile and said, ¡°Look at you. Eat it yourself. Give the crab back to me. The children are watching.¡± Zhou Yu placed the crab leg meat into Zhang Lan¡¯s bowl. ¡°You eat it. I¡¯m quick at deshelling them. In the past, when we ate crabs, I opened them for you. Now that I have Chiyu to help open them, you should eat more.¡± As he spoke, he raised his eyes and looked at Wei Chiyu. Originally, he was a little unhappy because he was robbed of his job of opening crabs for his daughter. After Wei Chiyu complimented him, he was happier. The meal ended with everyone chatting and laughing. As soon as he finished lunch, Zhou Junjun couldn¡¯t wait to run back into the house to find his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Zhou Yu and Wei Chiyu carried everything from the donkey cart into the house. Zhou Xiaoli, on the other hand, tied Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s hair. The little girl was simply too beautiful. As soon as she was done, she ran around the courtyard to show off. After Wei Chiyu finished moving his things, Zhou Xiaoli went up the mountain with him. Right now, Zhou Xiaoli did not want Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan to know about her purchase of the stones. First of all, she was worried that the two of them would think too much. Second, she wanted to give them a surprise. Hence, she brought the stone to her master¡¯s place. Now, the Master¡¯s courtyard is getting more and more lively. Wei Chiyu had already transplanted the peach tree in, but he could not find grapes. After the two of them went up the mountain, Yuan Zhengchun sent Wei Chiyu to climb the mountain to practice martial arts. Zhou Xiaoli sat leisurely on the swing. Yuan Zhengchun sat under a tree and made himself a cup of tea. He looked at the few stones on the table and could not help but smile. ¡°You¡¯re not short of money in your life.¡± Zhou Xiaoli could not help but ask, ¡°Eh, how did you know, Master?¡± Yuan Zhengchun stroked his beard and chuckled. ¡°I can calculate it with my fingers.¡± Zhou Xiaoli naturally knew that Yuan Zhengchun was joking, but she laughed and teased, ¡°Master, your prediction is really accurate! Then, Master, did you predict that you would not lack money in your life too?¡± Yuan Zhengchun said, ¡°My child, one can¡¯t tell their own fortune.¡± Zhou Xiaoli, on the other hand, chuckled. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve already calculated it. Master would not lack money in your life for sure.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± Yuan Zhengchun chuckled and chatted with Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Of course.¡± Zhou Xiaoli said confidently, ¡°Think about it. Now that I have money, I must be filial to my Master. What does this mean? It means that my Master would not be short of money either.¡± Hearing this, Yuan Zhengchun laughed. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re actually teasing me.¡± Zhou Xiaoli chuckled, ¡°How would I dare? I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡± Yuan Zhengchun laughed again, his face full of affection. ¡°Kid, you only know how to say sweet words to make me happy.¡± Then, he pointed at the stones on the table. ¡°Are you planning to leave these stones with me?¡± Zhou Xiaoli blinked and said, ¡°Yes, Master, the spiritual energy is abundant here. If I leave the stone here with the Master, perhaps it will become a treasure. Master, do you have an empty room? It¡¯s for me to keep the stones.¡± Yuan Zhengchun stood up and knocked Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s head with a book. ¡°Screw you, kid. You want to occupy your master¡¯s place?¡± Although he said that, his eyes were full of smiles. ¡°Go, go. There¡¯s an empty room in the backyard. Just put it inside.¡± Zhou Xiaoli immediately jumped down from the swing and said with a smile, ¡°Master, you are the best master in the world.¡± After bootlicking, she carried the stones and ran to the backyard. Yuan Zhengchun¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°Don¡¯t dawdle. Come out quickly after you¡¯re done. We¡¯re going to learn divination this afternoon. The course is very important.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Zhou Xiaoli responded and disappeared in the blink of an eye. After arriving at the backyard, Zhou Xiaoli immediately found the empty room that her master had mentioned. After all, the backyard was very empty. Other than a house and a cowshed, there was only empty space. She pushed open the door and walked in. She realized that although the room was empty, it was not dirty. In fact, she could keep the stones in her alternate space, but she would not be buying them just this time. There would definitely be more and more stones later. Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan, who often went into the alternate space to farm, would probably discover it. More importantly, she was going to use these stones to open a shop in the future. It would surely arouse suspicions if she were to take them out of her alternate space suddenly. Anyway, her master¡¯s place was the quietest, so she thought of leaving it here. Zhou Xiaoli placed the stone in the room and locked the door. Then, she stood in the courtyard and looked at the empty backyard. Her heart, which wanted to cultivate the fields and grow vegetables, could no longer stay calm. After taking another look, Zhou Xiaoli jogged to the front yard. At this moment, Yuan Zhengchun had already prepared the tools for today. They were a turtle shell and a few copper coins. Zhou Xiaoli walked over and served tea to Yuan Zhengchun according to the rules. Now, every time she served tea, Yuan Zhengchun would make it in advance. He was afraid that Zhou Xiaoli would destroy his good tea leaves again. Zhou Xiaoli complained a lot because of this. ¡°Master, my tea-making skills have improved. I can make tea for you now. How can I serve tea to the Master and ask the Master to make it himself? If the founding masters find out, they might come to me in my dreams and scold me.¡± However, Yuan Zhengchun did not listen at all. He said angrily, ¡°Stop it. With your skills, you still have the cheek to say that you¡¯ve improved? My good tea leaves will be ruined in your hands. You can only touch my tea when your skills are similar to mine.¡± Zhou Xiaoli had a helpless look on her face. It couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, she had a master who treated tea like his own life. After Yuan Zhengchun drank the tea, he allowed Zhou Xiaoli to sit down and said, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, kid. You¡¯re my favorite disciple. Your founding granduncles won¡¯t scold you in your dreams.¡± Zhou Xiaoli took it that Yuan Zhengchun was just comforting her after putting down her efforts earlier. After a few seconds, she threw it to the back of her mind and asked curiously, ¡°Master, are we going to learn the Six Trigrams today?¡± She had heard of this before, but she did not know how to do it. Yuan Zhengchun took a sip of tea and said, ¡°Yes, you have a good foundation. Let¡¯s start learning the six lines of divination today.¡± ¡°The so-called divine is divination. Taiyi, Qimen, and Six Ren are divination based on formulas. Meiyi and Six Yao are divinations based on formations. The divinations done based on writing, dreams, and drawing lots are considered as miscellaneous divinations. Divinations done based on yarrow and coins are considered as simple divinations which are used to deduce good and bad luck¡­¡± Chapter 105 - 105 Meeting a Young Couple 105 Meeting a Young Couple Zhou Xiaoli studied seriously and felt that time sped past quickly. In the blink of an eye, the afternoon had passed. Wei Chiyu had long returned from his practice. He was in the courtyard and practiced another round of boxing. Thinking of the money that Wei Chiyu spent to buy the stones for her today, she went to look for him. However, she recalled that he was angry when she tried to pass him the parking fee the other time. This time, Zhou Xiaoli was rather cautious and slowly talked about paying him. Wei Chiyu was also strange. This time, he was not angry. It was unknown what he was thinking, but he actually smiled when she spoke to him about this! This person who does not smile actually smiled this time. He was obviously in a good mood. Zhou Xiaoli was speechless. Why was this person so fickle-minded in his mood? She did a quick mental calculation of the sum she owed him. Of the three stones she bought, one was three taels of silver, and the other two were five taels of silver, making a total of eight taels. After counting, Zhou Xiaoli said, ¡°You helped me pay for the stones today. That¡¯s quite a lot.¡± As she spoke, she handed the money to Wei Chiyu. ¡°I should return it to you.¡± Wei Chiyu didn¡¯t accept it. He said, ¡°No. Take it as payment for your cooking.¡± Zhou Xiaoli: ¡°You don¡¯t want it?¡± Wei Chiyu nodded. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want it.¡± The others had said that he was spending money on his wife, how can he take it back now? Just as he nodded, he saw that Zhou Xiaoli put away the money quickly. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes. Zhou Xiaoli was overjoyed. She lamented that Wei Chiyu was a good man who treated money like dirt. However, she said, ¡°You¡¯ve been paying me to cook. How long are you planning to freeload at my house?¡± Then, she said in surprise, ¡°Are you going to freeload for the rest of your life, or are you going to freeload until you get a wife?¡± Wei Chiyu paused for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible.¡± Zhou Xiaoli subconsciously felt that Wei Chiyu was talking about getting a wife. She immediately said, ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re so generous, I guarantee that I¡¯ll feed you till you are fair and chubby, until you get a wife.¡± The corners of Wei Chiyu¡¯s mouth twitched when he heard that she wanted to feed him till he¡¯s fair and chubby. On the other hand, Zhou Xiaoli went off to look for Yuan Zhengchun to discuss the reclamation of the land in the backyard. ¡°Master, the backyard is so empty. Why don¡¯t we plant vegetables there? That way, we¡¯ll have vegetables to eat.¡± Yuan Zhengchun nodded. ¡°If you want to mess around, go ahead.¡± ¡°Alright, Master. You¡¯re the best.¡± ¡°Master, what should we plant? What do you like to eat?¡± ¡°I definitely have to plant beans. I love beans.¡± ¡°Yes, plant some cucumbers too. I might make a cold dish for the Master in the summer.¡± ¡­ Zhou Xiaoli chattered non-stop. From time to time, she would plan what to plant in the backyard with Yuan Zhengchun. Although Yuan Zhengchun only smiled and listened more than he replied, his heart was warm. How long had it been since he felt the noise and warmth of a family? It¡¯s good that he now has a disciple. Yuan Zhengchun could not help but sigh in contentment. Zhou Xiaoli chatted with her master for a long time and had a meal on the mountain before she went down the mountain with Wei Chiyu. It was evening and the sun was setting. The clouds were pink and looked extremely beautiful. The two of them chatted as the sun set. Naturally, Zhou Xiaoli was the one who spoke the entire time while Wei Chiyu listened quietly. The wolf cub was in charge of jumping up and down to liven up the atmosphere. The two of them and the wolf cub went down the mountain leisurely. Just as they arrived at the foot of the mountain, Zhou Xiaoli noticed that there seemed to be two people in the bamboo forest not far away, talking to each other. The girl smiled coquettishly from time to time, acting extremely shy. The man was dressed in plain clothes and was waving a fan in his hand. He could be considered as being elegant and handsome. However, there was always a hint of frivolity in his smile. Zhou Xiaoli did not recognize this man. However, that girl looked a little familiar. After the girl smiled after being teased, Zhou Xiaoli immediately recognized the person. Wasn¡¯t she Lin Xiujuan¡¯s daughter, Zhou Yuanyuan? If that was the case, the person beside her must be her fianc¨¦. Although her family was now working with Liu Liangcai¡¯s family to make sugar, Lin Xiujuan¡¯s attitude towards her had also changed 180 degrees. However, her impression of Liu Yuanyuan remained as a simple-minded and headstrong girl. Liu Yuanyuan never came to the Zhou family, and Zhou Xiaoli would not look for her. Therefore, the two rarely interacted. At least, until now, she had not seen her for a long time. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoli only took a glance and did not pay any more attention to it. Together with Wei Chiyu, they quickened their pace and left the place. As Zhou Xiaoli left, Liu Yuanyuan¡¯s fianc¨¦, Chen Dakun, noticed her. When he saw Zhou Xiaoli, he was bowled over by her beauty. ¡°Who is that young lady? Why haven¡¯t I seen her before?¡± Hearing Chen Dakun¡¯s question, Liu Yuanyuan was startled. She turned around and saw the backs of Zhou Xiaoli and Wei Chiyu. She was immediately displeased. However, when he thought of what her mother and father had said, she did not say anything unpleasant. She only said, ¡°It¡¯s a neighbor of mine.¡± After that, she didn¡¯t say anything else. Seeing that Liu Yuanyuan was unwilling to say more, Chen Dakun did not want to make Liu Yuanyuan unhappy, so he did not press further. On the other hand, Zhou Xiaoli had already returned home. She had long forgotten about seeing Liu Yuanyuan in the bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain. When she arrived at the door, she said goodbye to Wei Chiyu and entered the house. They had just eaten at home. Zhou Junjun and Zhou Xiaoli were feeding the donkey with hay then. Zhang Lan sat at the door and sewed soles onto the shoes while Zhou Yu watered the vegetable fields in the courtyard. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli had returned, Zhou Yu smiled and said, ¡°Girl, you¡¯re finally back. We were just waiting for you to come back. Our wheat should have dried by now.¡± Zhou Xiaoli laughed. ¡°It¡¯s alright. The place where we dry the wheat is not a field. There won¡¯t be any rain.¡± With that said, Zhou Yu hurriedly finished watering the plants and entered the alternate space to pack his precious wheat. Zhou Xiaoli was not idle either. She went to the alternate space to pick fruits for everyone to eat. As the family busied themselves, night fell. The night passed uneventfully until the next day. Due to her master¡¯s request to go for a morning jog on the mountain, Zhou Xiaoli could not sleep in. She got up early and went up the mountain. When she came back from the mountain at noon, she heard Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan say that Wei Chiyu¡¯s friend had already brought workers over. Wei Chiyu had also informed Ma Fei that he would bring the workers to work this afternoon. Zhou Xiaoli could not help but marvel at it. Li Da was really efficient and had found them workers today just as he had said. In the afternoon, the nine workers on Ma Fei¡¯s side arrived as well. As soon as the two sides met and with Ma Fei giving instructions, they began to resume work. With that, there was no problem with the construction of their houses. Everyone in the Zhou family was relieved. Zhou Yu also listened to Zhou Xiaoli and found three helpers from the neighboring White Sand Village. They were all honest and capable farmers. They said that they had discussed among themselves and could start exploring Qingyuan Mountain in the afternoon. logo Chapter 106 - 106 Apprenticeship 106 Apprenticeship This time, the two major matters at home began to progress slowly. The wheat they planted in the alternate space had been harvested. Now, Zhou Yu has begun to plant sweet potatoes in the field. In her free time, Zhou Xiaoli would often go to the alternate space to take a look. She realized that ever since the back mountain opened up, the subsequent changes had been a little slow. The wheat had been collected and yet, the tea orchard at the back of the mountain had yet to be fully revealed. It was like leveling up in a game. The further one went, the higher the experience required to level up, and the harder it was to level up. However, the two acres of wheat in the alternate space produced a very good harvest. There were 1000 kilograms of wheat! More importantly, there was no need to pay farm tax on it. The full 1000 kilograms were their own. It was enough for their family of five to eat for more than a year. Now, no one in the family needs to worry about starving. Now that food and shelter were no longer a problem, the family felt much more relaxed. They were just waiting for Zhou Junjun to go through with the apprentice ceremony and start school tomorrow. In the afternoon, the three families made sugar together as usual. They were all very familiar with the process now. Moreover, Zhou Xiaoli had thought of a way for them to squeeze the beet juice with a board that helped them to squeeze all of the juices from the pulp while using lesser strength. Now, there was no need for two people from each family. One person from each family was enough. It was just that the village chief¡¯s family was large so his wife often brought her eldest daughter-in-law to work. Therefore, they only needed Zhang Lan as representative of their family to help make sugar. Zhou Yu pulled himself out and went to work in the field. The next day, the three helpers that Zhou Yu had sourced arrived early in the morning. As it was their first day of work, they came to their house to look for Zhou Yu. After hearing the knock on the door, Zhou Yu hurriedly walked over to open it. When he saw that it was the three helpers he had sourced, he smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re here. Then let¡¯s go straight to the field.¡± As their salary was calculated according to the workload, they too wanted to finish it early so that they had more time to do other work. When they heard Zhou Yu say that they would go straight to the field, they were extremely happy. Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yan noticed the situation at the door. After Zhou Yu and the others left, the two of them asked Zhang Lan in confusion, ¡°Workers? Why did you hire workers?¡± Seeing their nervous expressions, Zhang Lan smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, these workers are not here to help us make sugar.¡± Lin Xiujuan heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Haha, I knew it. How can we allow outsiders to help us make sugar? It¡¯s not safe.¡± Then, she became even more puzzled. ¡°Why are you looking for workers then? And three of them at once.¡± Zhang Lan smiled and explained, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Didn¡¯t my Li¡¯er look for the Mayor and ask for the southern slope of Qingyuan Mountain? My family is busy making sugar, so those lands have been desolate and remain as forest land so far.¡± ¡°As soon as we discussed it, we decided to hire three workers to help us. We thought that the earlier we clear the vegetation, the earlier we could plant fruit trees on the land.¡± Hearing this reason, the two of them were even more surprised. Liu Yan was so shocked that she stopped washing the vegetables. ¡°No, what are you guys thinking? Are you stupid? It¡¯s not worth it to buy forest land in the first place. You have to pay taxes on it too. Not only will you not be able to earn money, but you will also lose money.¡± ¡°Now, you¡¯re hiring workers and even have to pay them. This isn¡¯t how money should be spent!¡± Lin Xiujuan, who was obsessed with money, couldn¡¯t understand it the most. At this moment, she nodded repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes, Sister Ping is right. It wasn¡¯t easy for us to make sugar and earn some money. You should save it well. Moreover, your Brother Jun has just entered school. He would need to spend money in the future.¡± Zhang Lan knew that the two of them were thinking for their family. However, she had already been ¡°brainwashed¡± by Zhou Xiaoli and felt that her Li¡¯er was right. Spend small money to earn big money. The fruits in their alternate space were so good. The sooner they planted them, the sooner they could earn money from it. Lin Xiujuan and Liu Yan didn¡¯t understand the situation and hence, their thought process was normal. However, Zhang Lan could not explain, so she only said, ¡°If we clear the forest land earlier, we can plant things earlier to earn money. We won¡¯t lose out.¡± Seeing that their persuasion was futile, Liu Yan and Lin Xiujuan stopped trying to persuade her. At this time, Zhou Xiaoli had returned home from running on the mountain. Seeing that Zhou Yu was not at home, she asked Zhang Lan about it. Chapter 107 - Chapter 107: Get Lost, Don ‘t Make Me Kick You! Chapter 107: Get Lost, Don ¡®t Make Me Kick You! Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios From then on, all the steps to become a student were completed, and Zhou Junjun could officially enter the school. Tutor Tang said, ¡°The timing of your visit today is just right. It just so happens that class hasn¡¯t started yet. Zhou Junjun, why don¡¯t you study in school today?¡± Zhou Junjun looked at the spacious and bright classroom with sparkling eyes. He solemnly cupped his hands and bowed. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± As for Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu, they could not stay in the private school for long. After bidding farewell to the tutor, they prepared to leave the private school. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoli looked up and saw Zheng Yongyan sitting at one of the window seats, reading seriously. The private school classroom was separated by a screen. On one side were the younger students, and on the other side were the older students. When she looked over, she could see the screen behind Zheng Yongyan. The screen was decorated with plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemums. The flowers that were favored by scholars. When Zhou Xiaoli looked over, due to a visual alignment, it was as if a tuft of emerald green bamboo had grown out of Zheng Yongyan¡¯s head. Zhou Xiaoli almost burst out laughing. On the other hand, Zheng Yongyan seemed to sense someone looking at him. His eyes moved away from the book and looked over. When he saw that it was Zhou Xiaoli, he glared at her. Zhou Xiaoli made a face at him and left the private school with Zhou Yu under his angry gaze. ¡°Father, we would pass by our familys field when we go back. Let¡¯s take a look at it.¡± Zhou Xiaoli suggested after they left the Dazhuang Village. Hearing this, Zhou Yu nodded and drove the donkey cart to the fields. Their 20 acres of wasteland were all connected. Out of the 20 acres, 10 acres had been cleared before. However, it was overgrown and a little barren as it has been too long since anyone took care of it. However, it was much better than the forest lands in front. No wonder they said that clearing the forest land was a physical task. Not only were there weeds in those forest lands, but there were also trees, stones, and the ground was firmly packed together. It was not an easy task to make the land ready for cultivation. Zhou Xiaoli jumped out of the cart and walked over to greet the three workers. Then, she walked around. After Zhou Yu tied up the donkey cart, he went to talk to the workers for a while. After that, he went to look for Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Father, we have to put up a fence after we plant our fruit trees,¡± Zhou Xiaoli said as she pointed at the village at the foot of the mountain. ¡°There are villagers who often go up the mountain to play in the autumn. When the fruit trees bear fruit, who knows how many people will come up to steal the fruits to eat.¡± Zhou Yu immediately nodded. He thought of something and added, ¡°Just the fence alone won¡¯t do. Someone has to watch over it.¡± ¡°However, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. I¡¯ve guarded sweet potatoes in the fields before and am the most experienced at it. When the time comes, I¡¯ll bring a bedroll and sleep here for a few days.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. Zhou Yu was right. They do need someone to watch over the trees, but for Zhou Yu to do it was out of the question. Perhaps they could find a worker to watch over it then. Or, they could buy a servant. However, Zhou Xiaoli did not say it out loud. Back then, she had to spend a lot of effort to convince Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan to hire workers. If they heard that she actually wanted to buy servants, they would definitely not agree. It was not that they could not afford servants. Besides, after buying servants, the family had to pay taxes on them every year. Without a doubt, Zhang Lan and Zhou Yu would definitely not agree. Therefore, she kept this thought to herself but did not say it out loud. The two of them walked around for a while. The sun was getting stronger and stronger. Zhou Yu l s heart ached for her daughter being out in the strong sun, so he pulled Zhou Xiaoli, who was still exploring, home. In this world where entertainment was scarce, the commoners did not have any other means of entertainment. When they were not busy with farming, they would just sit together and chat. Hence, it wouldn¡¯t take long for news to spread in the village. They were seen hiring workers to clear the forest lands. At this moment, the villagers, who did not have any farm work to do at home and had nothing to do, were discussing on the streets. ¡®Zhou Yu e s family went up the mountain to clear the forest lands?¡± ¡°Of course. I heard that they got more than 30 acres of land.¡± ¡°What? More than 30 acres!¡± ¡°Yes, that much I guess. That¡¯s what the people on the street were saying!¡¯ ¡°The Zhou Yu family is really too bold. Five years ago, the county magistrate encouraged us commoners to clear the forest lands. At that time, the one who cleared the forest land does not have to pay taxes for the first three years. Many people went to do it, but in the end? No one could earn money. Many thanked the heavens for not making a loss then.¡± ¡°The Zhou family is amazing now. Theyve made a lot of money and even hired workers to work. Theyre not afraid of losing money.¡± ¡°What? Hire someone to work! Is this Zhou Yu sick or disabled? He just got some money and he¡¯s already slacking off? Does he think he¡¯s a landlord?¡± ¡°I¡¯m dying of laughter. They¡¯ve been silly for so many years. They probably didn¡¯t learn anything. It¡¯s normal that they don¡¯t know how to be in charge. However, where did the Zhou family get so much money? ¡°Don¡¯t you know! Didn¡¯t the Lu family use a field of beetroots to scam the Zhou family previously? Who knew that the Zhou family would be forced into a corner and thought of a way to make sugar from it? Now, they are making sugar with the village chief and the Liu family which is very profitable!¡± ¡°Shh, stop talking. The Zhou father and daughter are here¡­ As the donkeys hoofs clopped on the ground, Zhou Yu drove the donkey cart over. With the villagers around, Zhou Yu did not drive the donkey cart very quickly. ¡°Ah, Zhou Yu, have you gone to your fields?¡± Someone smiled and greeted them. Zhou Yu also smiled and nodded in response. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s cooler here. Have you all eaten?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Sigh, right, Zhou Yu, I heard that your family is clearing the forest lands on the mountain? Zhou Yu was stunned for a moment before saying, ¡°Auntie, what you have heard is true. As you know, my family doesn¡¯t have any farmland.¡± It¡¯s not a good thing that our family doesn¡¯t have its own farmland. We can¡¯t afford good farmland, so we thought of opening a few acres of forest land.¡± Zhou Yu smiled and said in a vague manner. Zhou Xiaoli sat quietly at the side and listened to their greetings. She thought to herself, ¡°As expected, gossip Imows no boundaries. No matter what, humans can¡¯t escape their natural characteristic ofgossiping. ¡± At this moment, she suddenly saw someone sneaking around. She looked over and saw Bao Meifang from the Lu family, and her daughter, Lu Huahua, sticking their heads out. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoli had noticed them, they decided to walk over. Bao Meifang sized up Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s donkey cart with her triangular eyes. Then, she spoke in a high-pitched voice with a jealous tone. ¡°Yo, isnt this Zhou Yu? I heard that your family used my familys beetroots to make sugar? Then you have to thank me properly. If not for me, your family wouldn¡¯t be so lucky!¡± Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu tacitly ignored her. Zhou Yu smiled and nodded at the villagers beside him. ¡°We¡¯ll go back first.¡± As he spoke, he prepared to drive the donkey cart away. When Bao Meifang saw that Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu were treating her like air after she had said so much, her face turned green with anger. She immediately rushed forward and stopped their donkey cart. Zhou Xiaoli knitted her brows tightly, revealing a trace of disgust. ¡°Madam Bao! Don¡¯t be so shameless. It¡¯s all because you couldn¡¯t sell the beetroots back then and wanted to scam our family. Why are you asking for credit now? ¡°Hurry up and get lost.. Don¡¯t force me to kick you!¡¯ Chapter 108 - Chapter 108: Old Woman Bao’s Thoughts Chapter 108: Old Woman Bao¡¯s Thoughts Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Back then, when the Wang and Sun families went to the Zhou family to cause trouble, Zhou Xiaoli had kicked both of them. Everyone in the village knew about it. At that time, many people said behind her back that Miss Zhou was fierce and might not be able to find a husband in the future. Therefore, Bao Meifang subconsciously cowered, afraid that Zhou Xiaoli would alight from the donkey cart to kick her for real. However, she was indignant! Now the village often mocked her about the beetroots, saying that she had gone for wool and come home shorn. Thev even said that the Lu familv was unluckv. In the hands of the Lu familv. the beetroots were trash that could not be disposed of. In the hands of the Zhou family, it became a treasure. This comparison was infuriating and she was furious. As the saying went, jealousy drove people crazy. This Bao Meifang was so agitated that her eyes were red. Hence, she became stubborn and did not move. She even shouted loudly, ¡°Zhou family, aren¡¯t you too selfish!¡± ¡°Now that you have the method to make sugar, you should announce it and tell everyone in our village for us to get rich together. Isn¡¯t that right, everyone?!¡± Many of the surrounding villagers were tempted. Who didnt want to earn money? However, they were not as shameless as Bao Meifang. They only thought about it in their hearts and did not show it out. Zhou Xiaoli was so angry that she laughed. Bao Meifang.s shamelessness knows no bounds. Since that was the case, Zhou Xiaoli shrugged and said calmly, ¡®iWei Chiyu also has a part in coming up with the method to make sugar. Why don¡¯t you ask him?¡± Bao Meifang was deeply afraid of Wei Chiyu. That was the living King of Hell who had almost set them on fire and roasted her son. She couldn¡¯t help but keep quiet. However, she still acted shamelessly. ¡°If you don¡¯t give me the formula today, don¡¯t even think about leaving. Unless¡­ unless you step over me.¡± Zhou Xiaoli sneered, as if she did not dare to do so. She immediately said, ¡°A good dog does not block the path. It¡¯s not our responsibility that she chooses to block the road. Father, let¡¯s go! If she still wants to lie in the middle of the road, we¡¯ll just ride the cart over her!¡± Zhou Yu was very annoyed with Bao Meifang as well, but since she was a woman, he could not argue with her. Therefore, when he heard Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s words, he immediately whipped the reins. The donkey let out a cry and charged towards Bao Meifang. A person like Bao Meifang seemed to be very ruthless, but she cherished her life very much. As soon as the donkey cart moved, she screamed and ran to the side of the road. Then, Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu left with Bao Meifang cursing behind. The cart slowed down when they almost reached home. The donkey cart turned a corner and from afar, they saw a few children playing outside the Liu familys house. Two were climbing up the trees by the roadside. She walked closer and took a look. Good lord! Zhou Xiaoli almost cried out in surprise. Wasn¡¯t the one hugging and climbing the tree haDDilv Zhou Xiaovu? Zhou Yu rushed over and pulled her down. ¡°You little girl! You jump up and down all day long, but you actually dare to climb a tree today. Would you climb the roof tomorrow? Would you go into the river the day after tomorrow? After scolding Zhou Xiaoyu, Zhou Yu l s brows were knitted into a frown, and his face was filled with worry. He would never have thought that a cute and adorable girl would be so energetic and restless. Zhou Xiaoyu patted Zhou Yu l s chest. ¡°Father, Father, I want to help the little bird home, not climb the tree.¡± As she spoke, she pointed at a young bird under the tree and an especially excited wolf. The wolf cub seemed to be very curious about the baby bird and was extremely excited. It jumped in front of the baby bird and suddenly jumped over. It rubbed its mouth against the baby bird and jumped away. Then, it jumped close to it again. The baby bird curled up under the tree, trembling, helpless and pitiful. Zhou Xiaoli covered her face. She was too ashamed to continue looking at the scene in front of her. She hurried forward and stopped the Silver Wolf, which was overly excited. If it continued playing like this, the young bird would be traumatized for life. ¡°Howl, howl- The Silver Wolf, which was being hugged by Zhou Xiaoli, was very unhappy. It was still jumping up and down in protest. Zhou Xiaoli patted the wolf cubs head. ¡°Be good. You can¡¯t play with the little bird anymore. You would scare it.¡± On the other hand, Zhou Yu was still surprised that Zhou Xiaoyu had gone up a tree to dig for a bird¡¯s nest! Zhou Xiaoli felt that Zhou Yu was very funny at this moment. She had already climbed up the tree, so why was he concerned about her climbing up the tree? On the other hand, Zhou Xiaoyu explained anxiously to Zhou Yu that she was not going up a tree to dig for a bird¡¯s nest. She was going up a tree to help the bird go home. In the end, under Liu Fengfeng and the other children¡¯s flustered explanations, she finally explained the matter clearly. It turned out that while they were playing under the tree, the baby bird suddenly fell from the tree. Then, after discussing it, they unanimously decided to help the young bird go home. Hence, the scene they saw when they were returning home, happened. Zhou Xiaoyu pouted and said, ¡°Father, little birdie has left its mother. He must miss home. Let¡¯s help him go home, okay?¡± Zhou Yu patted the dirt off Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s body. ¡°Okay, leave it to Father.¡± As he spoke, he stood up and held the baby bird in his hand. Then, he raised his head and searched the tree. After confirming the location of the bird nest, he tied his clothes on his waist and climbed up quickly. Zhou Xiaoyu¡¯s mouth was agape as she said in surprise, ¡°Father is so good at climbing trees.¡± After Zhou Yu placed the bird in the bird¡¯s nest, he jumped down from the tree. ¡°Alright, the bird has already gone home. Go and play. Don¡¯t climb the tree anymore.¡± The children clapped their hands happily. ¡°The bird¡¯s home. The bird¡¯s home.¡± Then, they swarmed elsewhere to play. Zhou Xiaoli also let go of the wolf cub. The Silver Wolf seemed reluctant to part with the little bird and even circled around the tree a few times. In the end, when he heard Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s call, he ran home like a wisp of smoke. After a long delay in the morning, Zhou Xiaoli did not go up the mountain. In the past four days, they had made a lot of sugar. They could now make about 12 kilograms in one morning. Now, there are almost 80 kilograms of sugar at home. Everyone was talking about selling the sugar. Lin Xiujuan said, ¡°Let¡¯s go tomorrow. There is too much sugar at home. We don¡¯t have space to keep them around.¡± Liu Yan nodded and said in embarrassment, ¡°Sure, but my Yongyan has to go to school tomorrow and cant go to the county city to sell sugar. The others don¡¯t know how to sell it, so I¡¯ll have to trouble Little Li to do it.¡± Hearing this, Zhang Lan smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just let Little Li go again. It won¡¯t be troublesome.¡± Zhou Xiaoli also nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s alright. I also like to go to the county Most importantly, if she wanted to buy stones in the future, she had to go to the county city more diligently. At this moment, Lin Xiujuan said, ¡°But you can¡¯t always go, Little Li. She still has to go up the mountain to learn from her master.¡± ¡°Let my husband learn from Little Li this time and he can bring the others next time.¡± Everyone nodded in agreement. At this moment, Zhang Lan Lengs green bean tea was ready. When she saw Zhou Yu had returned, she called out, ¡°Hubby, go and send the tea to the construction workers..¡± Chapter 109 - Chapter 109: Undercurrent Chapter 109: Undercurrent Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Recently, because Wei Chiyu often went up the mountain, Zhang Lan stopped him from making green bean tea at the homestead. Instead, she would cook it at home before getting Zhou Yu to send it to the homestead. In fact, there was another very important reason why Wei Chiyu was not allowed to make green bean tea. It was too expensive! He did not cook it till the green beans bloomed. Zhang Lan had once gone to the homestead and found out about it. After that, she did not allow Wei Chiyu to cook them green bean tea again. Zhou Yu responded and carried the large cauldron filled with tea onto the donkey cart. Zhou Xiaoli also brought out bowls from the kitchen and followed Zhou Yu to the homestead. Wei Chiyu¡¯s friend was quite reliable. The workers he found were capable, and they were all experienced builders. They learned very quickly. Although they were unfamiliar with working with Ma Fei and the others in the beginning, under Ma Fei¡¯s lead, they quickly reached a tacit understanding and their progress was far more efficient than before. Zhou Xiaoliu thought to herself that she had to thank Cao Liu for selecting outstanding construction workers for her. Ma Fei stood on the scaffolding and saw the Zhou Family¡¯s donkey cart approaching from afar. He immediately rushed towards Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Soon, the donkey cart arrived in front of the homestead. Zhou Xiaoli jumped down from the donkey cart and looked up at the workers on the scaffolding with a smile. ¡°Brothers, my mother has made tea. Come down and drink it.¡± When Ma Fei saw this, he smiled and shouted, ¡®Guys, the young lady from the Zhou family has brought us tea. Everyone, stop your work and come down to drink the tea. Leti s continue afterwards!¡± The workers were very happy. Although the weather had become much cooler and they would not suffer from heatstroke, their mouths were still dry from being under the sun all day. Everyone would be happy to have some tea and rest. Soon, after Zhou Yu parked the donkey cart, the workers lined up to collect their green bean tea. Ma Fei took the tea from Zhou Xiaoli and praised with a smile, ¡°This is the best green bean tea I¡¯ve ever tasted!¡± When the other construction workers heard this, they nodded in agreement. The atmosphere was peaceful. Zhou Xiaoli smiled and served a bowl of green bean tea to the last worker. Then, she glanced at the newly built house. At this moment, the house had a rough outline. Zhou Xiaoli asked, ¡°Brother Ma, how¡¯s the construction going? Ma Fei immediately patted his chest and said, ¡°These brothers are very good. Young Lady Zhou, don¡¯t worry. I guarantee that your house will be completed next month. Zhou Xiaoli nodded. Together with Zhou Yu, they learned more about the progress of the house from Ma Fei. For example, the problem of digging wells, cellars, and ice cellars. These people had discussed this with Foreman Cao before they built the house. He knew people who specialized in digging wells, so he could just do them all together. However, now that Foreman Cao was injured, they did not know what would happen. Ma Fei smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Zhou, Miss Zhou, don¡¯t worry about this. My master has already instructed me that it won¡¯t be a problem to find someone to dig the well and cellar.¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded, but she remembered that she hadn¡¯t visited Foreman Cao yet. She had to discuss with Wei Chiyu when they should visit Foreman Cao¡¯s house. ¡°Um, Miss Zhou, thank you for the green bean tea. We have to get back to work! After Ma Fei returned the bowl to Zhou Xiaoli, he called the workers who had finished their green bean tea back to their posts. Zhou Xiaoli and Zhou Yu put away the bowls. After bidding farewell to everyone, they led the donkey cart home. When the donkey cart passed by the willow tree in the village, Zhou Xiaoli noticed two pairs of eyes looking in her direction. She could not help but look in the same direction. She saw two village girls about her age standing under the willow tree. Zhou Xiaoli recognized both of them. One of them was the precious daughter of the Lu family¡¯s old woman, Lu Huahua. The other was Lai Jinniangs youngest daughter, Zhou Guihua. Zhou Xiaoli did not have a good impression of these two people. Now that the two of them were together, it was unknown what troubles they were cooking up. When the two of them saw that Zhou Xiaoli had discovered them, they said something to each other and left. Zhou Xiaoli stopped paying attention to the two of them. The donkey cart soon arrived home. After lunch, Zhou Xiaoli told Zhou Yu and Zhang Lan before running up the mountain As she busied himself, the day passed. The next morning, Liu Liangcai arrived at the Zhou family home early in the morning. Together with Zhou Yu, they carried more than 45 kilograms of sugar onto the donkey cart. Zhou Xiaoli was wolfing down the egg soup in the kitchen. Then, she took the freshly made flatbread from Zhang Lan and took two bites of it. Mihen she saw that Liu Liangcai and the others were ready, she immediately ran out. ¡°Uncle Liu, I¡¯m done eating. Let¡¯s go.¡± Liu Liangcai could not help but laugh. ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. Eat slowly. We¡¯ll leave after you¡¯re done.¡± Zhou Xiaoli stuffed the last mouthful of flatbread into her mouth and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m done, I¡¯m done.¡± At this moment, Zhang Lan walked out of the kitchen and asked Liu Lia_ngcai, ¡°Have you eaten? Do you want to eat at home before leaving? I just made flatbread. ¡°No need, no need. I¡¯ve already eaten. We also had flatbreads at home today.¡± As he spoke, Liu Liangcai led the donkey cart out the door. Zhou Xiaoli has been traveling to the county city frequently recently. She was familiar with this road to the county city. She closed her eyes and knew how to go. The journey was very smooth. Soon, they reached the entrance of the county city. After paying the entrance fee, the two of them entered the county city. Today, Zhou Xiaoli¡¯s and Liu Liangcai¡¯s purpose in the county city was to sell sugar. Therefore, after arriving at the county city, the two of them went straight to Qing Tao WOrkshop. This time, the shop assistants immediately recognized Zhou Xiaoli when she entered the Qing Tao Workshop. He immediately smiled and welcomed her. ¡°Miss Zhou, you¡¯re finally here. My shopkeeper has been looking forward to your arrival for a long time.¡± Zhou Xiaoli smiled and glanced at Qing Tao Workshop. ¡°Where¡¯s your shopkeeper? ¡°My shopkeeper is inside. Wait for me. I¡¯ll go get him now.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the shop assistant ran in. At this moment, Liu Liangcai and another assistant had already carried the sugar in. After entering the shop, Liu Liangcai looked around and quickly followed Zhou Xiaoli. ¡°Little Li, is this the place where we should sell the sugar to?¡± Zhou Xiaoli nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s here. Qing Tao Workshop. We¡¯ve signed a contract with their family. Our sugar will only be sold to them.¡± Liu Liangcai nodded. ¡°Miss Zhou, hahaha, you¡¯re finally here.¡± At this moment, Qian Zhantang laughed and walked out quickly. Zhou Xiaoli also smiled and nodded. ¡°Shopkeeper Qian, the business in your shop is booming.¡± ¡°Haha, then isn¡¯t it all thanks to Miss Zhou? You don¡¯t know about it, but the sugar you sent last time was all sold in less than two days. However, many people came to ask. Just pre-orders alone makes 6 kilograms.¡± Qian Zhantang chuckled and said, ¡°You¡¯re finally here today..¡±